The Wall Street Journal - 04.04.2020 - 05.04.2020

D2| Saturday/Sunday, April 4 - 5, 2020 **** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

reveal your age most indiscreetly.

With regular hand disinfecting

now a nonnegotiable beauty task,

what recourse do we have? New

York-based dermatologist Dr.

Dendy Engelman recommended

some best practices. First, consider

the soap you’re using for all those

20-second scrub sessions. Look for

disinfecting soaps that incorporate

oils, like those from Mrs. Meyer’s.

“Oils are very effective at lifting

dirt and grime without drying out

the skin,” she explained. Katy

Peetz, a recipe developer and

Rogers. “The skin on the back of

your hands is thin and has fewer

oil glands than facial skin.” Hands

also endure more wear and tear

than your face, are more prone to

injury and are rarely protected

from the elements.

Excessive hand-washing and

slathering on of moisture-stripping

hand sanitizer leaves this vulnera-

ble stretch of skin perceptively

rough, dry, and irritated—and at a

significantly higher risk of rapid ag-

ing. As any dermatologist will at-

test, besides your neck, your hands

R

IGOROUS ANDre-
peated hand-wash-
ing, sequential
squirts of hand sani-
tizer, latex gloves in
public. Covid-19 has certainly fo-
cused our attention on the benefits
of clean paws, but our hands are
desperate for deeper care. “In a
perfect world, you would treat
hands the same way you treat your
face, or even better,” said Seattle-
based dermatologist Dr. Heather D.

BYFIORELLAVALDESOLO

Nonstop Purell plus washing your hands around the clock to the tune of

‘I Will Survive’ takes its toll on parched skin. These nourishing creams will

help you get a handle on the situation

Palm Feeding

founder of plant-based snack brand

Keetz, whose job has always re-

quired repeated hand-washing,

echoes that advice: “All it takes is

one day using more conventional

soaps to ruin your hands.” She also

favors cleansers from Mrs. Meyer’s

or Puracy.

A two-pronged approach to

moisturizing severely dry skin

might be best, suggested Dr. En-

gelman. First, apply an oil. Her pick

is Josie Maran’s 100% Pure Argan

Oil Light, which is high in vitamin E

and fatty acids. The oil helps repair

skin damage, improves elasticity

and works to reverse signs of aging.

Then follow with a cream to create

a barrier and lock in moisture.

“Since the molecules in moisturiz-

ers are larger, they don’t penetrate

as deeply [as an oil], but rather

provide a shield,” she explained.

New York-based food stylist Maggie

Ruggiero has long employed a simi-

lar layering method on set to ad-

dress her perpetually over-washed

hands and nails. “I’ve been using Dr.

Hauschka’s Neem Oil on my nails

and cuticles forever,” she said.

“Then I moisturize my hands—but

never when they’re damp—with

Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand

Salve, or, when I’m feeling fancy,

Aesop Resurrection Balm.”

With moisturizers, the denser,

the better. “Since your hand skin

has fewer oil glands, thicker mois-

turizers are best,” Dr. Rogers said.

One expert tip: Scan the shelves for

key ingredients like ceramides and

shea butter. Dr. Engelman endorses

the former: “They help restore the

skin’s barrier by holding the cells

together and, as a result, skin feels

smoother, plumper and more mois-

turized.” According to Jin Soon

Choi, a manicurist and founder of

an eponymous nail polish and care

line, shea butter in particular “hy-

drates while protecting your skin’s

natural oils.” Kacey Martinez, a

Boise-based pediatric nurse for

whom frequent hand-washing was a

duty even pre-Covid-19, always

keeps a tube of ceramide-packed

moisturizer tucked in her work bag,

specifically Cerave Therapeutic

Hand Cream.

If the skin on your hands has,

quite literally, reached a breaking

point, Dr. Rogers recommends up-

ping the moisturizing ante by

slathering on a thick coat of oint-

ment (you can try Aquaphor, or

the Healing Balm from her epony-

mous brand) and slipping hands

into a pair of cotton gloves or

socks for the night. “It will help

skin heal and replenish the oils so

your hands can face yet another

day of frequent hand-washing.”

‘In a perfect world

you would treat hands

the same way you

treat your face, or

even better.’

FAST FIVE

How to Teach an Old Skirt New Tricks

Popularized by 1970s hippies keen to recycle faded jeans, denim skirts have evolved into

high fashion. Versatile midi versions—more ‘right now’ than retro—stormed the spring

runways. Below, the five we most covet, and what to top them with

Denim Skirt,$595,

stellamccartney.com

Denim Skirt,$2,150,

celine.com

Denim Skirt,$245,

frame-store.com

Denim Skirt,$350,

philosophyofficial.com

Denim Skirt,$835,

givenchy.com

With a Cozy

Crewneck

With a Little

White Tee

With a Crisp

Collared Shirt

With a Cute

Cardigan

With a Second-Skin

Bodysuit

This recently launched

product can also be used

as an overnight hand mask.

Côte d’Azur Nourishing

Hand Crème,$52,

oribe.com

With its millennial-pink tube

and mandarin-rind extract,

this is a trendy staple

among creative types.

Resurrection Aromatique

Hand Balm,$30, aesop.com

One of these rich,

sweet-smelling potions is

sold every two seconds

around the world.

Shea Butter Hand Cream,

$29, loccitane.com

The Luxe Newcomer

The Cult Favorite

The Dependable Classic

Soft Sell

Three dense, elegant,

restorative hand creams

worth indulging in

STYLE & FASHION

YANA POTTER

NY