Arthritis treatments for beauty

Redlands Daily Facts Health Section
Staff Writer

Q: My cuticles are raggedy. What do you suggest I do?

Mimi: At night wash your hands, do the dishes, or soak in the tub so the skin has time to soak up water. Then smear a thick cream on your hands. Rub an occlusive cream into your cuticles. A rich moisture cream containing aloe vera is good. Vaseline works well also. Then put on gloves and go to bed.

Have this treatment do double duty if you have arthritis in your hands. Do you have problems in the morning with stiff, achy hands? Look through your gloves box or stalk thrift shops for stretch gloves that we thought were all the fashion in the 60s. You want them nice and tight. Slide stretch gloves over your creamed hands at night. The compression in the stretch gloves will diminish the ache and stiffness in your hands in the morning.

Another arthritis treatment that makes your hands beautiful is a paraffin treatment. Your Spa or nail shop can do this for you or you can do it at home. In the microwave or in a double boiler melt one pound of canning paraffin. You can find it in the grocery store with the canning jars. It will cost about $3. Add 1/2 of an 11-14 oz jar of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) available at discount stores for $1 to $3.

Find some plastic bags. Produce bags from the grocery store or plastic shopping bags will work. If the bags have printing on them, turn the bags inside out so the printing is on the outside. Open the bags before you start the treatment so you don't need to fumble with the bags. You also need two towels.

Take off rings, watch, and bracelets. Wash your hands and rub in some lotion. Rub extra emollient (greasy) cream into your cuticles. Test the paraffin. It should be hot, but not burning hot. Dip one hand in the hot paraffin and carefully lift it out allowing the excess paraffin to drip into the bowl. Allow the paraffin on your hand to cool. Dip again, and again allow it to cool. You will notice that as the paraffin cools it creates a shell of paraffin on your hand. This insulates against the heat. So on the third dip, leave you hand in a little longer. Take your hand out and allow excess paraffin to drip into the bowl. Now slide your hand into a waiting plastic bag.

Do the same with your other hand. Wrap the towels around your hands to keep the heat in. After 15 or more minutes, when the wax has cooled, slide your hand out of the bag while trying to catch the wax in the bag. The paraffin should slide off your hand like a glove and stay in the bag. If you will be using the paraffin bath for other people, throw away the used wax in the bag. However, if you will be using this only for yourself, you can put the used paraffin back into the bowl. It will harden up and you can store it until the next time that you want to treat yourself.

This is a treatment that has been used in physical therapy to improve mobility and decrease pain in arthritic hands.

Mimi Barre is the owner of International Day Spa, 325 Cajon St., Redlands. Send your skin care questions to her at MimiB@INTLdayspa.com. She and her estheticians are available for personal consultations, (909) 793-9080.