horrible, horrible hand eczema

[blackmonday]

I had always been proud of my good skin up to around 2 years ago. I started to get itchy palms and over the last couple of years have been plagued by hand eczema. I have been to docs numerous times and tried various creams and steroid creams but nothing seems to help. They itch constantly and even though I try really hard not to i end up scratching. The skin on my hands is now horrible. I also have psoriasis that has developed on my knees and elbows about the same time as the eczema. Does anyone have any idea what i could do to get rid of this or even a reason as to why I am suffering with these problems having never had any skin disorder before? It is really getting me down and even dds don't like to hold my hand anymore cos they don't feel very nice!

I use neutragena hand and body cream as a moisturiser (on prescription) along with elocon cream. Haelan tape is brilliant for helping with cracks on fingers as it also keeps your fingers straight.

HI bearsinthenight have you tried the mometasone cream or ointment.

DS1 had it really badly this year,his hands came up in these itchy little blisters onto the wrist area too. they then went red,split and then his hands looked really sore.Then it happened on his feet but not in the typical athletes foot pattern,but the doc insisted it was athletes foot!!!!!!!derrrr

They just got worse and worse and then i got annoyed when the doc just kept prescribing anti fungals even though they werent working. In the end i diagnosed it as i used to be a rep for a dermatology company and had been in alot of dermatology clinics with consultants.
We than went to see a different doctor at the practice who funnily enough suffered from it herself and she confirmed the diagnosis. By this time his hands looked like they were on an old man. With scratching them,the skin had gone all thick and lichenified
2 weeks of mometsone ointment applied really thinly and then doublebase and his hab=nds are back to normal and it asnt come back soo far.

I believe it is brought on by an initial bout of over perspiring,or extreme stress. My sons started when he went travelling to america in the heat and he was under the stress of waiting for results to his degree.

i was worried that his crumbling hands were going to affect his job as a pharmacist.

Just had to update this thread. One of the suggestions someone put forward on here was to try Q10 co-enzyme capsules. I went to Asda a week ago and bought 60 of these for £4.00. I didn't think they would work but was desperate and willing to try anything.....a week later and I am literally AMAZED!!My hands are the best they have looked for the last two years. I am using no creams at all, just taking one of these a day. I really can't believe the results especially so quickly. I just wanted to say thank you to the person who suggested these, i will be taking one a day for the rest of my life!!

black good for you. maybe I should try this as well, my hands are suffering from the cold (despite gloves and loads of moisturiser).

Try talking to your pharmacist if too long to wait for docs as they are very clued up - usually! - on what they can offer to help with teh relief.

As a basic handcream, you cannot easily beat Garnier's red tube. Slather it on.

Hi blackmonday - just wondering if Q10 capsules are still working for your hand eczema?? I was thinking of starting too.

Hi blackmonday - just wondering if Q10 capsules are still working for your hand eczema?? I was thinking of starting too.

I used to (until 3 weeks ago!) have vile contact dermatitis - but then heard about about this: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11564662

I have swapped my Huggies wipes for Johnsons, bought lauryl sulphate free shampoo, conditioner and soap from the health food shop and it has totally disappeared. Not only that, my dd's nursery nurse noticed it was looking better (we used to compare fissures and commiserate... yuck), so she also tried it and has also shifted hers!

Much easier than trying to remember to take tablets. Honestly, give it a go. I had childhood eczema and the dermatitis has been the bane of my life for years - sometimes I could barely uncurl my fingers. Elocon worked quite well but was only dealing with the problem, not what was causing it.

Thanks for this advice jaype.. I will look into this as well as Q10!

So glad you found the Q10 helpful - I take them for energy levels and find them helpful and realised that I am just using moisturiser now for my excema and no steroid cream! I use Aveeno (expensive to buy though) and love the Dream Cream that an earlier poster suggested - especially when it is damp and I am beginning to feel itchy!

Recently realized my horrible hand eczema stemmed from a gluten sensitivity, but foderma serum is certainly helping the healing process speed up. It's just the right amount of greasy for deep moisturizing. Better than the coconut oil I was using previously. Very happy.