With the outbreak of the coronavirus, one of the things that you must have heard very frequently within the past few months is how you should use sanitizers regularly. The sanitizer is meant to keep the hands safe. It is believed that the hands could get infected by touching infected surfaces or items and subsequently the person could get infected when they touch parts of their bodies from where the virus can gain entrance into their body. However, hand sanitizer could have negative effects on an individual. Some of the negative effects of regularly using hand sanitizers are discussed subsequently.
Microbiomes disruption
Sanitizers are very good at eliminating bacteria and it is the reason they are effective in keeping us safe and keeping us from several illnesses. However, there are some ways it can also affect the microbiomes in the body that can negatively affect us. Some bacteria live on the skin that is good for us. The sanitizer kills those bacteria as well and the consequences can be devastating to the community of healthy bacteria on our body. This is why you should cautiously use hand sanitizer if you can’t access soap and running water.
Stronger bacteria can be created
The CDC has stated that hand sanitizers that come with antibacterial ingredients could lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria development. To avoid creating these little microbes that could be scary, you should wash your hand as opposed to applying sanitizer whenever possible. Bacteria resistant to antibiotics imply bacteria developing an ability to endure drugs that should normally have killed them.
Grime and dirt removal
If you have soiled your hands, hand sanitizer is not the best option at cleaning your hand. Grime and dirt cannot be removed by sanitizers. Furthermore, the effectiveness of sanitizers in killing viruses and germs reduces significantly when you apply it on a soiled hand. Just like cleaning dirty surfaces, emptying trash boxes and changing diapers, you should wash your hand with water and soap.
Dry hands
When you apply hand sanitizers daily and probably several times on each day, you will notice that your hands will start getting incredibly dry. The drying of the skin is caused by the alcohol in the sanitizer. The good thing about this is that you can solve this problem by staying hydrated and applying hand moisturizer.
Alcohol poisoning
Inhaling or ingesting sanitizers is a very bad idea. An individual should not be at risk if they touch their lips knowingly or unknowingly after rubbing the sanitizer. However, if they consume some mouthful, there might be a danger. This is part of why you should always make sure you keep the sanitizer where your children cannot get to it.
Dangerous if you work with chemicals
If your work requires chemicals, you want to ensure your hands are clean after your shift. If you work with pesticides, degreasing agents, and ultra-strong cleaning agents, you should stay away from sanitizers especially. Chemicals can react with liquid gels to have very harmful effects on your body. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine published a study that claimed that farm workers who did not use hand sanitizers had lesser levels of pesticides in the body compared to those that used hand sanitizers.
Creams best for repairing damaged hands
Since the damage from sanitizer used is caused by the alcohol in the sanitizer making your hand dry, you want to look for oily creams and moisturizers. This type of creams will help to reduce how dry your hands are and with time, your hand should be able to go back to normal. You can get exotic creams for your hands and Moroccan cosmetics as they can contribute significantly too quickly to repairing your damaged skin. This would be best if you completely avoid sanitizers or use it minimally during those moments you are trying to get your hand to go back to normal. You can find other kinds of products to keep yourself away from any virus. This could include washing the hands instead of sanitizers among others.