Seriously suffering with pompholyx/ dyshydrotic eczema - any tips

[ElizabethinherGermanGarden]

I get this on my poor feet every time the temp gets above about 22° and it is sooooo itchy and painful. I treat with hydrocortisone but I'm beginning to think it makes it even worse! Any suggestions? Currently sitting with a bag of frozen peas on the blisters and trying so hard not to scratch myself to ribbons.

I suffer with eczema on a different part of my body, it's horrible isn't it 😫
I find lukewarm instead of hot showers help with cracking, I also put bio oil on mine before I shower.
It doesn't help cure it but helps prevent new cracks..
I've tried sooo many creams prescribed by the doctors but none helped.
Has any one had allergy testing because of theirs?
That's my next step advised by my dermatologist..

For those using steroids, be careful to continue using them well past the point where skin looks clear. Dermatologist told me you have to heal all the skin layers, so use for longer to prevent it flaring back up again. This should mean you get a break in between treatments….

My issue was I used v potent steroids continuously for decades. Not recommended.
If you are really struggling it is worth getting a Dermy referral, take lots of pics while it is bad to show at appt.

I had allergy testing, they were concerned that I might be allergic to leather and the associated chemicals. In the end there was nothing relevant, was a v uncomfortable process, they did their prick dots all over my back, covered with dressings and I couldn’t get it wet for a week, grim.

You have my sympathy, it's awful! Mine ended up getting infected and I've had antibiotics which have helped enormously, don't hesitate to go back to the GP for more help.

Salt water and aloe Vera helps for me

Is that sea salt with water a few times a day?

I have this on both hands and one foot. I can't use steroids any more because I ended up with Topical Steroid Withdrawal. My foot is shocking at the moment; nothing seems to help and I haven't had a full night's sleep for months because it's so itchy. My hands haven't been too bad since I figured out the Vit C serum I use on my face was healing my hands up (I was just rubbing it into my palms after doing my face). GP hasn't been the best as they're quite content to let you keep on steroid cream despite the issues with that. Tea tree oil helps a bit on my foot.

Yes I used daktarin when it was that bad too!!!

I remember using something and couldn't remember what it was until you wrote that!!

Elocon (steroid cream/ointment) is the only thing that helps mine when it’s bad

I've had it for years on my hands and feet, and now my ed gets it both on her hands and feet. The added complication is she has chronic pain in those areas and trying to get the steroid cream in some areas can be tricky. So far she hasn't had it on the actual pain sites touchwood

My son really suffered with this on his feet as a baby. The doc at the eczema clinic prescribed potassium permanganate for him when things were really bad. You soak you feet in the solution and it dries out the blisters. Good luck. It's awful. I also get it on my hands x

Yes, I just did once a day but can't see the harm in more often!

I have it on my hands at the moment and I'm hoping it doesn't start on my feet

At its worst I have to take Phenergan at night just to be able to sleep

It is the itchiest thing in the whole world!

I also find Elocon works on it. I haven't tried to get the steroid cream yet as I'm just about managing but will if it gets any worse!

I get this and my doctor said I need to use a strong steroid (clobetasol or betamethasone work for me), apply it thickly to effected areas, and literally let it soak in overnight. You can even wear plastics gloves / socks for this purpose so it stays on. I find one overnight treatment enough to knock right it back.

Whatever causes it is in the deeper layers of skin so your usual thin application of steroid cream for eczema wont work. I suspect it is fungal in nature as daktarin gold does help a lot too. Also it is related to nickel allergies, so minimising tinned food can help. But for me its a big change in temperature that triggers it, especially heat.

Sympathies, I get it as well and this last month it's the worst it's ever been - my skin dried out so much that I ended up with deep cracks in my hands. The itching is hell, I swear I could gnaw my own hand off some nights. I also get inflamed skin around my eyes, and the GP thinks it's a contact dermatitis.

I've just been prescribed Dermovate ointment, Haelen tape (amazing stuff!) and Dermol hand wash, along with strict instructions to think about what's causing it and try eliminating things. It's flared up since I switched to cheap antibac hand soap and cheap shampoo, so I'm starting there! Day 3 of the steroids and my hands are so much better already.

Some great tips for relieving it here, so thanks to PPs. Hope you see some improvement soon OP!

Also think about sun creams, some of them really flare my hands up. They are necessary but evil.

@DPotter
Shut the front door! On your recommendation yesterday, I swapped out the hydrocortisone for lamasil (didn't have daktarin in the house) and there is already a significant improvement. Will persist for a few days and keep updating in case we've all been misdiagnosed and could save the pain...

I really hope it works for you. DP feet were awful and the change has been dramatic and long lasting

It's loads better! There are defined margins around the bumps and the puffiness has gone down. No further actual blisters (those are on the sole and have been dealt with) and it's less itchy. Still quite itchy but not agonising. The whole patch is about half an inch smaller today.

@DPotter I think you may have just changed my life! This has been a painful, miserable problem for 35 years, diagnosed and prescribed for by docs, and your alternative suggestion genuinely seems to be working! Thank you from the bottom of my much less itchy feet!

Glad somethings working for you. I get this on my left hand and it’s bad enough there, I can’t imagine having it on my feet!

I’ve really suffered these last couple of years with extra washing and hand gel but I’ve just spent a week in the sea (UK) doing water sports and it’s completely disappeared. All gone without a trace.

So cold salt water submersion may be something else to try.

Also, I now wear a cotton glove (from Amazon) inside my rubber gloves when cleaning. Spray on my hands irritates them but also rubber gloves by themselves, so this seems to be helping.

What shoes are you wearing? I came out in a horrible pompholyx-like rash much like that from wearing soft trainer-like sandals that must've been leaching something when my feet sweated, and I can react to the nickel in shoelace holes through my socks if my feet have got sweaty enough. My hand pompholyx seems to be primarily caused by either nickel (reacted badly to a fidget toy made of magnetic metal balls) or some as-yet-undetermined combination of stress, hot weather, and environmental stuff, but on my feet I can always eventually narrow it down to particular footwear.

I've had it for years on one foot and mine definitely has a fungal link. My GP gave me a printout of this which was very useful and lists fungal infection as one of the various causes
https://patient.info/skin-conditions/atopic-eczema/pompholyx

The athletes foot creams helped for a little while but only when it was mild. A short course of Terbinafine tablets cleared it up for a few years before it reappeared, but my GP warned me they are nasty tablets with potentially horrid side effects and I'm hesitant to take them again.

When it flares up and the itching is driving me crazy I soak my foot in a solution of 1 part cider apple vinegar : 1 part epsom salts : 6 parts luke warm water twice a day. That helps dry up the blisters and provides some relief.

I have this, thought it was a reawakening of warts from when I was younger, have been putting ice cold verruca treatment on it for months!

If being 100% honest, what I actually do is pop all the little bastards with a hypodermic, and they settle down and go away for a while 😳😬