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 ?!

Napier’s hand recovery cream is amazing but pricey. Worth putting on at night and also good put on before washing up gloves.

I had awful cracked weeping skin on my hands from endless handwashing at school during Covid. This barrier cream was the one thing that helped them heal and stay supple during the day.

DH has contact dermatitis from cement - hes a builder. His hands would completely crack. Norwegian Formula is the only thing that keeps him being able to work, he has to apply it all the time as a barrier cream - everytime he washes his hands.

Before he was advised to use this by a dermatologist, he was seriously looking to give up bricklaying

As others have mentioned Eucerin Urea Repair Plus 5% Hand Cream 75ml
https://www.boots.com/eucerin-dry-skin-intensive-hand-cream-75ml-10222928

its really effective!

Use hand soap and not hand wash.

Do you use rubber gloves if washing up, cleaning etc? It could be something as simple as a cleaning product. If I get the slightest bit of a laundry product on my hands I have to wash them straight away aa they really sting and would end up like yours.

Hydromol saved my hands. You can use it everywhere! Amazon purchase

Another vote for epaderm. I’ve just started using it on my hands and feet and it’s so effective yet mild that I’ve already ordered bigger bottle of it from boots.

I get this from all sorts
Microfibre cloths
Most detergents
Most hand washes
Most hand cream
Citric acid in my diet.
Then only thing that helps is be panther nappy cream!

Exactly what I came here to say. Definitely worth a try

These could be my hands! My Mum keeps telling me to stop using liquid soap so I must try it. It can’t be the only factor for me as it gets worse in cold/windy weather but it may be a factor. Aveeno is the only hand cream that works for me but I am going to switch out the liquid soap too

When my face was bad I used Savlon. It was the only thing that didn't hurt.

@Janefx40 , mothers are usually right.
My hands look worse than OP's if I use handwash and I'm convinced it leaves a trace of something on my skin.

What do you plan to use instead of liquid soap?

Do you use gloves to protect your hands when washing up/cleaning? Your hands look really sore op mines went like that and after a while figured out it was hand-wash (I always use gloves for cleaning etc) switched hand wash and started using Nivea Soft it's in a white tube thankfully my hands got much better in a short space of time. I hope you can find something that works for you, sending you sympathy it really does knock your confidence

I have suffered from eczema on my hands for my whole life. I’ve worn latex free washing up gloves for years which really helped (I never, ever put my hands in a bowl of warm soapy water) and stopped using soap to clean my hands. Instead I use L’Occitane almond shower oil which has literally changed my life. It cured patchy eczema across a lot of my body within a week. I guess I must have been allergic to some soap ingredient. I also use the separate L’Occitane almond oil to moisturise. I honestly can’t recommend it enough. Aveeno etc always made me worse.

Basically it’s trial and error. Everyone reacts so different to different products.

I have this too and I’m 99% sure it’s liquid hand wash especially the one in my office because hands were fine on holiday!

Sudocrem on hands overnight helps, plus Aveeno or Weleda skin food.

It might be worth asking for a derm referral. Mine got like that, I’d had it on and off then they changed the soap at work when I had significant stress and it was horrendous! Mine is made worse by soap or hand gel. I use a soap substitute, Dermol 500, as recommended by Derm but they did patch tests to see if I had any specific allergens first. Still have to moisturise daily and I have pots for Dermol in various places (extra soap holders in the house, work) but never as bad as it was when it first started.

The L’Occitane almond shower oil has the following ingredients:
VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) SEED OIL - TIPA-LAURETH SULFATE - LAURETH-3 - CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE - PARFUM/FRAGRANCE - COCAMIDE MEA - PROPYLENE GLYCOL - SORBITAN OLEATE - PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (SWEET ALMOND) OIL - ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT - CITRUS AURANTIUM BERGAMIA (BERGAMOT) FRUIT OIL - HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL - TOCOPHEROL - BENZALDEHYDE - CITRUS AURANTIUM BERGAMIA (BERGAMOT) PEEL OIL - COUMARIN - LIMONENE - LINALOOL - LINALYL ACETATE - PINENE - TETRAMETHYL ACETYLOCTAHYDRONAPHTHALENES

The Mirena Coil caused my hands to do something similar - progesterone sensitivity can cause hand eczema. As soon as it came out my hand eczema calmed down to its normal mild level.

It could be the latex in your rubber gloves. I can't wear them - have to use the nitrile ones. I also avoid foaming hand wash because that destroys my hands. I use plain bar soap and a gentle non-foaming hand wash in the kitchen.

Cream wise, I use flexitol hand balm at night and have started to use Nursem balm through the day. I've only recently discovered it and find it less stripping than petroleum based creams.

@TeaandHobnobs"I’ve just had eczema flare up on my eyelids (which took ages to go away last year), and also on my elbow, and I’ve realised it has coincided with my hayfever kicking off - and I’m fairly sure last year’s episode was at a similar time"

I'd really recommend Blephaderm for eyelid eczema. It's a bit pricy but Boots often do buy one, get the second half price. It's the only one I've found that just soothes and doesn't make my eyes all bleary. It's with all the other eye medicaments.

I take Fexofenadine for the allergy symptoms.

I'm a blue Aveeno girl normally but as others have said it's such an individual response that might not work for everyone.

It's miserable isn't it?

I get very dry hands too and have to use thick rubber gloves for washing up.
They are actually rubber gardening gloves.
Also, if I don't dry my hands properly they crack. I don't have eczema so maybe my comment is of no use to you

Oh I also swear mine is much better managed with omega 3 supplements

Good point. My skin feels a lot nicer if I eat food rich in good oils (omega 3, 6, 9).

@lobeydosser I also have blepharitis too! So that Blephaderm should be doubly useful for me. Thanks for the suggestion!