Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Cleansing of hands with emulsion—a solution to skin problems of hospital staff?

1989; Elsevier BV; Volume: 13; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0195-6701(89)90057-1

1532-2939

P J Kolari, J. Ojaja ̈rvi, J. Lauharanta, P. Ma ̈kela ̈,

Contact Dermatitis and Allergies

In this study of hand cleansing, nursing staff with skin problems used emulsion followed by rinsing with water, while control groups, with or without skin problems, used liquid soap and water. Clinical evaluation of the skin by a dermatologist, as well as by self-assessment, suggested that when the staff with skin problems used emulsion their skin was in better condition than that of controls with similar skin problems. This favourable effect on skin was later confirmed in extended use of emulsion for hand cleansing in other hospital wards. Objective evaluation of skin condition with biophysical measurements was unsuccessful. Emulsion cleansing of the hands seems to offer a favourable alternative to washing with soap and water, especially for persons with skin problems.