What Type Of Moisturizer Is Good For Hand Eczema
Mild hand eczema on the knuckles
The more water there is in a lotion or moisturizer, the more likely it is to worsen your hand eczema. Moisturizers usually contain more water than oil, and when the water evaporates it can dry out the skin. The best moisturizer for hand eczema is a greasy ointment, such as petroleum jelly. Be sure to read the label to determine which moisturizer has the least amount of water.
The NEA Seal of Acceptance directory has a list of moisturizers specially formulated for eczema skin.
Apply the moisturizer to your hands immediately after you bathe and each time you wash your hands.
Remember that it can take a few months for a flare-up to clear. Even if your hands appear eczema-free, you will sometimes need to take special care with them to avoid a return of symptoms.
Who Is At Risk For Developing Dyshidrotic Eczema
There are a variety of factors that may dictate who develops dyshidrotic eczema.
If you are going to develop it, itll most likely begin between 20 and 40 years of age. Genetics may also play a role in dyshidrotic eczema. If you have one or more blood relatives with it, theres a higher chance you could also have it.
A few other factors that may contribute to its development are:
- youre already living with another type of eczema
- youve worked, or currently work, as a mechanic or metalworker
- you have a history of working with cement
- you already deal with seasonal allergies
- youre living with asthma
- you have occasional bouts of allergic sinusitis
Wait How Do I Know That’s What I Have
Dyshidtrotic eczema looks a little different than your standard eczema rash, says Shah. You’ll see firm, deep, fluid-filled bumps that have the consistency of tapioca pudding , explains Shah.
These itchy suckers start off as small bumps on the edges of your hands and feet. But they can turn into larger blisters that rupture after a week or two and leave behind angry, red, scaly skin. So. Fun.
Unlike atopic dermatitis , dyshidtrotic eczema only shows up on your hands and feet, not on your whole body, says Shah.
And this “rose” goes by many names, according to the American Academy of Dermatology :
- Cheiropompholyx
- Vesicular palmoplantar eczema
You May Like: Can Eczema Look Like Hives
Treatment For Pompholyx From A Gp
The main treatments your GP may recommend to treat the symptoms of pompholyx are similar to those used when treating atopic eczema, including:
- emollients use these all the time and instead of soap to stop your skin becoming dry
- steroid cream this reduces the inflammation and irritation and helps the skin heal
Your GP will probably prescribe a strong steroid cream to use for a short period of time to minimise the risk of steroid side effects.
You may be advised to wear cotton gloves at night to help the cream sink into the skin.
You can also try:
- soaking your hands in a dilute solution of potassium permanganate for 10 to 15 minutes once or twice a day for up to 5 days
- antihistamines to relieve the itching and help you sleep if the itchiness is keeping you awake at night
These treatments are available from pharmacies without a prescription. Your pharmacist can advise whether they’re suitable for you and how you should use them.
Antibiotics may be prescribed if your skin becomes infected.
Wrap Up In Cold Weather
Cold, harsh winter winds can dry out skin and cause eczema flares.
Keep the skin covered when temperatures are low. Also, consider covering the face with a scarf if eczema occurs on the face.
Many home remedies are suitable for babies and children, but always speak to a doctor before using them on kids of any age.
The following home remedies may help:
Read Also: Does Eczema Have Tiny Blisters
Common Cause Of Hand Eczema:
The number one cause of hand eczema is frequent hand washing. Healthcare providers are required to wash their hands frequently because it is one of the most effective steps to prevent the spread of infection or disease.
In one study, 30% of the participants reported handwashing with soap more than 20 times a day at work. A total of 45% of the participant used hand disinfected more than 50 times a day.
That is a lot of hand washing!
Continuous and excessive exposure to water, especially hot water, can remove all the protective lipids and oils from the outer layer of the skin. The use of soap and other harsh cleansing agents, such as alcohol, can strip away the protective oils and lipids.
Collectively, all the hand washing destroys the skin barrier, making the skin excessively dry and less pliable. This leads to the formation of cracks and fissures in the skin, which in turn expose skin to various irritants or allergens.
A vicious cycle is created. The allergens or irritants trigger inflammation, which leads to further break down of the skin barrier. Before you know it, you have a major flare of hand eczema.
Integrative And Complementary Approaches
There are many natural moisturizers that can be soothing, such as sunflower seed oil and coconut oil, says Lio. He adds that soaking in diluted apple cider vinegar or black tea can help to dry blisters. For milder cases, these can be enough to get people through, but usually if things are more severe, we often need more powerful treatments.
Research into the bathing remedies he mentions have had mixed results on people with related types of eczema.
A study published in January 2019 in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment studied 22 German people with facial eczema who received treatment with gauze compresses soaked in black tea, followed by cold cream, for six days. Though small, the study suggests this remedy led to significant decreases in itchiness and other symptoms, the researchers write.
