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Skin and COVID-19

In recent times, we have been in a situation which none of us would have imagined a few weeks back. Our world has changed dramatically and we all are trying our best to cope up with the change. As far as dermatology is concerned, there has not been any reported skin changes DIRECTLY due to the novel coronavirus infection.

But lately many patients have reached out to us with roughness & cuts on their hands & fingers during this time. So, we decided to throw some light on whether or not COVID 19 can cause any kind of changes in the skin.

Well, the answer is NO, not directly!

Indirectly YES!

We all are at risk & its important to follow respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene, which makes frequent hand washing inevitable. Health care workers & others who’s work falls under essential services have to use personal protective equipment (PPEs) such as a mask & goggles. Prolonged use of these can eventually cause certain allergies & secondary changes in the skin.

WASHING HANDS/ USING ALCOHOL BASED SANITISERS FREQUENTLY – eventually disrupts the protective layer of skin resulting in dryness & roughness further leading to cuts over the creases. Any virus or bacteria can have easy access into the body if the protective layer is disrupted. Hence, the best way to deal with this is to make sure to pat dry your hands thoroughly whenever you wash them & immediately use a moisturizer or hand cream.

USE OF MASK & GOGGLES – causes almost similar problems over the face because of hyper hydration of the covered area. This also leads to the breakdown of epidermal barriers plus many people get contact reactions to some of these materials. Well if you are someone who is working in an environment which requires prolonged use of PPEs, you obviously have to measure the risk benefit ratio & act accordingly. Whenever feasible wash your face with a mild cleanser followed by a water - based moisturizer.

PATIENTS WITH PRE-EXISTING SKIN CONDITIONS - like Atopic dermatitis, Psoriasis, Seborrheic dermatitis & other autoimmune skin diseases should take special care during this time so that their problem is not aggravated as it might require use of oral immunomodulatory drugs which acts via slowing down a patient’s general immune system and as of now we all are in need of a stronger immune system.

If any of the mentioned problems are way beyond your control or the routine care is not enough to get off the symptoms like itching & burning, kindly consult experts at Meraki Skin Clinic. You can reach out to us at 08448407278