Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, hand sanitizers, surgical masks and disinfectants are sold out everywhere.
Coming across one of these is like stumbling upon gold now.
Many of us are panicking as the outbreak seems to be getting worse as there are over 100 cases now here in Malaysia. However, using too much sanitizer and washing your hands too often can actually make the situation even worse.
According to World of Buzz, medical experts mentioned that using too much alcohol-based hand sanitizer can raise the risk of infection through skin disorders.
Washing your hands with soap too often can lead to the opposite effect as it can abrade the skin and weaken its ability to work as a barrier to keep the moisture in and harmful agents out.
Using alcohol-based sanitisers too much and washing your hands too often will also remove the ‘normal bacteria flora’ as this bacterial flora helps to fend off any invasion of pathogenic agents.
It is advised that people should wipe their hands with a towel or tissue after washing as wet hands may lead to skin disorders and this enables pathogens to attach to the hands.
Using lotion or moisturiser after washing your hands will help the skin from chapping and strengthen the barrier!