Maybe the most important role we must follow amidst this Coronavirus pandemic is to wash our hands. Unfourtenetly, many of us will experience cracked skin due to the frequent washing and the regular use of drying alcohol-based sanitizers. But is it ok to use hand cream after cleaning our hand? Or does it only recontaminate our hands with bacteria?

Well, according to Dr. Lindsay Broadbent of the Centre for Infection and Immunity at Queen’s University Belfast, there is no problem with using hand cream. That is as long as you have dried your hands thoroughly before applying the hand cream, Dr. Broadbent specifies. Dr. Broadbent went on to say that it’s best not to share a tube with other people, as we don’t know how is their hygiene.

When applying the cream, squirt it on to the back of your hand, without touching the nozzle. “The coronavirus wouldn’t survive for long in the hand cream, but it’s good hygiene not to touch the nozzle, as bacteria and fungus could technically survive in there,” Dr. Broadbent says.

Dr. Stephen Griffin of the antivirals and viral oncology research group at the University of Leeds, explains the importance of using hand cream. As Dr. Griffin reasonably explains, when our skin is cracked and bleeding it is more vulnerable to infections. Dr. Griffin went on to say: “Your first barrier to any germ is your skin.”

Hopefully, the following tips will help you keep your hands clean without drying your skin. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to maintain proper hygiene and wash your hands as much as you can. But that doesn’t mean you should neglect them. As explained by the professionals above, you can have it both ways.