Manufacturers, metal workers, car mechanics

Why these jobs can be harmful to your skin:

• Burns. People in these industries are often exposed to strong, dangerous, corrosive chemicals and acids. These substances can result in painful burns. Another potential burn source is hot metal parts from cars or machines. Depending on what creates the burn and how long the chemical is in contact with your skin, the burn may involve only outer skin layers or deeper skin layers, including nerves and tissues.
  
• Irritant contact dermatitis. Related to eczema, this condition causes dryness, irritation, chapping, redness, scaling, itching, burning and swelling. Usually, these symptoms occur on the hands from touching an irritating chemical, acid, adhesive or solvent.

How to keep your skin safe:

• Wear protective clothing. They may not be this season’s designer styles, but safety aprons, gloves and face masks will defend your skin against burns and irritation.
  
• Keep food and drink away from your work station. Touching metals or chemicals and then eating or drinking increases your risk for burns and skin irritation.
  

• Change into clean clothes as soon as you’re finished working. Work clothes can absorb skin-irritating chemicals and airborne particles.
  

• Have first aid stations available at your work site. These should include emergency instructions plus first aid products for burns and wounds.

Cooks and chefs

Why these jobs can be harmful to your skin:

• Burns. With all those pots and pans boiling, bubbling, broiling and baking, the kitchen is definitely a hot spot! Chefs and cooks have a very high risk for burns, working around stoves and ovens.
  
• Irritant contact dermatitis. Certain foods — like garlic or citrus fruits — contain skin-irritating juices, which can cause redness, itchiness, scaling and swelling of the hands after being handled or chopped.
  

• Acne. Cooking oils and fried food greases are emitted into the air, and our skin absorbs them. Oils mix with bacteria and dead skin cells to cause acne, which shows up as red bumps, cysts, whiteheads or blackheads. Unfortunately, this acne/cooking oil connection can be particularly problematic for teens: Due to their high hormonal oil production, teens often suffer high acne rates. Plus, teens often work in fast food restaurants where foods are mostly fried and the air is thick with cooking oil.

How to keep your skin safe:

• Run burns under cold water for at least 10 minutes. This will minimize the damage and depth of burning, plus relieve pain, according to LiveStrong. Never apply butter, grease or cooking oil to burns, which will trap heat and promote germs, possibly causing infection. A better bet? Use first aid cream specifically designed to soothe burns.

If blisters develop, don’t pop them, as this may spread infection. However, when a blister pops by itself, dab on antibiotic cream and cover the area with a sterile bandage.

• Wash, rinse and dry hands thoroughly after handling food or food juices. You’ll remove any food residue that can irritate skin and cause dermatitis. Keep a bottle of Korres Sweet Almond Liquid Hand Soap by the sink: It gently cleanses, protects and hydrates skin with soothing almond oil and oat protein.
  

• Cleanse your face well after work. This helps to get rid of pore-clogging, acne-causing oil and grease that your skin absorbs from the kitchen air. Look for a facial wash that deep cleans and removes excess oil without over-drying, such as H2O Plus Anti-Acne Clarifying Face Wash.
  

• Apply acne spot treatments to clear current breakouts and prevent new ones. Look for treatments that contain acne-fighting benzoyl peroxide, such as Stiefel PanOxyl Acne Facial Spot Treatment 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide. Or try salicylic acid, which tends to be gentler. Murad Acne Spot Treatment acts fast to banish blemishes, and also contains sulfur, zinc oxide and licorice extract.

Maids, janitors, housekeepers, healthcare workers

Why these jobs can be harmful to your skin:

• Dryness, irritation and dermatitis. In these fields, you’ll handle many types of cleaners. These often contain harsh chemicals, like detergents to kill germs and remove stains or surfactants to produce sudsy lathers. Such chemicals can irritate your hands, causing rash, redness and burning.

In addition, your hands are frequently exposed to water. Healthcare workers must wash their hands before and after treating patients. People in cleaning jobs use water with soap and cleaners. You may think that water exposure would hydrate your skin, but actually, it dries skin out. It disrupts skin’s natural barrier, which retains moisture and keeps out irritants. Hot water is particularly drying.

How to keep your skin safe:

• Wear rubber gloves. This is one of the most important ways to protect your hands from harsh, drying chemicals, cleaners and water.
  

• Slather on hand lotions or creams. They’ll hydrate your skin and help strengthen skin’s barrier to prevent moisture loss and irritation. Barielle Professional Protective Hand Cream, which contains moisturizing vitamin E, lanolin and emollients, defends hands against water exposure. Reapply hand cream frequently throughout the day, especially immediately after washing your hands.

