Have you ever experienced split fingertips once the weather gets cold and dry? It is such a painful condition that it’s hard to describe if you never had it. I am a retired dermatologist who learned firsthand lots of tips and tricks to treat this problem. In this post, I will share my favorite products (that I regularly use) for fingertip splitting. Finger splits occur because of cold, dry weather conditions and overuse of harsh cleaning products.

The best trick by far for treating split fingertips is to prevent them from occurring in the first place! Why? Because once a finger splits, it takes some time to heal, and during that time one tends to keep reopening the finger splits because of buttoning our jeans, washing dishes, etc.

Step One to Treat Split Fingertips: Wear Gloves When Outdoors

The first thing to do to treat dry cracking fingers is to wear gloves. That means if it’s colder than 50 degrees out, wear gloves. I wear gloves to take out the trash come fall. I also wear gloves if it’s colder than 50 and I am outside even for a few minutes! This may sound crazy, but in this case, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure!

Here is a pair of leather gloves that I like to wear if it’s not too cold out. They are cashmere-lined which keeps my fingers warm. When it gets even colder, I switch to these mittens because they keep your hands warmer than gloves thus, helping to avoid the split fingertips. I love Lands End for their high-quality gloves and mittens.

Step Two to Treat Split Fingertips: Wear Gloves When Cleaning

This step is so critical! Pro-tip: Whenever I wash the dishes, or even wipe down the counters, I wear gloves. Exposure to dishwashing detergents and other cleaners is so hard on the hands and greatly contributes to fingertips splitting. Many of us spruce up our homes for holiday parties. We tend to quickly grab a product and think we don’t need to bother finding our gloves. You couldn’t be more wrong! I keep gloves under my kitchen, laundry room, and vanity sinks. I clip them on the door with these terrific spring clips by 3M. That way, I can always find them easily.

Step Three to Treat Split Fingertips: Wear This Handcream

As mentioned above, finger splits happen more often in cold, dry weather. Also during this type of weather, colds and upper respiratory infections abound. And most of us engage in frequent hand-washing to avoid the spread of germs. To minimize the drying effects of all this weather and hand-washing, get in the habit of applying hand cream right after washing. Pro-tip: I carry this one in my purse. I also have one in my car, at all of my sinks, and my bedside.

A great trick in the cold weather is to apply the hand cream under my gloves or mittens when I’m driving somewhere. By the time I arrive, the cream has been absorbed and my hands feel great!

Step Four to Treat Split Fingertips: How to Treat the Actual Crack

As mentioned above, once the split occurs on your fingertips, sealing it as soon as possible is important. For this, I recommend a drop of this super glue. This particular super glue is so terrific primarily because of its packaging! What I mean is, that once you twist open this lid and drop a drop of super glue right onto the crack, unlike most super glues, you can reclose the bottle with just a slight twist of the top. AND THEN, when you go to reuse it for a future crack, the bottle is not all dried up and unusable. It works just as well as the first time, ALL THE TIME! Check it out!

I use one drop on each crack once or twice a day. I continue with the hand cream and glove usage until I am all healed up.

Step Five to Treat Split Fingertips: How to Treat Rough Dry Hands

Some of us don’t have splits in our fingertips, but we instead suffer from dry, rough hands. I treat this problem with a buffing block. These are typically used at nail salons to file and smooth nails, especially gel and acrylic ones. What I do if my hands are a bit rough is smooth my hands with the buffing block. Afterward, I apply the above-mentioned hand cream. This is especially effective right before bed, so my hands get a bedtime treatment.

Conclusion to How to Treat Split Fingertips:

Hopefully, you now have some easy tips to treat your fissured or split fingertips. Please share these tips with any friends or family members that have this very painful condition. I get great pleasure out of helping people feel and look better. It would help my blog business a great deal if you do so.

If you have any questions, please put them in the comments below. Or if you would prefer a more private way to reach me, DM me on Instagram @drjuliemarshall.

XO,

Dr. Julie

PS Here are a few more posts for you to enjoy:

Organizing My Messy Closet Using A Hallmark Movie!

Messy closet clean-up tips (Part One)

How to Organize Accessories in a Messy Closet (Messy Closet, Part Two)

Delicious Squash Soup

Black Blazer Outfit, Six Different Looks