Help please! TRIGGER WARNING-PHOTO ATTACHED

[eczemahelp]

out of nowhere my skin turned to shit. I’ve never had skin problems before, but basically as soon as I became an adult it got awful. Severe eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. I go to dermatology at the hospital for it and have been using steroids which is helping a lot.

my hands are particularly bad. I’ll post a photo of them below mid-flare in case anyone has had similar. I always wear gloves so they’re not exposed to cold or dryness, I moisturise with heavy duty moisturiser and emollient, I never use any soaps or products on my skin- but my hands ares still horrendous and I genuinely don’t know what to do! Just posting in case anyone had has similar to me and has any advice? I’ve tried e45, dip to see, doublebase, Vaseline, sudocreme, working hands, nivea, petroleum jelly, childs farm, barrier cream for chaffed skin, body shop, lush products- nothing helps it apart from strong steroids, and even they don’t take it away 100%. I’m at a loss with what to do and I’m fed up of my hands being agony! When it flares up I can barely move them* *let alone write, work, bend fingers. My hands are basically out of use!

(please nobody suggest dietary changes, eliminating food groups and all the usuals as if that will magically fix it- I’ve tried it all to no avail)

I sympathise OP, your hands look so sore. Do they burn at all? Sometimes my hands look like yours if I have a fungal infection and it feels like they are burning, rather than itching.

I've had different types of hand eczema over the years and mine are helped by bathing them in warm salt water and then wet wrapping on a night. I use tubular bandages and cut a hole in for my thumb. If you're not familar with wet wrapping, I cut 2 bandages for each hand, but one slightly longer than the other. Wet the shorter bandages and wring them out, then apply emollient (I have found both Diprobase and Ultrabase work well for me). Put the wet bandages on, with the dry ones over the top. I cut them, so they cover my fingers and wrists completely. You can put a little steroid cream on too, but you have to be careful, so I wouldn't do it every night.

I have also found that Elocon helps me too.

I really hope you find something that works for you.

You poor thing. First you'll need some steroid cream to clear it up (hydrocortisone 1%) then try some cream from the company moogoo. You need something organic & natural. Stay away from E45, Aqueous cream and so on.

dupixent / dupilumab biological injections!! saved my life!! my eczema had me suicidal it was so bad. i had sepsis because i used to itch myself to death using tweezers and my hands were totally unusable too. please ask for dupixent it will change your life

in the meantime - pb7 wraps, potassium permanganate soaks and mometazone steroid cream

I have eczema and the only thing that clears it up quickly is Betnovate ( it’s a steroid but you don’t need to use much ). Though my excema is more of the dry type. Hope you find something that works for you.

You poor thing, I've suffered with similar and it's horrible. I second that moo goo is worth a try. I've also found this very helpful lloydspharmacy.com/products/aveeno-dermexa-lotion?gclid=Cj0KCQiAn4SeBhCwARIsANeF9DI5836FT8hgq3uANxMpST34sam09aPOA_G9j-PdOBLbL9LAB0b4kO8aAjTSEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

My eczema on my hands appeared after I gave birth and has remained whilst I've breastfed. I'm quite hoping that it'll go once I've weaned. My triggers are cleaning products and cat hair.

I've not tried it personally but a friend with extremely bad eczema found light therapy very effective (although she had to sign a disclaimer because of the increased risk of skin cancer)

Good luck in finding something and sending you hugs in the meantime

Definitely hold on for the allergy testing. I am allergic to multiple things (some of which are very "inert" and "safe" ingredients used in lots of hypoallergenic and "sensitive skin" products) and turns out this was primarily causing my hand and foot eczema which has now almost completely cleared up now I've stopped using. Interestingly with skin allergies it's often a delayed type IV allergy and so you could be reacting to exposures 3-5 days ago.

Plus you can react on your hands when the exposure was elsewhere on your body (I am allergic to standard plaster adhesive for example and using a plaster can cause a later flare up in my hands or feet). Plus sometimes exposure via others can cause a reaction (eg I am allergic to fragrance and other people's fragrance can cause a reaction).

In the meantime though the only thing that I found managed my hand and foot eczema other than steroid cream (which tbh didn't work that well) was a combination of two products: Tropic skincare Tamanu balm mixed with a few drops of vitamin e oil. Neither seem to work as well in their own. I apply both at night and wear cotton gloves. It soothes my flare ups within a few days. Works better than the steroid cream.

I would say though that if you are going to try any new products with that type of reaction (which looks so sore bless you), I would do your own patch test. I do this before introducing any new products.

Just take a bit of the product and apply to an area of skin (under a plaster) you can keep dry such as under your arm for 3-5 days and then see if you've had any reaction at the plaster site. It's not perfect but might help rule out anything that you would have a strong reaction too before you whack it all over your hands!

Best of luck.

Oh and just to second a PPs suggestion....my MIL completely cured her severe hand eczema by installing a water softener.

A holiday to somewhere with soft water might help you work out if that might be a factor before you invest!!!

My hands sometimes do this. Please mix Vitamin E oil with a few drops of Lavender oil and apply several times a day ru bbing in well. You should see improvement in 24 hours. I have put several friends onto this with good results. It works for cracked heels too.
if you try it and it works for you please update to let me know. Good luck.

This happens to dh with washing up liquid and if out in the sun longer then an hour

OP, how long have you had this? I know you said since adulthood, but it sounds like you've had a few different skin things. How long have your hands done this?

OP push dermatology for allergy tests quicker and if they’re saying it’s psoriasis then ask about taking medication that might suppress your immune system for a while
to allow your skin the chance to repair. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease (so is eczema but the causes are different) so you need a systemic treatment to get it under control. Eczema can sometimes need systemic treatment in the short term but identifying the trigger is imperative. It doesn’t have to be something you touch it can be something you ingest, common triggers are dairy, wheat, soya but it really could be anything and it’s a process of elimination to find out. Stop using perfumed anything, use non bio washing powder and no fabric conditioner, don’t wear latex gloves for washing up- always use barrier creams when you do so. it could be a nickel allergy which is in so many different things. The possibilities are endless.

what you’re showing doesn’t need some companies fancy creams or rubbing lavender oil on or any of that shit. It needs medical treatment. Have you tried oral steroids to get it under control while also using a heavy prescribed moisturiser and probably topic steroid cream too? Your skin is raw and adding something perfumed or potential allergens will sting like buggery. A stronger steroid cream should help not 1% hydrocortisone.

just keep going back to the dr and be a pain in their arse until you get a response.

A close family member had similar, sparked off by having antibiotics (not penicillin). Had it for two years before they determined it was allergic reaction. They were prescribed Methotrexate in the end, it’s taken another 2 years to clear and they’re slowly being weaned off it. So far it’s worked.

It sounds woo but try kinesiology, Touch For Health, Health Kinesiology (diff names for similar treatment) there’s a register of kinesiologists or chiropractic practice sometimes do it.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

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.