My hands are driving me insane with dry skin

[myhorriblehands]

Is it eczema? Nothing helps, nothing. Doctors have prescribed different steroid creams/antibiotic creams and nothing makes a difference. Using washing up gloves doesn’t make a difference. I get these horrible little cuts and they’re so painful! Always itchy and stingy. Any ideas ?!

Have you tried O'keefes working hands? It's really good, only thing that works for me.

Epaderm cream keeps mine under control and they have looked similar to yours in the past. I use it as a soap substitute and also put it on as a moisturiser a few times a day. If I feel like I need to use soap, or after washing my hair etc, I wash my hands with epaderm afterwards.

When it's been really very bad, and the cream stung in the cuts, I used epaderm ointment. It doesn't sting at all to put on, but is thick and greasy so I wore cotton gloves over the top. Definitely use it at night with cotton gloves over

Norwegian Formula hand cream doesn't sting and left on overnight is fab. Can find it in Boots and Tesco. Also using proper soap not liquid handwash.

I would say either contact allergy or food sensitivity/allergy.

Are you using double base cream? I would apply it all the time to stop them drying out.

This is actually one cream that does take the roughness away, but it always comes back

What contact allergy could it be? I know that’s a hard question to answer lol

Yes I tried it and didn’t help sadly

I've got a bee wax based hand cream from a local beekeeping group which is amazing - it doesn't wash off but also isn't greasy. Nivea I think also make a beeswax one but it's not in the same league at all. https://surreybees.co.uk/product/bee-moisturised-hand-cream/

However I think you need to discover what is setting your hands off first.

What products are you using in your nails?

I’m allergic to Methacrylates which are found in many artificial nail products so I can only use ordinary nail varnish or treat myself to a Japanese manicure. My skin was dreadful until I discovered the culprit after the consultant dermatologist did a thorough pin prick test.

Washing up liquid, washing powder or gel detergent, hand gel, bleach, nail polish remover. Stuff like that.

Have you handles plants or anything unusual to you?

You can get sudden food sensitivities though. I developed a sensitivity to seed oil. It took me ages to work out what it was. I thought I had RA for ages as I hurt all over, my joints went stiff and I was in tears with pain. An elimination diet and gradually adding stuff back in and journaling my responses revealed it.

Also using proper soap not liquid handwash.

Many people ignore this because they like the ease of liquid soap, but it is a game changer. Please try using only bar soap for washing your hands (Dove, etc).

I had the same issues as you for years, and someone on MN gave this same advice. I followed it for a few weeks and used Nivea lotion at night before bed. Haven't had an problem with my hands since.

Good luck Op, hope you find something that works

When my hands were very bad, I used emulsifying ointment as soap substitue and several times day. I used Epaderm or Diprobase elsewhere but they are not enough for very sore patches. Now my skin is under control, Aveeno skin relief lotion for ultra dry skin - it's blue, All Aveeno is soothing but that's the only one that heals dry peeling skin. Nivea works when my skin is good.
I'm allergic to Norwegian formula and Sudocreme. Everyone has different skin which reacts to different things.I have to always repeatedly use hand cream.

Agree with you @myhorriblehands
Neutrogena is the best hand cream. I also have epiderm for washing skin. but my hands are very rough especially fingertips - I’m looking for LARGE cotton overnight gloves if anyone has a suggestion?

I have contact dermatitis that looks a lot like that when it's bad. I have to use washing-up gloves for even the quickest amount of time with any detergents and I have to use non-bio washing powder because my hands explode if I have to handle wet washing that was cleaned with laundry liquid.

My hands used to be quite literally falling apart. I could post pictures but don’t know how to put a warning on them which I feel they need as they were really bad!!

I manage to keep on top of them these days by always wearing accelerator free gloves if cleaning, gardening or doing something like cooking where I need to wash my hands frequently. They have to be accelerator free as I react to other gloves.

I don’t use antibacterial or liquid soap. If they are particularly sore I use dermal 500 to wash them with.

I have tried so many intensive hand creams and O’Keefe’s works best for me. Moisturise as frequently as it’s possible. When my hands were bad I would wear cotton gloves in bed and as much as possible during the day.

Wear gloves in cold weather and always make sure to dry hands properly.

I have terribly dry hands and get cracking around my thumbs and finger tips.
I use either L'occitane hand cream or the Lidl rip off version which usually staves off some of the dryness but when it gets really bad the only thing that moisturises my hands is the old fashioned nivea creme in the blue pot.

My hands have been on and off like this for years. For me it's a reaction to some liquid hand soaps. I can use some but the supposedly super gentle ones like the honey or extra creamy for dry skin ones seem to make me react the worst. It's not the brand either, it's the ingredients within the different fragrances. I can't wear latex washing up gloves either, they set my hands off too. I have no idea of which ingredients I'm sensitive to so I use basic bar soap at home now and thankfully the hand soap at work is ok too! The Zog carex I treated my daughter to on the other hand made my hands crack and bleed very badly. But the gruffalo one was fine!

My hands go similar after handling / chopping tomatoes just incase it is a contact allergy

Also using proper soap not liquid handwash.

Swap the handwash for soap. Either a bar or liquid soap. Check the ingredients because many of them are detergents.

Rule out ones that contain Sulfates (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate): SLS and SLES are sulfates that are used in conventional soaps for foaming properties.

My hands get dry sore and cracked if I use handwash - it doesn't seem to competely rinse off.

Eucerin cream really helps with this.

It looks a little like contact dermatitis. If you’ve tried all the moisturising, try and minimise contact with anything too chemically like bleach, cleaning products, me mindful of sulphates etc . I’d see a gp you may need a steroid for flare ups

I was suffering with the same, I went through all the creams in boots nothing helped, I bought a hand cream from aldi their own brand, cost 75p, the only thing that works.

I have palm psoriasis and QV cream works wonders. Available in lots of places now.

I’m starting to think it’s hand wash!