Eczema - patch test result test

[Tournesol]

DS1 is 6 and has had really bad eczema in his hands since he was a baby. He has just had some patch tests at hospital to see if allergies are aggravating his eczema and I am a bit puzzled by the results.

He has reacted to cobalt chloride, potassium dichromate, nickel and fragrance/perfume. The advice sheets say things like "avoid handling money". It seems like these metals are in so many things (paint, leather, glues, detergents etc) that they will be impossible to properly avoid unless my son wears gloves the whole time, which I can't imagine him agreeing to!

Has anyone else had a similar diagnosis and found it useful?

I don't know about cobalt chloride & potassium dichromate, but I've had terrible hand eczema, and had a strong reaction to nickel on patch tests.

I do try not to handle change (especially the silver coins) too much, and certainly never hold it long enough to make my hands smell metallic IYKWIM. I have plastic covers on the ends of my keys, too.
I got horrendous blistering eczema from a mobile phone I used to hold, but then I used to hold that for ages at one time. Clear nail varnish is your friend (unless it contains one of the other things, I suppose!) - you can cover the studs in jeans, buckles, etc., in it. Oh, and no money in trouser pockets - you can get a rash through clothes. It really is second nature now, although I know it sounds like a real pain.

I assume he doesn't use soap or anything to wash hands? Does he take a substitute to school to wash them with when necessary? Sorry I know that's pretty obvious.

Anyway, I also used strong steroids for a while, and carried some cotton gloves around with me for use as a when, and my hands have cleared up. When they flare up now, I can get it under control quickly.

I hope your DS's hands are better soon.

My patch tests showed allergies to nickel and fragrances (plus a few other things) but not the other chemicals you mention.

Nickel was not a surprise to me, as cheap jewellery causes me problems.

Dermatologist said that, day-to-day, nickel should not be a problem, because, most of the time, you don't handle it enough. Unless, of course, you're a cashier. You tend to react either through continuous exposure over several hours - the inside of a jeans button, for example - or eexposure of a defective skin barrier - already inflamed skin, or the inside of your earlobe, for example. So, once your ds's hands have healed, he should be far less vulnerable to nickel, and probably won't need to worry about it in day-to-day life.

Because fragrances are everywhere, they are likely to be continuously irritating his skin. I had lived with irritated skin for so long that I was astonished at the difference going strictly fragrance-free made to my life. Being scratchy had become normal!

To help your ds's skin to heal, your whole household will need to be fragrance-free. Everyone will have to wash in FF products, all your cleaning products will have to be FF, no 'air-fresheners', no essential oils, nothing, for several months. And you'll need to launder everything in his wardrobe. It's a hassle. BUT the result for me was worth every annoyance.

It took about 6-8w before I noticed an improvement in my skin, and about a year for my skin to heal up completely.

HTH. I found very little usable advice out there, so I'm more than happy to share my discoveries with you!

Thank you both so much for taking the time to reply!

We don't really use much in the way of fragranced products as the whole family is pretty sensitive but I could certainly weed some out (like the kid's shampoo).

We have used all sorts of steroids but we never really get DS's hand eczema under control, although thankfully now he doesn't get as many infections as he used to.

He uses dermol 500 to wash hands at home but I think he uses the normal soap at school (although being a 6 year old I'm not sure he actually washes his hands much when I am not there to tell him to!)

I will try and be a bit more aware of metal objects DS might handle, but I don't think there is much. I just wish I could find the magic wand to make his hands better but it seems such a needle in a haystack.

Thanks again for your advice, it is really useful!

What about keeping a packet of un fragranced babywipes at school, to use instead of soap? Having to get and use a wipe as soon as he returns to the classroom is probably easier to manage than having to remember to take his special soap with him every time he goes to the toilet. If the staff know that it is a medical requirement, they should support and encourage him in this.

Good idea! I shall give that a try.

Hubby has it on his stomach. No matter what I do he can not get rid of it. It is very agrivating.

Have you tried Elocon ointment? I'm on my third week and so far, so good!