Anyone who has been in a play area with a child will have noticed that when children leave that play area or park, parents want to have a hand sanitizer on hand. Each child is given a little disinfectant to rub their hands together to kill germs that have transferred to their skin. The hope is that this practice will be more common and will keep children, and therefore their families, healthier.
It was common to find hand sanitizers in socio-sanitary residences, hospitals, CAPs and any health center, now, since the pandemic, they can be found at the entrances of any place. We all know the importance of proper handwashing in reducing the harmful transmission of germs and viruses. However, there are times when there is no access to soap and water or there is not enough time to wash thoroughly. Can a Sterillium hand sanitizer serve as a suitable alternative to hand washing? Will using a hand sanitizer decrease the chance of getting sick ?
How do they work
Hand sanitizers were developed for use after washing hands or for those times when soap and water are not available. They are gels that contain alcohol to kill germs on the skin. Alcohol works immediately and effectively to kill bacteria and most viruses. Alcohol can dry out the skin a lot, so most brands of disinfectants also contain a moisturizer to minimize dryness and irritation of the skin.
How much should you use?
To use hand sanitizers effectively, place a small amount, the size of your thumbnail, in the palm of your hand and rub it over your entire hand, including the nail bed. If the gel evaporates completely in less than 15 seconds, you have not used enough product.
Studies have begun to uncover the benefits of hand sanitizers, as well as their limitations. Next we make a summary of the latest research.
Benefits:
- Hand sanitizers are convenient, portable, easy to use as they do not take a long time to use.
- Several studies have concluded that the risk of spread of gastrointestinal (stomach) and respiratory infections decreases among families using hand sanitizers.
- Commercially prepared hand sanitizers contain ingredients that help prevent dry skin . Using these products may cause less dryness and skin irritation than hand washing.
- Studies show that adding hand sanitizers in school classrooms can reduce student absenteeism due to illness by 20 percent. Also, many kids think instant hand sanitizers are fun to use.
Limitations:
- Not all hand sanitizers are created equal. Check the bottle for the active ingredients. The alcohol content may be in the form of ethyl alcohol, ethanol, or isopropanol. Those are all acceptable forms of alcohol. Make sure that no matter what type of alcohol is on the list, its concentration is between 60 and 95 percent. An alcohol content of less than 60 percent is not enough to be effective.
- Alcohol doesn’t cut dirt. All dirt, blood, and dirt must be cleaned or washed first for the alcohol in the disinfectant to be effective. In such cases, it is recommended to wash your hands with soap and water.
- Hand sanitizers are not cleaning agents and are not intended to replace soap and water , but as a complementary habit. Disinfectants are most effective when used in conjunction with diligent hand washing.
What is Sterillium?
At the beginning of the post we talked about the Sterillium® brand, which is a solution for quick and effective disinfection for the hands of healthcare personnel and also domestic staff. It is considered a classic among alcohol-based disinfectants.
Its composition gives you great antimicrobial activity and skin tolerability, with excellent immediate and residual efficacy. It is excellent in hand disinfection, provides an excellent immediate effect and a long-lasting and sustained antimicrobial activity up to 6 hours. Leaves a pleasant feeling on the skin and increases its hydration by 30% when used regularly.
Characteristics:
- Hygienic hand disinfection in 30 sec.
- Surgical hand disinfection in 1.5 min.
- Bactericide
- Levuricide
- Fungicide
- Tubercolicide
- Microbactericidal
- Viricide against encapsulated viruses (incl. Adeno, Polio, Rotavirus, HBV, HIV, HCV, Influenza-A, herpes simplex virus, SARS-cov.)
It contains active ingredients in 100g solution: propan-2-ol 45.0g, propan-1-ol 30.0g, mecetronium ethylsulfate (MES) 0.2g, skin emollients, fragrance and color.
You can find this article about hydroalcoholic gels from online pharmacy at Vistafarma
Using hand sanitizers is a habit that can help us keep ourselves exposed to fewer germs, and therefore can lessen our chance of illness. Whether you’re at a playground, using someone else’s computer, or visiting a friend in the hospital, take the time to rub your hands together.
It is an easy step towards a healthy season free of germs and viruses.
