Five beauty tips for youthful hands

We should pay as much attention to our hands as we do to our faces, says paediatric transplant nurse Antonia Philip

I’ve just had a timely lesson in hand care. Not from someone in a nail bar or spa, but from paediatric transplant nurse Antonia Philp. So not your usual skincare expert. 
‘When I qualified in 2008, I started on a busy medical ward, washing my hands at least 60 times a day,’ says Philp. ‘My hands started to crack and bleed, and I was sent home for two weeks to recover. They armed me with a heavy, petroleum-based cream, which I hated, so I bought a raft of other products to trial. 
‘Nothing performed as I wanted. In desperation, I thought about creating something myself, partly because I already knew about ingredients such as manuka honey that’s impregnated into dressings to help heal wounds.’ 
The idea grew, until she and her husband Jonny co-founded skincare line Nursem. The hero Caring Hand Cream (£9.99) contains medical-grade manuka honey, as well as moisturising and soothing allantoin, white willow extract and pro-vitamin B5.
Through her research and experience, Philp has seen first-hand (if you pardon the pun) how most of us ‘massively neglect’ our hands. In truth, we should lavish just as much attention on them as we do our faces. So here are five ways I’ve been following nurse’s orders… and reaping positive results. 
After you wash your hands, don’t wipe or rub them dry with a towel. It causes friction, which can lead to irritation. Pat them dry instead. 
Get into the habit of applying hand cream frequently, multiple times a day, not just after washing. It may help to link this with an established habit  – for instance, if you regularly slick on lip balm or drink water (hopefully you do), include hand cream in that ritual. 
Buy petite tubes that slip easily into your bag. I carry a 50ml CeraVe Reparative Hand Cream (£7, Boots) – packed with ceramides to help replenish the skin barrier.
When you first apply cream, rather than simply squeezing a blob into your palms and randomly slathering, start by focusing on problem areas (in Philp’s case, these are her knuckles; for me, my fingertips). Really work it in, then finish by massaging all over. This ensures you maximise a product’s effects where it’s most needed.
While we do this all the time with face care, applying two or more products that fulfil different functions, most people don’t realise it works for hands. Some brands have potions that work well together. Use Nursem’s Caring Skin Fix (£14.99), which contains calming colloidal oatmeal and moisturising avocado oil, over the Caring Hand Cream to bolster its effects. 
Foot- and hand-care expert Margaret Dabbs’s eponymous brand offers an Intensive Anti-Ageing Hand Serum (£30), that boosts skin’s elasticity, which you can follow with its Intensive Hydrating Hand Cream (£14). 
I’ve been DIY layering, starting with Dove’s Essential Care Hand Cream (£2, Asda), which absorbs well and has a softening and smoothing effect, then sealing in the moisture with La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Soothing Hand Cream (£8.50, Cult Beauty), which is a great barrier builder. Experiment to see which combos work for you.
When you’re asleep, make the most of the one time your hands are idle and cover them generously with an overnight mask. You can even wear cotton gloves to intensify the treatment. 
You don’t need to buy a specific formula – many people swear by simply smothering on Sudocrem (£3.75, Superdrug), awakening to skin that feels as soft as, well, a baby’s bum.