Understand my skin

What’s the difference between dry hands and damaged hands?

It would seem at first that we put both problems into the same category, and yet… If you have damaged hands with micro cracks and fissures, you know that they’re not at all the same things! Here is a quick guide to tell the difference and a few suggestions to choose the right care for your hands.

Michèle Sayag, Medical Strategy Director - BIODERMA.

With dry hands, skin is flaky and has lines, and it pulls and stings. Skin can be rough and doesn’t feel comfortable. With damaged hands, we’ve moved up a level: skin breaks open, there’s chapping with micro-cracks and splits. Feelings of discomfort can make some movements difficult.

Michèle Sayag, Medical Strategy Director - BIODERMA.

What does BIODERMA offer as ideal hand cream care?

To care for your hands, choose the product most adapted to your situation:

If your hands are dry or very dry: Atoderm Hands & Nail Cream

The nourishing cream for soft and supple hands. 8h hydration. With a light and unctuous texture, it moisturises, strengthens the skin’s barrier function and nourishes.

The key parts of its formula:

The hydro-absorbent technology strengthens the skin barrier. Glycerin helps correct the lack of cutaneous hydration
Vitamin PP to strengthen the barrier function
3% shea butter to nourish
+ the DAF patent that increases skin’s tolerance level.

Who can use it?

Adults, and children from 10 years old
Apply as often as necessary

Everything you need to know about dry hands and damaged hands

Identify the signs

Learn more in our article: "How to heal damaged skin? Cuts, scratches & scars treatments"

Dry hands Your hands are dry, with fine white lines, red areas, flaking skin as if it were peeling, thicker skin in some spots.

Damaged hands Your hands are deeply dehydrated, very rough and red. The lines have changed into tiny cracks, sometimes deep, that turn into micro (small in size and surface area) or big (bigger and deeper) fissures or splits.

What you feel

Dry hands Your skin pulls, stings and is uncomfortable.

Damaged hands Your skin is deeply uncomfortable and can be itchy, making it very complicated to use your hands for certain tasks.
You can’t bear hot water or hydroalcoholic gel.

Possible causes

Dry hands - Your daily activities
- The cold, wind

Damaged hands - Manual work, using your hands too much
- Extreme temperatures
- Using detergents, harsh chemical products
- Washing your hands frequently

What do your hands need?

To be nourished with water and lipids to recreate the skin barrier.

Learn more in our article: "How to heal damaged skin? Cuts, scratches & scars treatments".

Dry hands Moisturising that is gentle, silky with a light texture.

Damaged hands Relieving feelings of itchiness and discomfort so that you can continue using your hands
Repairing skin to avoid any risk of infection
Protecting skin thanks to a rich and enveloping texture.

The type of hand care to apply

Dry hands Use a moisturising hand cream several times a day, each time after you wash your hands.

Damaged hands Apply a repairing cream for cracked hands several times a day, even between hand washings.
Choose a relieving and nourishing balm.
If hands are very damaged, your doctor can prescribe corticosteroids as well.

The first 2 in 1 nourishing hand sanitizer, Biphase Lipo alcoolique, ideal for dry skin. Thanks to squalane and shea oil, it deeply nourishes the skin while eliminating viruses and bacteria. Restoring the skin barrier and disinfecting the skin is therefore possible with only 3 gestures: Shake, spray and rub your palms and the back of your hands.