Hi. I Have had ocd all my life, Im 49 now and im a washer too. I hear you and relate . I wash my hands especially after touching money, doorknobs, after having been out in public, after touching my dog,and after putting clothes in the washer. I used to be terrified of using pay phones when they were still around!! I especially get anxiety and have to wash after using the bathroom, when im taking care of grandskids and i hate my hands being sticky or greasy so i wash constantly when Im cooking. my hands get red, cracked and hurt in the winter. I have to wash w/hot & rinse w/ cold and cannot tolerate any lotions etc due to the greasy feeling. My washing started when i was a young girl during the time my mom was in the hospital w/;cancer, I was afraid i would get cancer from hugging mom so my washing began as a child a OCD grew from there. im on zoloft and abilify and trying exposure to overcome .It helps reduce the amount of times I wash but i havent found a good solution. Sorry not much help but as you can see, you are not alone. Good luck and God Bless hugs, a friend Ll. PS i am more excepting of my washing hthough its less severe than some of my compulsions like checking or repeating myself !!!! :)

For me, it's touching a whole lot more than after using the bathroom and before I eat. I cut down by not touching certain things, using clean towels or tissues, plastic to touch things I percieve as dirty. It is giving into the compulsive handwashing but I so get the chapped and bleeding hands and how even though it hurts to wash them- you have to.

I also buy a special liquid soap that is antibacterial and moisturizes my hands. Try to get a soap that specifically moisturizes your hands and remember to dry your hands properly. Also take your time to decrease the 'have I washed them properly, I need to do it again?' loop.

Yes, my hands are cracked and hurt. I wear gloves when I do the dishes and rinse out washclothes, clean, etc. That helps a little. I also have a large supply of "new skin" it's like glue for the cuts and then lots of different sizes of bandaids. It doesn't help stop the washing and cracking but it does help heal the current wounds and help prevent infection. Although infection is probably the least of the worries b/c the wounds are definatley clean.

I think I developed a sensitivity/allergy to some soaps as some cause more breakdown, small cuts, irratation, and buring on my skin than others. At my worst I had about 40 small cuts on both of my hands. I don't have that problem anymore. I use Dove bar soap now. I didn't think I would like to use a bar soap, but I got used to it quite quickly and it is good enough for my body. If I need to use a pump soap, I use Dial with white tea and vitamin E, but it is the bar soap that made the difference. When I know I won't be washing it off, such as before bedtime, I use Aveen lotion. Aveeno Intense Relief Lotion works really well too. These are pretty easy to find in most stores. Take care! :)

I used to have hand washing OCD but I grew out of it. I would wash my hands so many times each day. There is hope for you to get better. :)

thank you everyone for your replies , it def helped with ideas ( and hope that i can overcome this) your stories are much appreciated

Try using hand sanitizer.

you can get the kind that has aloe vera in it so that it doesn't hurt your hands and you don't need to rub as much, but then again, it could just become another compulsion idk

I have this happen all the time! For me, it's more so using hand sanitizer up to my elbows. Today, I found a purse size form hand sanitizer and it was if I had won a million dollars. It's hard to resist the compulsions, especially since I freak out after touching anything public. Try some deep breathing and meditation. And some heavy lotion.