Washing your hands: Mild cleansing is crucial Washing your hands too often can lead to skin irritation. This is especially true for people who wash their hands 15 or more times a day [1]. In fact, there are very few situations in healthcare that require hand washing [2]. To keep the skin healthy, hand washing should be reduced and mild cleansers should be used, while alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not damage the skin, contrary to popular belief [3]. Baktolin® wash lotions are alkali-free, soap-free and dye-free and owe their good skin compatibility to modern, mild ingredients. Skin care thrives on regular application Regular hand care is particularly important to prevent skin irritation [4]. A survey of surgeons found that three quarters did not use any skin care/protection, despite half suffering from skin irritation [5]. Inadequate skin care not only affects the surgeon‘s own skin health, but also patient safety, as only healthy skin can be safely disinfected. The Baktolan® range of skincare products is tailored to different needs and contains mild, high-quality ingredients that increase skin hydration and strengthen the skin‘s natural barrier. Use skin protection BEFORE problems occur During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers increased their hand hygiene practices. At the same time, hand eczema increased significantly [6]. However, preventing skin irritation is much easier than treating it. Therefore, skin protection products should be used as a preventative measure. Baktolan® skin protection creams provide reliable and longlasting protection for skin in contact with water or aqueous liquids. Mild, natural ingredients help to regenerate stressed and chapped skin. Skin irritations and eczema: avoidable with good strategies The importance of general skin health was also emphasised by Prof. Dr. Swen Malte John, Head of Dermatology at the University of Osnabrück, at the HARTMANN Symposium in October as part of ’Freiburger Infektiologie- and Hygienekongress‘ in Freiburg, Germany. He described the increase in hand eczema among healthcare workers as an ’epidemic during the pandemic’ and drew attention to the fact that healthcare workers with occupational skin diseases are three times more likely to be colonised with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) [7]. His preventive approach: the ’3 moments of skin care‘ - BEFORE starting work, AFTER washing hands, AFTER work [8]. Find out more on the following pages. References 1. Technische Regeln für Gefahrstoffe 401 (TRGS 401) (2022). GMBl 40: 895–926. https://www.baua.de/DE/Angebote/Regelwerk/TRGS/TRGS-401 (abgerufen am 09.09.2024) 2. Kommission für Krankenhaushygiene und Infektionsprävention (KRINKO) beim Robert Koch-Institut (2016) Bundesgesundheitsbl 59: 1189-1220. https://doi. org./10.1007/s00103-016-2416-6 3. Robert Koch-Institut (RKI) (2019) Epidemiol Bull 19: 157-161. https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2019/Ausgaben/19_19.pdf?__ blob=publicationFile(abgerufen am 09.09.2024) 4. Kampf G, Ennen J (2006) BMC Dermatol 6: 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-5945-6-1 5. Harnoss JC et al. (2014) BMC Infect Dis 14: 315. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-14-315 6. Reinholz M et al. (2021) Eur J Dermatol 31: 392-395. https://doi.org/10.1684/ejd.2021.4046 7. Brans R et al. (2016) Occup Environ Med 2016 73: 670-675. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2016-103632 8. Hines J et al. (2017) J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 31: 53-64. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.13851 PRACTICE 15
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