really bad eczema / itchy hands - help!

[annady]

hello,
can anyone recommend anything for really sore, inflamed, cracked, itchy hands please? my eczema has flaired up again after many years - the doctor's suggested hydrocortisone, urea, hydromol doublebase, etc - none of which have worked - and i've also tried aveeno, lanacane, eurax, and those anti-itch creams.
my hands are falling apart - help!
thanks for any suggestions,
a x

Do you know if there's something causing your eczema? In my case it's stress, plus a nickel allergy. I try and avoid both (nickel - easy, stress not so much!).

Don't have much else to suggest on the cream front but have you tried Neutrogena? It's the norweigan fisherman one. You only need a tiny bit and it lasts for ages, I used it when pregnant and it worked a treat.

Go back t yout GP- there are much stronger steroids that you c an use and they should prescribe some. Hydrocortisone is very weak and first line of treatment- Betnovate and Synalar are stronger types.

Meanwhile, try not to get your hands wet.

Hi annady - my hands have been exactly the same. In my case it turned out to be shampoo of all things - have a really careful think about what toiletries you have been using that go undiluted onto your hands.

Mne has returned a bit now and it's so hard to work out what it is (suspect lemon oil in something).

In terms of helping meanwhile, you need something called Haelan tape which contains some kind of steroid and which you stick over cracks/raw patches to stop them hurting or getting infected. I also find that beeswax handcreams are good - all about protecting the sore skin from irritation. This guy does a nice one. Lucas Pawpaw Ointment, which seems to be made from fermented papayas is great stuff too, I put it on at night to soften up the hard skin on my hands.

p.s, when mine was bad I used to wear thin surgical gloves to wash my hair etc.

weleda skinfood works for me. and steroid cream if really badly inflamed.

thanks so much for all your advice - i'll try what i can and let you know what works!
a x

If your skin is very cracked and open that haekan tape stuff is briliant, because it's just like (soft) sellotape that totally protects the skin. Had some weeks where I literally wouldn't have been able to work without it.

Oranges and tomatoes and aspartame give me eczema. If you don't like rubber gloves you can get small cotton gloves to wear inside for comfort. Aloe vera is v. soothing. HTH

OOh I've just remembered an amazing, cure and comfort for cuts ,eczema etc. HONEY!! It's fantastic (wear overnight with the cotton gloves to protect from stickiness) also Vit E oil.

Manuka is best but any good organic honey is brill.