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)

My mum has this. The doctor said she shouldn’t even go to the postbox 5 metres from her door without gloves on. She sleeps with thin cotton gloves on and any water at all triggers it, even hanging up the washing. Poor you, it’s awful.

My friend used to get flare ups like this on his hands and forearms.

Then one day he changed jobs, doing basically the same thing but for a different company and within about a week it was gone and never came back.

He put it down to the stress of his old job, although he was in the same role he was in a bigger company and not quite such a key employee

I have Psoriasis and I get contact dermatitis in the colder weather.

My hands have been similar when I have a bad flare (last time was a year ago). I am medicated though as I actually have Psoriatic Arthritis. I take Methotrexate for my condition which I know can be prescribed for "just" Psoriasis. It's not a nice drug but it works for me - both my skin and my arthritis.

I avoid steroids, my rheumatologist said they can cause the Psoriasis to flare. I take them only when I am very poorly and can't function day to day with my arthritis.

Hi OP, here in sympathy for you. My psoriasis started when I was 16, I'm now 64 and just live with it.

I've also tried everything going (including methotrexate), but my miracle that made it bearable was finding a recommendation online for Duoderm extra thin hydrocolloid dressings which I now use on any splits in skin I get. It stops the pain quickly as the hydrocolloid fills in the gap - for me it's like an extra layer of new skin, and it was life changing for me.

I get it on prescription, but you can buy it over the counter in Boots pharmacy. Other dressing brands aren't the same - this has a flexibility to it that you don't get in the other plasters. You can cut them up with scissors to fit whatever splits you have. Before I found these I could barely walk due to psoriasis on the soles of my feet. I also get splits below my breasts sometimes, and these clear them up in a day or two. The dressings create a waterproof barrier and stop moisture evaporation, which helps to heal the lesions.

I'm not alone in the psoriasis community to use this - here's a forum link for the psoriasis association where someone else is suggesting this.

www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/forums/topic.aspx?ID=5422

and info on the use in treatment for psoriasis and other wounds, from an NHS page.

media.supplychain.nhs.uk/media/documents/ELM317/Marketing/22882_ELM317_DuoDERM%20Extra%20Thin%20Hydrocolloid%20Dressing.pdf

Good luck, I truly understand the misery this causes. I've found knowing I can quickly resolve torn skin and go about my day to day life makes living with it much more bearable.

You’re under the care of a dermatologist? I wouldn’t bother taking solutions from mumsnet then, leave it to the specialists. What’s their diagnosis? You can send your GP that photo, they can email your dermatologist for advice and get you a response sooner than you may wait for a dermatology appointment

your hands look raw and like something is aggravating them. Maybe keep a diary of absolutely everything your hands come into contact with to try and see if there’s a pattern before a flare up. It could be anything from the cleaning products in the environment, the laundry detergent used and the subsequent products you touch, fragrance (fragrance is in most products including things you don’t expect such as food!). I’ve even come across a lady with a sun allergy…but that impacted her entire face and body. The fact that yours only impacts your hands is interesting

Oops - just read that it doesn’t only impact your hands. However my general
point still stands - it doesn’t seem
like you have a systemic allergy but a localised allergy in certain areas. Even on your hands, there’s areas of skin that are unaffected.

Go to a second hand shop that'll do the trick

Have you tried the immunosuppressants?

Some of them are nasty with side effects, but I am on one currently which seems to have no bad effects and is working a treat. You sound like you are beyond what emollients can help.

Try neutrogena Norwegian formula hand cream applied generously to all areas ( not just hands) and then get your GP to prescribe you Prednisolone. They don’t like to do so, as it’s a steroid, but it works miracles and might let your body/autoimmune system “reset” itself. You might only need it for the short term…
Really feel for you OP

Seriously all you ppl that say try this cream try that cream what works for you may not work for someone else everyone on the planet has different skin,different colours,different textures and thickness because of colour of hair ,for instance ginger ppl burn easily in the sun,blond ppl go brown quickly,black haired brown haired ppl have skin like leather,black ppl when they cut themselves it leaves a tube like scar,Eskimos have much thicker blood than an African due to climate ,not all ppl can experience same medicinal help as others,one day she might drink a type of beer and rash disappears ,who knows!!!

@Mrpot80head yeeeees... think that's why they use the word 'try'. No one is saying it worked for me so must work for you. They're suggesting it as a possibility. 🙄

Yes I do realise that but it did say they'd had this problem for years so obviously they have probably exhausted ideas ,there is also a set of caves somewhere in the world that can help ppl with psoriasis because of these caves mineral properties perhaps that might work too

Of course. But why tell people off for trying to be helpful.

That looks really sore.

My daughter’s hands got like that when she went vegan. Turns out that soy was causing it. She can’t eat dairy or tomatoes either, because her eczema gets much worse. She needed antibiotics because it got infected, but it’s much better now that she excludes the foods that set it off.