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and drying effects on hands.
A search of current literature suggests that no or few new active ingredients in handwashing formulation have come on the market during the last 20-plus years. In addition, nursing staffs have found that repeated use of active ingredients in handwash or hand rinse formulations can and do result in drying out their skin, which can become a source of skin irritation. Moreover, the use of powdered latex gloves together with the use of handwash formulations can result in rough, red, chapped skin, which can lead to broken skin conditions on the epidermis of caregiver hands.
Current handwashing and hand rinse products normally contain one of the following active ingredients: Chlorhexidine gluconate (known as CHG); Chloroxlyenol (known as; |
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PCMX); Triclosan; isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, normal-propyl alcoholand sometimes iodine. All of these active ingredients serve to inhibit transient pathogenic microorganisms to some degree. Some are better than others in the ability to inhibit opportunistic microorganisms during the initial application and in the important characteristic of persistent log reduction over time.
Striving for Balance.
Historically and in general, effectiveness in log reductions of microorganisms has been achieved at the expense of harsh formulations that degrade the hands of the caregiver. There seems to have been a trade-off between antimicrobial effectiveness and gentleness. Increasingly, |
