I'm OCD --- can you believe that!!!!

I finally succumbed and made an appointment with a dermatologist. The reason - I'm suffering from the effects of Chicago's winter -- DRY HANDS.

I can't believe it when a simple loose skin on my finger that I love to peel spiraled into an obsession when more showed up on my fingers and palms. It got to the point that I would peel till I bled and my fingers started to hurt. Suffice to say, I stopped. But the skin got worse and moisturizing seemed to make it slightly better (to look at) but it didn't heal. The fingers now were rough, clenching my fingers felt stiff and I lacked the ability to grip.

Friends and M were telling me to stop each time I reached to peel or tear or bite a loose piece of skin. I stopped my obsession, knowing it was not helping. As my fingers started to heal, they also looked stretched and scaley, like a mummy, and inflamed.

I finally made the appointment yesterday to the dermatologist. I was getting fearful it might be some sort of fungus (a hand's version of athlete's foot, if you will) and I needed an expert's opinion on it.

He diagnosed it as a simple case of dryness. Then he asked me how times I wash my hands in a single day. I computed quickly in my head the shower, face-washing, dishwashing, toilet visits and came up with "at least 10." He told me to reduce it, that I shouldn't be washing my hands that much. I asked if I was bordering on obsessive disorder compulsion and he said yes. I couldn't believe it. Those were regular rituals, I said. He told me that I should also take shorter showers and use less hot water as the latter can be very drying. It all makes sense but it requires a complete turnaround in my lifelong habit.

Here's a few good advice:
1. Use hand lotion for hands, don't use regular moisturizer. I understood that immediately. In my initial self-remedy, I moisturized my hands liberally and they felt wet. The reason: the first ingredient in all non-hand moisturizers is water!
2. Buy a pair of white clothed gloves and put them on at night after moisturizing.
3. Don on gloves while washing dishes by hands.
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Christina: Wow! I had no idea of all this stuff about hand dryness. I have chronic hand dryness and now I see that part of the problem is I use my regular moisturizing (body) lotion on hands as well! didn't know there could be a case of washing hands "too many times." I wash mine at least eight or nine times a day because since I live with dad and he has compromised immunity, we have to be ultra-clean! I hope your condition improves! I really don't think you have true OCD, though. I've known OCD folks and they wash hands like 20 or 30 times a day and can't touch anything almost without having to wash or sterilize their hands. Glad you went to the doctor!

Me: Yeh, what is he going to say about you and your dad's situation! How about dem doctors who have to scrub like crazy?