Help! I did something stupid

[Pligru6th]

Years ago, I bought some of those Italian exfoliating clothes on Amazon after seeing them recommended on here.

For some unknown reason I can't remember now, I used them on my hands. Since then I have had hundreds of microcuts on my fingers which have not healed. I have attached a picture. When my skin is hydrated they are not visible, but will still hurt if I put any kind of cream on them or, god forbid, eat any citrus fruit.

Is there any way to heal them? Will they now be like this forever? I think it has been 2, if not 3 or 4, years.

Any advice very welcome

Aloe Vera gel works with this sort of thing. I use Banana Boat gel but I am sure there must be other ones too

Many people with eczema are highly allergic to lanolin and this would make it 100 times worse.

I love the Italian cloths and I have stupidly dry hands, with that blistering type of psoriasis (I always forget the name). I've never used the cloths on my hands but hands do move around inside as you use them and they've never irritated my hands. I suspect the timing was a coincidence and you have some sort of dermatitis you need to treat.

They are also known as Korean exfoliating mitts and are a very rough viscose material. You use them wet, ideally while soaking in the bath. They are great on rough legs!
amzn.eu/d/08lgYn6w

Damn here I was thinking I could have smooth skin after a day at work!

I think you've attributed the wrong cause to this. Go to the GP. Whatever the cause, this is not because you exfoliated 4 years ago.

OP DEFINITELY push them to look at your iron levels.
I had something like that happen to the tops of my fingers and thought it was a reaction to some cream. It wouldn’t heal and I tried everything.
A side effect of low iron is dry and cracked skin, which I only found out when a new doctor checked my iron levels and they were on the floor.
Nothing changed until I used a B12 spray and upped my iron.
The b12 was the thing that saved it.

My skin was horribly dry when I had severe iron deficiency. My hands were chapped and sore and I had constant split lips. There was hand cream and lip balm in practically every handbag and coat pocket. I dreaded having a shower because I knew my skin would be horrifically itchy afterwards.

I had an iron infusion a couple of months ago and the difference is enormous.

Agree. In first instance, I’d consult a pharmacist.

Tell them how long you’ve had it.

O'Keefes is abrasive too so no wonder they aren't healing. Wear really greasy handcream at night with thin cotton gloves over them. Stop washing them in exfoliating wash and let them heal. Also see the gp if that doesn't fix it.

It may be more related to a vitamin or iron deficiency.

This

As I said upthread, it's not the cloths, it's the iron deficiency. Send a photo of your hands to your GP surgery and ask for script strength cream to soothe and rehydrate them

That really looks more like eczema/psoriasis. My bet is on cortisone cream to sort it.

This hands problem is nothing to do with the exfoliating cloths, and everything to do with the iron deficiency! Help me understand what is behind you not seeking to get this corrected. I am so confused.

I don't know if it's relevant to you but a friend had the same issue and was prescribed all sorts for years but as soon as she started HRT it cleared up.
Recently she decided to slowly reduce her HRT and it was the first thing that flared up.

I've used those green Korean exfoliating things which I assume are the same?

I can't in all honesty see that using them two years ago would have anything to do with this - it looks like eczema or similar.

Do you have hard water where you are?

Severe eczema sufferer here.
I'd recommend Epaderm slathered on under cotton gloves overnight. Also see GP for antibiotics as it won't heal if there's an infection. I use Fucibet cream also which is fab. Wear gloves to protect hands when cleaning. Cetraben is also fab for moisturising.

Another eczema bod with very dry skin - I can't recommend Aveeno Dermexa emollient cream highly enough. As well as moisturising, it has a ceramide (waxy) layer that protects the skin barrier. Also, stop using any kind of soap (even gentle stuff like Dove) on your hands. Get a pump dispenser and fill it with something like body lotion, and use this for hand washing.

Check everything you use for methylisothiazolinone. It’s a preservative known for causing sore, itchy hands. It’s possible that in trying to manage this you’ve been perpetuating the problem.