On the other hand, another small study published in September 2019 in Pediatric Dermatology found that soaking skin in diluted apple cider vinegar up to the forearms led to irritation in 73 percent of the treated participants with atopic dermatitis and did not improve the condition of the skin barrier.
More on Complementary Eczema Treatments
Also Check: Eczema And Food Allergy The Hidden Cause
What Is The Fluid In Eczema Blisters
Eczema blisters are filled with a clear fluid that seeps in from nearby tissues when theres an injury to your skin. In the case of eczema, the injury happens from inflammation.
The fluid in blisters, called serum, is normally in the spaces surrounding your cells. The serum helps deliver nutrients and other materials to your cells and remove wastes from them.
The fluid contains:
How Is Dyshidrotic Eczema Diagnosed
If youve been dealing with red, itchy skin for more than a week, its a good idea to seek out your doctor or dermatologist, because many skin conditions can cause blisters.
During your visit, your doctor will most likely take a look at your skin and ask you if youve noticed a pattern around your blisters like if youve started using different products or have felt particularly stressed and if your jobs or hobbies include coming into contact with metals.
If your doctor believes your dyshidrotic eczema could be due to an allergy, they may do an allergy test.
If your case is severe or if the symptoms have been long-lasting, you may be prescribed medication.
The severity of your outbreak and other personal health factors determine which treatments your doctor might suggest. It also may be necessary to try more than one treatment before finding one that works.
Don’t Miss: Psoriasis And Eczema Treatment Center Of Western Michigan
How To Help Prevent Eczema Blisters From Popping Up
Eczema blisters can sometimes be unavoidable, but sticking to your eczema treatment plan can help keep them at bay. Take medication as prescribed and keep your skin properly moisturized. Scratching will only make the condition worse and invite infection, according to the Cleveland Clinic, so try to resist the temptation.
Additional reporting by Regina Boyle Wheeler.
Treatment For Hand Eczema
Severe hand eczema on the palms of an adult male
The best treatment for hand eczema is avoiding what caused it.
Knowing which substances trigger your hand eczema and protecting your hands at home and at work, can help guard your skin against further irritation. The most important thing to remember is to be consistent a daily routine for care and control is the best defense.
If you believe that a substance at home or at work is causing your hand eczema, your doctor can do a patch test to see which allergens or irritants may be the problem. Your doctor can also help pinpoint behaviors or practices that may be contributing to your hand eczema and help you find ways to modify or avoid them.
You May Like: My Baby Has Bad Eczema
Prevention Tips For Eczema On Hands
While its impossible to prevent eczema flare ups completely, there are some steps you can take in your everyday life to minimize the frequency and severity of eczema flare-ups.
- Avoid exposure to cold, dry air in the winter months by using warm socks, gloves, and scarves.
- Opt for fragrance-free lotions, soaps, and bath products, as the fragrances used are a known skin irritant that contributes to eczema flare-ups.
- Integrate things like fish oil, turmeric, chamomile and honey into your diet.
- Avoid water-free hand sanitizers which contain alcohol, which has a drying effect on the skin.
Other Causes For Hand Dermatitis:
Latex or non-sterile gloves are essential in the hospital or clinical settings. They are used to protect healthcare workers and their patients from germs, chemicals, and other dangerous substances.
In the same study published in the British Journal of Dermatology, 54% of the responders stated that they use non-sterile gloves for longer than two hours each day.
Unfortunately, there are individuals with true allergy to latex, rubber additives, preservatives or color dyes in the gloves. Wearing gloves every day can trigger an allergic reaction and bring on a hand eczema flare for these individuals.
Wearing gloves for a prolonged period can also trigger hand dermatitis in individuals who do not have a true allergy.
How can this happen?
When your skin has intact skin barrier and a healthy level of lipids, you can prevent limit the level of the latex, allergens or irritants passing beyond the stratum corneum layer of the skin. So the exposure level to these irritants is very low, and do not trigger any inflammation. However, after excessive and frequent hand washings, the skin barriers are weakened and breached. Now your skin is open and exposed, which allow a higher level of irritants penetrate and reach the inner layer of the skin. This can trigger an inflammation and lead to a flare of hand dermatitis.
What we just described is two-part phenomenon allergy vs. irritant. This is a subtle but important point in the management of hand dermatitis.
Recommended Reading: Best Way To Get Rid Of Baby Eczema
Which Treatment Should You Use
We cant say, it all depends on the severity and type of eczema you suffer from. You should talk to your Doctor before trying any form of treatment.
Visit our detailed article about eczema on feet where we go into great detail on this eczema topic.
