The role of skin health in infection prevention

Avoiding skin damage    
When your skin becomes damaged, the lipids are disrupted or washed away, leaving gaps where moisture escapes and bad actors can enter.

Keeping your skin hydrated with well-formulated moisturisers will relieve dryness. The ideal times to use lotion are before bed and soon after washing your hands or exposing them to water (e.g. doing dishes).

When washing your hands, use cool or room-temperature water and dry your hands thoroughly. The temperature of the water does not appear to significantly affect bacteria removal; however, warmer water may cause more skin irritation.

What causes the most damage?
Many factors can hurt your skin condition, such as cold temperatures and dry weather.The overuse of soap and water can also lead to damaged skin by washing away lipids faster than they can be replaced.

Hand sanitiser doesn’t remove lipids, even with repeated use. A well-formulated product such as PURELL Advanced Hygienic Hand Rub kills germs on your hands that may cause illness and evaporates quickly, while leaving moisturisers behind to nourish the skin.

Soap or sanitiser?
There is a role for both soap and water, and hand sanitiser. Evaluate the situation and decide based on whether your hands are visibly soiled, your skin condition, time constraints, and your environment.

More than ever before, formulation matters when selecting hand hygiene products to protect skin health and prevent the spread of infection.

For more detailed information, please call +44 (0)1908 588444, email infouk@gojo.com or visit www.gojo.com