My sons hands look like that from time to time. He has psorisis, and a bit of the vitamin D cream from the doctor and its all good.

When I was milking cows I had wet hands for hours every day and my skin started to split like this. I was using cream supposedly to help but it turned out I was allergic to the lanolin in the cream so the splits weren't healing. Try different types of cream, you might find that one helps more than another.

I dont know the thing you used. I have now discovered colloidal silver so would try that on your hands. It doesnt sting. Another thing that comes to my mind is CBD cream.

I had this issue a couple of years ago, I stated making my own calendula balm(slathered on overnight under cotton gloves) and it's cleared the skin right up. Also my B12 was low, so I take a daily supplement, and that has definitely been a game changer.

Boots used to have this cream that could also be used for handwashing. Was it E45? Not sure of the name. It used to be in a whiteish tub of various sizes.

You could get your b12 checked if you're so low on iron op

ChatGPT is not a doctor but it does tend to give quite useful advice:

This looks much more like chronic hand dermatitis / hand eczema with fissuring than “microcuts that never healed”.
The exfoliating cloth may have triggered the first barrier injury, but after 2 to 4 years the bigger issue is probably that the skin barrier is now stuck in an inflamed, over-dry, easily re-cracked cycle. It is unlikely that the original tiny cuts are literally still open years later.
What she should do:

1. See a GP and ask specifically for treatment for chronic hand eczema
2. She may need a potent topical steroid ointment, not just moisturiser, for a short controlled course. Hand eczema often needs stronger treatment than people expect because the palm/finger skin is thick. NHS and dermatology guidance both describe emollients as essential, with topical steroids commonly used to reduce inflammation.
3. Ask for dermatology referral if it has been years
4. This is chronic and painful, so it is reasonable to ask for referral, especially if GP treatment does not clear it. Chronic hand dermatitis can be irritant, allergic, atopic, occupational, fungal, or mixed. DermNet says chronic cases or suspected contact allergy should have patch testing.
5. Ask about patch testing
6. Patch testing is used to find allergic contact dermatitis, including allergies to things touching the skin such as preservatives, fragrance, rubber, nickel, cosmetics, gloves, creams and household products. The British Association of Dermatologists says patch testing is done in dermatology departments to find whether a skin condition is caused or worsened by contact allergy.
7. Stop all “active” hand products for now
8. No exfoliating cloths, scrubs, acids, fragranced creams, citrus oils, essential oils, antibacterial gels unless necessary, washing-up liquid contact, harsh soaps, or repeated wet work.
9. Use boring barrier repair, obsessively
10. Use a thick ointment-style emollient, not a perfumed hand cream. Examples: plain petroleum jelly/Vaseline, Hydromol ointment, 50:50 white soft paraffin/liquid paraffin, Epaderm ointment, Cetraben ointment. Apply after every wash and before bed. NHS says emollients work by covering skin with a protective film to trap moisture.
11. Use a soap substitute
12. Wash with emollient or a very mild non-fragranced cleanser rather than normal soap. BAD guidance specifically says moisturisers can be used as soap substitutes because normal liquid/bar soap can dry and damage the skin.
13. Overnight occlusion
14. At night: thick layer of ointment, then cotton gloves. For painful cracks, a GP/pharmacist may suggest suitable dressings or liquid plaster, but avoid anything that stings badly or contains irritants.
15. Protect hands during wet work
16. Use nitrile gloves for cleaning/washing-up, ideally with cotton liner gloves underneath if worn for more than a few minutes. Don’t keep sweaty gloves on for ages.
17. Check for infection or fungal involvement
18. If there is spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus, crusting, severe pain, or one hand is much worse than the other, she should be checked. Skin swabs or fungal scrapings may be needed in some cases. DermNet notes swabs and fungal testing may be required where infection or fungal causes are possible.
19. Do not assume it is permanent
20. Years of hand eczema can improve a lot with the right combination of barrier repair, avoiding triggers, steroid treatment, and patch testing. But doing only moisturiser, especially “nice” scented hand cream, often fails.