Aquaphor Healing Ointment

Did your hands make it through the winter by the skin of your fingertips? If you have difficulty keeping your hands moisturized throughout the day, you could opt for a cheap aloe vera or petroleum product for two or three dollars. But after hardly an hour goes by, your hands will have returned to their usual dull, potentially painful state. A trip to the dermatologist isn't necessarily your best bet. Before taking the expensive plunge and making a doctor's appointment, go to your local supermarket or drug store and pick up a small container of Aquaphor.

This healing cream, from the makers of Eucerin, has worked better for me than both Neutrogena and Vaseline Intensive Care hand moisturizers. After a single application of the cream on my hands, I already noticed a difference from other products I had tried in the past. The difference with Aquaphor seems to be its "just-rightness" in comparison with other hand moisturizers on the market. Its texture is smooth but not liquid, so there is no danger of accidental spillage onto clothing or papers. The ointment takes about a half hour to penetrate into the skin, unlike a hand cream such as Neutrogena's "Norwegian Formula" which takes upwards of an hour to actually get through the skin, as that cream is much thicker and greasier.

Other creams, such as Vaseline Intensive Care or Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Cream work as a quick fix, but do little to provide a noticeable improvement over an extended period of use. Aquaphor, which is neither sticky nor runny, has vastly improved the appearance and feel of my hands, which used to crack and bleed with little exertion on my part. You can use the ointment much the same way as you would use any Petroleum jelly product designed for the hands, as its active ingredient is Petrolatum. But don't let the generic active ingredient discourage you from appreciating the benefits of the overall product, as it is the only formula that has worked for me as intensely as the expensive cream I was prescribed by my dermatologist.