2020 will forever be known as the year that COVID-19 swept the globe, resulting in multiple lockdowns, mask wearing and the introduction of hand sanitizer to the daily cleaning regimen for many people.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl alcohol content are generally recommended to sanitize hands but alcohol and soap are known to dry skin and nails through repeated use. Daily use of hand sanitizer may irritate and dry the skin to the point of cracking which can introduce infection into the hands and nails more so if you are a nail biter. It can also lead to brittle and cracked fingernails and if you work with chemicals that get on your hands, mixing the chemicals with hand sanitizer can further irritate skin. And for nail biters, the damage can be worse.
Since alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t kill all germs, it may also lead to a false sense of security for nail biters every time they put their hands in their mouth thinking that their hands are perfectly clean from using the sanitizer.
Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer
Back in 2003 when SARS significantly affected several countries around the world, hand sanitizer usage became a recommended choice for many of those countries’ citizens. While alcohol-based sanitizers suddenly appeared in bottles and dispensers at the front of retail stores, in public restrooms and other places, several years later non-alcohol based sanitizers started popping up due to the effects that alcohol has on skin and nails ie. it’s a drying agent.
Hand sanitizers are labelled in various ways and you have to be careful when you read labels. When you see a label that says that the product kills 99.9% of germs but doesn’t label alcohol content or other active ingredients visibly, it’s likely that it doesn’t contain a high level of an active ingredient. Otherwise they’d state it in big, easy to read letters and numbers on the front of the label.
Current recommendations suggest a hand sanitizer contain 80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl alcohol at a minimum. It is also recommended that hand sanitizer not be used to replace hand washing with soap but rather than it complements hand washing and that sanitizer be used when soap and water are unavailable.
Hand Sanitizer and Nails
The general recommendation is any hand sanitizer you use have a minimum 80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl alcohol content and that it be used in conjunction with proper hand washing with soap. Proper hand washing involves wetting your hands with water, applying soap and lathering the soap for at least 20 seconds before rinsing it off.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can dry the skin with repeated use certainly more so when combined with frequent hand washing with soap. All of which is recommended and encouraged of course but it’s even more so when the air is dry (winter, cold spells) which further dries the skin.
Dry skin leads to cracking of skin which can increase the chance of infections entering our bodies. Nail biters are at a higher risk every time we put our fingers in our mouth. Drying of fingernails can also occur which can make them brittle and susceptible to cracking and breaking which is further increased in likelihood among nail biters and pickers.
Hand Sanitizer And Nail Polish
Nail polish remover typically contains acetone, ethyl acetate, and isopropyl alcohol. Can hand sanitizer with a high alcohol content be used as nail polish remover? People are already doing this so the answer is yes. In fact websites like Healthline offer advice for DIY nail polish removers and hand sanitizers is one of the hacks.
It stands to reason that if hand sanitizer can be used to deliberately remove nail polish, that it can accidentally remove nail polish too. And while nail polish can help to protect nails, it can chip or crack or be otherwise degraded from repeated hand sanitizer usage which leaves nails exposed to the drying effects of the alcohol that we described above.
And for nail biters, cracked and chipped nails is often a trigger to start biting and picking fingernails.
Non-Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizers
Back around 2012 several years after SARS had passed, recommendations for non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers started appearing. This linked article referred to how the alcohol in hand sanitizers could ruin expensive manicures and crack nails which could lead to infections and other side effects.
Of course, 2012 was 8 years before the full effects of COVID-19 became known. In 2012 we could afford to be more concerned about looking good than remaining healthy. Now with COVID-19 being a global concern, non-alcohol based hand sanitizers are not recommended certainly not when cleanliness and sterilization are the goal.
Nail biters should use hand sanitizers with the recommended alcohol levels to avoid getting a false sense of security biting their dirty fingers that they think were cleaned by inferior products.
Ingredients To Avoid
While hand sanitizers are increasingly adding ingredients to effectively sanitize hands while trying to avoid drying your skin, there are several ingredients that some hand sanitizers contain that you should avoid.
This is especially true for nail biters who may use these products, stick their fingers in their mouth to bite nails thinking their hands are clean and be unaware that they are actually ingesting lethal and dangerous chemicals.
Methanol: Methanol is a type of alcohol that should be avoided. Known side effects include nausea, vomiting or headaches. While other severe side effects are generally only experienced by ingesting methanol it’s better to avoid a product containing it to be safe.
1-Propanol: Another ingredient that should be avoided. The Food and Drug Administration does not recommend using a hand sanitizer containing 1-Propanol as ingestion can be toxic and life-threatening.
Ethanol-based (Ethyl alcohol) and isopropanol-based hand sanitizers are the most commonly found and recommended products.
Hand Sanitizer And Chemical Usage
If you work with chemicals you need to be careful with hand sanitizer usage especially when you get chemicals on your hands. Perhaps you’re a cleaner or janitor who works with bleaches and harsh cleaners. Or you’re a swimming pool attendant exposed to chlorine. You could also get chemical residue on your hands if you clean your home with detergents and chemical cleaners. And if you fertilize your garden, pesticides and other outdoor chemicals can get on your hands.
It’s recommended that soap and water be used to rinse and remove chemical residue from skin as opposed to hand sanitizer. Soap and water does a better job. When you work with chemicals you’re probably already washing your hands more than the average person as it is. Overusing hand sanitizer can remove good, benign bacteria from your hands which can have a negative effect.
Cleansing Hand Gel
The hand sanitizer shown above is an example of a good quality and popular product currently available on the market. Here’s what it does:
80% alcohol content: It contains 80% ethyl alcohol which meets current USP and WHO guidelines to kill germs and bacteria on your hands.
No Water Required: You simply apply the sanitizer on your hands and rub your hands. No need to mix with water or rinse.
Antibacterial formula: Contains agents including ethylhexylglycerin which is an antimicrobial agent often used in deodorants.
Provitamin B5: It’s a humectant which is a substance that helps the skin preserve and retain moisure. So while the alcohol in the hand sanitizer has a drying effect, the B5 will help to counter this side effect to prevent drying and cracking of skin. B5 is also further known to speed up skin healing and relieve irritated and itchy skin.
This particular product pictured above also contains Panthenol which is another moisturizer often used in skin care products. So increasingly, hand sanitizers are taking skincare into account in addition to often adding a scent to mask or minimize the often strong alcohol smell that some people hate about sanitizers.
Summary
- Hand washing and cleaning is important for nail biters especially in the era of COVID-19.
- Use of ethyl alcohol and isopropanol-based hand sanitizers is recommended by the FDA and other organizations around the world for proper hand sterilization.
- Proper hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is recommended with hand sanitizer used in conjunction but only in place of hand washing when absolutely necessary.
- US Pharmacopeia (USP) has published a hand sanitizer toolkit with updated information on hand health and cleanliness during COVID times.
- Currently a final concentration of 80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl alcohol is recommended by the USP and WHO in alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
- The FDA publishes an updated list of hand sanitizers that should not be used.
- Avoid hand sanitizers that contain either Methanol or 1-Propanol as they are toxic chemicals.
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