Back in the 1960s, physicians were still having to scrub their hands and forearms with soap and a brush – drying out the skin and often resulting in skin eczema and chronic inflammations. That all changed with the development of Sterillium® – the first hand disinfectant to offer users both efficacy AND good skin tolerability. Continued research and optimisation of Sterillium®’s product portfolio has encouraged increased hand disinfection throughout the healthcare sector ever since.
SKIN-FRIENDLY HAND DISINFECTANTS BRING MULTIPLE BENEFITS
Faced with the on-going challenge of nosocomial infections in today’s world, ensuring targeted hand disinfection in practice is more essential than ever. With this in mind, the skin-friendliness of hand hygiene products becomes hugely important – in the promotion of user acceptance and hence everyday compliance.
The skin tolerability of Sterillium® products has been proven by 33 cosmetic, dermatological, observational and clinical studies around the world. Its skin-friendly properties have also been endorsed by user’s own everyday experiences:
Of the approx. 3 billion hand disinfections performed with Sterillium® products every year, skin irritations were reported as a side effect just 45 times. That is one report per 66 million applications.
With such a level of user acceptance, Sterillium® has been playing a key global role for 50 years now in promoting compliance with hand hygiene protocols, i.e. performing hand hygiene as and when required.
A study investigating the switch from handwash to alcohol-based hand disinfection with Sterillium® has confirmed the link between improvement of skin condition and an increase in hand hygiene compliance*.
* Source: Girard R, Amazian K, Fabry J. Better compliance and better tolerance in relation to a well-conducted introduction to rub-in hand disinfection. J Hosp Infect. 2001 Feb; 47(2): 131–7.
MORE MOISTURE. MORE CARE
The skincare concept behind Sterillium®’s formula goes beyond mere tolerability. In fact, one of the main reasons that healthcare professionals use Sterillium® over the course of their careers is because its moisturising properties promote healthy skin on their hands.
STERILLIUM®’S UNIQUE FORMULA
The skin tolerability of Sterillium® products is based on their unique composition and mode of action. They contain skin-friendly nurturing substances also used in the cosmetics industry. These include:
GLYCERINE, which is used as moisturiser in cosmetics due to its water-binding properties. It helps to reduce the skin’s water loss, which can otherwise lead to dry skin. Glycerine is also capable of increasing the skin’s elasticity and keeping it soft.
1-TETRADECANOL, which has a replenishing effect and keeps the skin pliable.
While the volatile alcohols evaporate after a short time, the skincare substances remain on the skin, where they unfold their skin-friendly effect.
STUDY CONFIRMS INCREASE IN SKIN HYDRATION
Just recently, a study was carried out by PAUL HARTMANN AG, in which 29 test persons applied Sterillium® classic pure 30 times on each of the ten study days*.
The key study finding:
Repeated use of Sterillium® classic pure can help to hydrate the skin and maintain the skin’s elasticity. The skin’s barrier remains healthy. The frequency of application during the study means this finding can be directly translated into skin benefits to be expected in routine clinical usage.
*Source: RCTS, Barry (2014)
RELEVANT RESEARCH FOR INFECTION PROTECTION
We all share a common goal of minimising the risk of infections in the healthcare sector through hand disinfection – and ultimately saving lives. At Sterillium®, efforts to gain new insights in this field have continued unabated for fifty years. Founded under the umbrella of the HARTMANN Group, the BODE SCIENCE CENTER is dedicated to building expertise in all aspects of hand disinfection – where science and practice converge. This has resulted in a broad spectrum of studies into efficacy, skin tolerability and compliance.
