Hand sanitizers. You squirt it, feel the cool tingling sensation, and spread it all over your hands. Then, you feel clean. But using a hand sanitizer every time you touch a potentially contaminated surface is not only a nuisance, but also dries out your skin. That's because most hand sanitizers are made up of over 65% ethyl alcohol. 

A much better alternative is use of a skin barrier cream. Revolutionized for use in dermatology, barrier creams are used to aid the skin in its most vital function: to keep what's good in and to keep what's bad out," says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Alicia Zalka.  When combined with a microbial, it has the ability to kill bacteria, viruses and fungi for up to 4 hours.