Construction workers, landscapers, farmers, outdoor laborers

Why these jobs can be harmful to your skin:

• Sun exposure. The sun gives off harmful UV rays, posing threats of sunburn, skin aging, dryness and even skin cancer. Melanoma — the deadliest type of skin cancer — is associated with sun exposure acquired at a young age, like in teens with outdoor summer jobs, cautions St. Mary’s Of Michigan. UV rays dry out skin, causing rough texture and age spots. These rays damage collagen and elastin — components that give skin structure — resulting in lines, wrinkles and sagging skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). UV rays are the strongest — and therefore most damaging — between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., when many outdoor workers are hard at work.

How to keep your skin safe:

• Use broad-spectrum sunscreen every day. It protects against both UVA and UVB rays, which are responsible for premature aging, sunburn and skin cancer. Opt for SPF 30, and reapply frequently, especially if you’ve been sweating. Choose an oil-free sunscreen for your face. Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer provides broad-spectrum protection and contains vitamin E and pro-vitamin B5 to defend skin against environmental damage. To protect and hydrate the entire body, check out H2O Plus SPF 45 Body.
• Wear long sleeves, pants, a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses. They’ll further protect you from harmful UV rays.
  

• Drink eight ounces of water every hour. You’ll keep your body hydrated and protect it from overheating.

Waiters, waitresses, retail clerks, cashiers, other workers who stand all day

Why these jobs can be harmful to your skin:

• Varicose veins. People in these jobs are constantly on their feet, which puts pressure on leg blood vessels and veins. This pressure affects blood flow. Veins weaken and blood pools, forming unattractive blue or purple varicose or spider veins, WebMD explains.

How to keep your skin safe:

• Elevate your legs. If possible, take breaks at work to get off your feet and relieve the pressure on your veins. After work, kick back and put your legs up.
  

• Wear compression stockings.
  

• Apply a topical treatment. Though they won’t eliminate varicose or spider veins, topical treatments can minimize their appearance. Try Donell Super Skin K-Derm Cream or Cellex-C Spider Vein Complex.
  

• Seek professional procedures. For stubborn, persistent spider or varicose veins, dermatologists offer laser and radiofrequency treatments. These procedures use “heat to close off varicose veins,” according to WebMD. See our interview with renowned cosmetic dermatologist, Nelson Lee Novick, M.D., on effective minimally invasive procedures for spider veins.

Hairstylists

Why this job can be harmful to your skin:

• Irritant dermatitis. The products and chemicals that make our hair look great — like shampoos, dyes, chemicals and perm solutions — can wreak havoc on hairstylists’ hands. Disinfectants and cleaners used on styling tools and throughout the salon are additional culprits. These substances, combined with water exposure, may result in redness, scaling, itching and dry skin.

How to keep your skin safe:

• Don’t wear rings. Soap, shampoo and other chemical residue can become trapped under your rings and irritate skin.
  

• Wear proper gloves when shampooing or using dyes. They’ll protect your skin from these chemicals. However, avoid latex gloves, especially if you have a latex allergy.
  

• Use moisturizing hand cream often . Keep a rich cream by your work station or stash one in your purse. Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream, with macadamia oil and grapeseed extract, is a soothing, super-hydrating balm.

Jobs with long hours and high stress levels

Why these jobs can be harmful to your skin:

• Blemishes and dull skin. Staying late at the office to finish your work? Lugging it home with you? Taking on extra hours to make more money? Worried about that big presentation or upcoming deadlines? You’re probably too busy or stressed to get sufficient sleep, which your body and skin need for repair and renewal. In fact, “People who manage to get eight hours sleep each night are less likely to suffer from stress, which is known to aggravate both acne and rosacea,” according to Robert Goldman, M.D., and Dr. Ronald Klatz, M.D., co-founders of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. Being stressed and sleep-deprived also makes skin look dull and lackluster.
  
• Dark circles. You’ve probably had your fair share of dark under-eye circles and bags following a night with only a couple hours of shut-eye.

How to keep your skin safe:

• De-stress. Unwind with a soothing bath or shower after a hard day’s work. Opt for a relaxing scent, like light, floral Decleor Relaxing Shower and Bath Gel. It cleanses, moisturizes and smoothes skin.
  

• Hit the sack. Go to bed earlier to ensure enough sleep. If you’re having a tough time falling or staying asleep, here’s a list of effective strategies for getting a good night’s rest.
  

• Treat. Reduce puffiness, dark circles and other signs of stress around the eyes with an eye treatment. Try HydroPeptide Anti-Wrinkle Dark Circle Concentrate, which features vitamins and peptides.
  

• Cover up. Pulled an all-nighter or didn’t sleep well? In the morning, reach for concealer, such as Dermablend Quick Fix, to hide dark under-eye circles and other imperfections. This fragrance-free, allergy-tested, long-lasting formula won’t clog pores or settle into wrinkles.

Stay tuned for Part 2 on risky hobbies for your skin!

See also:

Acne Treatment for Dry and Sensitive Skin

Preventing Melanoma

Concealing your Tattoos at Work