Following the simple rules for treating eczema will help, Keep moisturized, avoid irritants and try not to scratch your feet. easier said than done I know. Nothing feels better than itching those feet, but the damage you do can take weeks to heal.
As you can see from my feet, I have to deal with this condition daily. There are a couple of things you can use to help you manage the condition. Some are a little treat like a lukewarm foot bath.
What Solutions Against Dyshidrosis
Initially, treatments are intended to relieve itching. Thus, one can be prescribed a corticosteroid cream or a healing cream.
Nina Roos reassures: “the application of corticosteroids is done on a surface so small that there is no risk of passage in the blood”. In addition, we can advise those who can to expose themselves a little sun, which allows to dry. The most extreme cases may be treated with immunosuppressive agents, but each case is studied in its specificity. Nina Roos insists: do not wait before consulting, to receive appropriate treatment as soon as possible.
The professional also warns against natural remedies, which can sometimes be allergenic. Above all, you do not apply essential oil directly to a wound! And we are reassured, the dyshidrosis is not automatically chronic, we can very well have a push once in his life and never see this affection come back.
Read Also: Eczema Treatment Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream
How Do You Know You Have Eczema On Your Feet
The two main types of eczema that will affect your feet are Atopic Dermatitis or Dishydrosis eczema, sometimes known as Pompholyx. This type of foot eczema causes tiny, deep blisters on the soles and sides of the feet and the palms of your hand. When it affects just the feet it is called Pedopompholyx.
If you think you might have either condition you should see your doctor to get the correct diagnosis.
Both conditions affect both men, women, and children. 10-20% of children suffer from eczema in some shape or form but thankfully most grow out of it before they reach their third Birthday.
Tips To Prevent Hand Eczema
Now you know about the causes. What can you do to prevent it? Here are some helpful tips to prevent hand dermatitis.
1. Reduce the frequency and exposure to water. This is perhaps the easiest but difficult task for healthcare providers. As stated above, frequent and excessive washing is the leading cause of hand dermatitis. Obviously, if you can reduce the length and frequency of hand exposure to water, you can prevent the severity and the frequency of hand dermatitis.
You may not be able to reduce the frequency of hand washing at work, but you can limit the duration of each hand washing.
Also, you can reduce exposure to water at home. For example, use a dishwasher to wash dishes. Reduce the frequency and time you spent in the shower. Ask your family members to wash the fruits and vegetables.
2. Do not use hot water. Only wash hands with warm or lukewarm water. Hot water can really strip away the natural lipids and break down the skin barrier.
3. Wash hands with hand disinfectants, instead of water and soap. In the same study published in British Journal of Dermatology, use of hand disinfectant was not associated with self-reported hand eczema.
However, it is important to remember that nearly all hand disinfectants are made of alcohol. They can also dry up your hands quickly. So use less per application.
5. Carry a bottle of moisturizers in your pocket and apply it immediately after each hand washing. Apply ample amount of lotions, creams or ointment to both hands.
Recommended Reading: Is Bio Oil Good For Eczema
Favorite App For Managing Dyshidrotic Eczema
Eczema Tracker
When youre in the middle of a flare-up, its easy to forget how it developed. Eczema Tracker allows you to keep track of triggers and symptoms, and get useful advice for managing the condition. Take a photo of your skin on good days and flare-up days, so you can better gauge the state of your skin today. Local reports on weather and humidity can help you to anticipate future symptoms, and the app analyzes your data to help you find trends that tend to lead to flare-ups.
Additional reporting by Anne L. Fritz.
Chronic Hand Eczema Prevalence And Clinical Presentation
Chronic hand eczema is an inflammatory skin condition with a 10% prevalence in the general population. CHE is most common in people who work in high risk occupations with consistent water exposure to the hands, including health care workers, hair dressers, cooks, cleaners, and others working in manufacturing involving direct hand work.1,5 There is an enormous psychosocial burden of disease and the functional impairment from HE has been identified as a major cause of morbidity and employment-related financial hardships.2, Recent studies reported that up to 82% of CHE patients had to change their work situation, 48% had taken sick leave for several days at a time, and at least 15% were on unemployment or disability pension.2, Further, CHE has an overwhelming impact on quality of life due to repercussions from the pain and itch symptoms for work and social activities, as well as the psychological stress due to visibility of the hands.2,9 CHE is diagnosed in individuals with hand eczema of more than 6 months duration. Clinically, hand eczema is characterized by cutaneous fissures and vesicles in the setting of erythema, often associated with scaling and hyperkeratosis, and symptoms of itch and pain. The morphology can be confused with other skin conditions such as psoriasis, mycosis, and atopic dermatitis, among others.4,9
You May Like: Is Celery Good For Eczema
Treating Dyshidrotic Eczema At Home