Unintended side-effect emerges prompting plea from dermatologist

An unintended, painful side-effect of coronavirus has emerged as excessive hand-washing erodes the skin's protective barrier.

Dermatologist Professor Rod Sinclair has warned that washing hands too often can lead to a flare-up of eczema, otherwise known as dermatitis, which causes red, itchy blotches of inflamed skin.

About 800,000 Australians currently suffer from eczema, with 27,000 of those severe cases.

Many sufferers report low self-esteem, anxiety and depression as a result of the skin condition and as people become more concerned about hygiene there are fears cases will rise.

"Hand washing really has been emphasised as one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves against the virus," Professor Sinclair told Today.

"But if you have hand eczema or vulnerable hands you can certainly overdo it. And if you do have irritated hands then the washing or the hand sanitizer can be painful and irritating."

To avoid hands drying out Professor Sinclair advises people to wipe hands thoroughly after washing and to moisturise often.

"If you put it on five, 10 times a day - the more the better," he said.

Professor Sinclair warned there will be some "trial and error" in finding out what is right for your skin.

"Some people will be allergic to fragrance or will find the preservatives in the moisturisers can sting," he said.

"In essence the simpler the better. The less fragrance, less preservative. Keep it straightforward."

For breaking news alerts and livestreams straight to your smartphone sign up to the 9News app and set notifications to on at the App Store or Google Play.

You can also get up-to-date information from the Federal Government's Coronavirus Australia app, available on the App Store, Google Play and the Government's WhatsApp channel.