Help please! TRIGGER WARNING-PHOTO ATTACHED

Thunderbird skin

That looks so painful, poor you. On prescription I got a fantastic cream called epimax, you can also use it as a soap substitute. There is a barrier ointment called hydromol which will help stop the cracks getting infected. I would try and put that on overnight to help soothe them. And a good steroid cream. Also a daily antihistamine will help with itching. Hope it gets better.

Brulidine Cream

That was to @MrsPelligrinoPetrichor 😳

I don’t use it all now but it was prescribed to me as a moisturiser by the GP. Hopefully they’re not still doing that!!

That looks painful op. I know you've mentioned loads of cream that you tried but I just wanted to ask if you have tried the Moo Goo range? My husband gets flare ups of psoriasis on his scalp and face and the Moo goo shampoo and moisturisers really help to clear that up. I'm in Ireland and they are stocked in most chemists here but they can be ordered online if they are not sold local to you.

A colleague had something which looked very similar. She was given a whole host of creams to try, steroids to take, gloves to wear etc but the thing which cleared it up was regular UV treatment at the hospital. She told me it was like a sunbed she popped her hands under, she would put her shades on, plug in a podcast and just sit there. It went on for quite a few weeks but seemed to work. Good luck, hope you get sorted soon.

The only thing that works for me when my hands get like this is cetraben. Mines due to OCD though rather than anything underlying. GP can prescribe it you.

i agree don’t use anything except the steroid cream until you have had the allergy tests. My hands were like this and I found that I was allergic to many of the things that even the hospital advised to use, you may even need a stronger steroid for a while, even washing my hands in just water caused a flair because the skin is so fragile. While it looks really sore it’s how it makes you feel too, irritable and stressed, which affects it even more. Ask for a dermatology referral if you haven’t got one already. Also you may need a steroid cream with an antibiotic included, Fucibet I think is what I had at one stage.

Another recommendation for Aveeno - and also for plain old oats. Mix them up with water in 2 bowls and put your hands in them. It's SO soothing.

It looks so sore, my daughter gets this too. She's tried everything and had allergy testing etc. She's now got it under control by using omega 3 5,000 mg a day she took at first. Now takes 3,000. She also quit steroids. It made it worse for a while, then it started to clear up. I think sometimes the steroids make it worse.

Have you been offered light therapy? If not, I’m fairly certain that will help you.

If it’s a long waiting list, I would go to a IVA/IVB safe subbed - wear black clothing to cover up, something over your face so nothing is exposed apart from your hands, Sunblock as well on your face/neck.

Light therapy is the only thing that worked for my horrendous eczema and I went a sunbed (NOT FOR TANNING!) and it helped. It also helped that I could go on my own time after work. Xxx

You probably know but for anyone who doesn't Aqueous cream should be used as a soap and rinsed off not as a moisturiser.

Annique Rescue Cream
Helped my DDs eczema when even steroid creams didn’t. My mil got it and I was pretty skeptical as we had tried plenty of non medical creams but this stuff was amazing. I have told several people about it irl and on here and it worked for them too (when I had feedback)

Also came on to recommend Aveeno. I find it so much better than aqueous cream/diprobase etc… obviously for once this flare up is sorted. I’d also push for a consultant appointment. GPs can’t prescribe anything strong enough to get it under control quickly and it drags on and on not getting better. Once you’ve been prescribed something that works by the consultant you can get a repeat prescription from your GP for subsequent flare ups. I also agree with the holiday idea for your skin and to make you feel better!! Good luck OP, I know it’s miserable.

Try taking Aloe Vera, both topical on your hands and as a drink

If you're going to use a trigger warning (which you shouldn't, as the majority of us aren't suffering complex PTSD) you need to specify what the trigger is.

I had bad excema like that for about 3 years or so. It's not a cure but it helped me to wear soft cotton gloves all the time. Seemed to help reduce the environmental triggers (whatever they were) but helped by making me more comfortable. Not a cure but a coping suggestion. Mine went away when my stress levels went down, so that's my ultimate trigger but once triggered environmental factors exacerbate. Cotton gloves helped me. I did like a bit Victorian lady wearing gloves at all times (I had several pairs and washed them daily like you would underwear) but when your hands are that bad people look at your hands anyway.

I have a long experience of eczema and psoriasis.

My first step would be to stop using emollients, especially those based on aqueous cream/Vaseline. Especially in thick layers it just stops the skin breathing.

My skin used to get like this as a child when my mum had been instructed to bath me then smother me in emulsifying ointment directly after the bath. It just seems to trap the problem in and make it sweat and become inflamed and then possibly infected.

I now never apply any cream unless my skin is dry. Aveeno skin relief (which is different to the basic Aveeno which I'd previously dismissed) has been amazing for me.

I know you don't want anyone to mention diet but despite blood tests, skin prick tests and exclusion diets as a child and teenager, but when I realised I'm sensitive to soya and particularly soya lecithin, and to palm oil, it was a game changer for me skin so my advice would be to persevere with a food diary.

I also wonder, given how severe this is, whether you've been offered light treatment or immunosuppressants by your dermatologist?

My OH had light therpy for their awful skin and it definitely helps. Stress and lack of sleep is also another trigger for them.

Glsd you’re getting allergy testing that’s what I was going to suggest. If they can do air borne allergens and food intolerance plus allergens it should cover all bases.

Oh that looks so sore. I used to have eczema like this on my hands, then I stopped drinking for other reasons and it went away. I’m a professional musician and it was making my job very difficult, it was like a miracle when it went. If I drink again it comes back. When I have it under control I swear by O’Keefe’s working hands, I was on strong steroids and emollients and this works much better for some reason. I hope you get to the bottom of it. My triggers are stress, latex and alcohol.

This is my area of expertise. This is 100% food related and the only long term, safe and effective treatment is dietary. Topical treatments only manage the symptoms not the root cause.

In my clinic (not in UK) we do intensive dietary management. No gluten, dairy, soy and eggs. We’ve had patients put autoimmune into remission using carnivore diet (I said it was intensive!).

I keep my own autoimmune disease in remission by eating this way. Practically all vegetables make it flare horribly.

You don’t have to kill the sheep to get the lanolin. Wool is covered in it. When sheep are shorn the wool is cleaned and you can purify the lanolin that comes off it.

I have a little experience of this (but not a professional)

never ever get soap or hand gel on your hands. Use an emollient to wash them. Use gloves when washing up. How do you shampoo your hair? Can you get some kind of sealed rubber gloves to avoid getting them soapy?

in between flare ups moisturise like mad to stop the flare ups returning. Could be over 10 times a day. Experiment with different moisturisers- I found zeroderm effective but greasy and then aproderm was just as effective but much nicer to use.

have you heard of weekend therapy? So you use the steroids twice a week even if not in flare up (consult dr before doing this)

additionally check with your dermatologist that you are correctly applying the steroids. It’s very common that people are worried about over-using them so don’t put on enough to be effective.

I guess you already know most of this but just in case helpful!

Looks so sore-I had similar on hands and feet when I had chemo and the only thing that gave me relief was udder cream-there are a couple if brands but I use underlying smooth.