anyone have eczema?

[fairycakes]

seen the doctor today and been told i have some form of eczema on my foot (cant remember name of it, but began with a p! - its where small lumps like blisters filled with ous (yuk!) form on soles of feet and hands)
anyway i was too busy talking about something else with the docotr to ask any questions about eczema - and i know nothing about it! can anyone give me any pointers?
all i know is the sole of my foot is unbearable itchy and hot and i cant pick up the steriod treatment cream she prescribed til tomorrow - but dont know if this will stop the itching or keep the problem at bay - as only to use for 2 weeks then i have to go back for different prescription!

can i itch it or will it make it worse?
is it infectious to other people?
wcan it spread onto different parts of me?
can it be cured or just treated to help?

thanks!

psorisis?

Psoriasis even lol.

It's called Pomphylx!!!! I had this on my hands and went to see a Dermatologist about it who recommended a steroid cream - forgotten the name, will run upstairs to get it - which is a second generation cream that doesn't thin the skin. She told me to apply a thin layer all over and put on cotton gloves at night for seven nights so that I didn't touch my face. This is a form of excema which is triggered by something that you are allergic to. She also advised me to wash with an emollient, ie Doublebase, which is available in a pump dispenser which you then apply, rub hands and then rinse. The cream then provides a barrier for anything you are allergic to, ie nickel door handles. I did exactly as she said and it has gone. I do though always wash with hand cream which has made my hands much less dry.

To answer your questions:

1. Itching it won't make it worse but you may cut the skin and then have an infection. 2)It is not infectious 3)It can only spread to the hands if you are in contact with the same thing that has triggered the skin on your feet 4)I have managed to cure mine from 7 days of this steroid cream all over and then washing ONLY with an emollient cream. I also applied hand cream alot, say 4-5 times a day to increase the barrier and it has gone.

Pompholyx eczema? here (scroll down) Definitely don't scratch it as itcould get infected.

possible, but i couldnt say to be honest - i ws just glad that she didnt tell me my foot was going to drop off becasue it had been covered in infected blisters for the past 6 months!! so i didnt take in the name - could be that though or just had a scan on the internte and possible palmar dermatitis as that has blisters and is soles of feet and hands....

thanks chickpea - sounds like mine then - but i got it on feet. how itchy are those horrid blisters!!! they are stopping me from walking as they get so hot and sore (not good in a job stood up and walking round all day!)

The cream is called Elocon 0.1% and is to be applied sparingly every 24 hours. I wonder actually what your feet have been exposed to to trigger this reaction. Where are you walking bare foot or have you changed your washing powder/fab con?

thanks also jangly just read that desciption and fit s the bill!

Oh the itching drove me to distraction!! But I only had a few spots per hand but each day I woke up with a new spot which was tiny but really made it's presence felt. I did wonder if the spots would reappear after I finished the seven days of cream and they didn't.

chicpea - i was thining that when you said its casued by an allergic reaction to things - i always walk bare feet around the house, but havent changd washing powder or anything - its strange becasue 5 years ago i got one blister right in the middle of sole of foot that was just like this and had to be lanced by doctor - 2 years later got same thing - doc couldnt explain it as it was right on the only part of the sole of foot that you dont walk on so they couldnt understand how i had got a blister here - it then happened 6 months ago and ever since then gradually they have been coming up and now there is no stopping them!!

chicpea - did they start off as tiny spots and thendevelop into smll blisters then? thats what mine do and they are so itchy - especially when i have been working and my feet get really hot at work, walking round all day

thanks for name of cream too i will get some tomorrow

I think we can develop a reaction to anything at any age. So maybe you should wear socks around the house for the time being and then when things have settled down and you have been applying lots of barrier cream you can then chance it again. Did your GP prescribe the same cream that I had - can you even read the doctor's writing as it is usually illegible!

i dont think it was the same - the cream began with a p too i think as on the way to the chemist i was trying to work out if it could be the same name as the eczema! i cant check as the chemist had to order the cream and took the prescription off me. but if its not i am going back to see the doctor about something else tomorrow so i will mention your cream and see if she will let me get some.
thanks for advice im off to bed now hope you have no more trouble with yours chicpea! night x