Hand eczema/pompholyx . Help! Trying to wean off steroid but keep reflaring!

[Girlwithproblems1]

Hi was wondering if anyone can give any advice . I’ve had this on my ring finger for a while and didn’t think anything of it . Suddenly just blew up and within 2/3 weeks my full finger was covered, the old patch inside my wrist came back red and big and I was getting an itchy sensation on my scalp and my body when it got bad !

I waited 3/4 weeks then Dr prescribed eumovate and said it was pompholyx eczema I used this for 14 days which didn’t clear it but it came down a lot. I was advised to take a break. So I did for about 2 weeks then I used it again for 4 weeks. Again it didn’t clear it but bought it down abit .

Dr then advised another 2 week break and re use a stronger steroid (but my pharmacy didn’t have it in stock). So instead I used eumovate again for 14 days . Again same thing, cleared up a lot but not fully and patches of the rash had
spread to other fingers and on my hand more even through the steroid use.

the steroid calmed it down but every time I went off it slowly got worse.

Since then I have been weaning off, it has been 1 month and I’m currently doing 4 days off and 1 day eumovate steroid once . But I am struggling !!!

The patches of the rash on my hand are getting bigger and the one that’s moved to a new finger is in particular itchy. I have the usual burning sensation, red, itchy and then on the flip side dry if not covered in emollients etc .

I wear no hand Jewellry etc. I am sometimes careful with what I eat now (as I thought maybe tomato triggered it). I think this originated from over washing hands with hand wash and having my hands wet all the time (I have 2 toddlers) and food with spices touching my finger/that area of the rash.

However for months I have not touched food with this hand, wear cotton gloves underneath my disposable for doing the washing up. Make sure cleaning producers aren’t on my hand . I use soap bar now. And I bought double base hand wash to try. I use a couple natural ointments and mainly hydromol ointmemt
especially as I wean off I feel like I need all the help I can get !!

Chucked away some of my furry fluffy jumpers (as not sure what was irritating my hand/ arm when I was worse ) . I wear cotton underneath as a layer now. I know heat and stress makes it worse or if I feel hot . Have a referral to dermatology for patch testing .

Can somone please tell me is my eczema not healing or is it my body just reacting to me taking away steroid ?

Evryone I speak to is advising I stay off the steroid if I can . And that it is my skin reacting to not using it .

tonight is my steroid night . I’ve put it on my patches but I literally want to scratch the hell out of my fingers right now !

My worry is the way it’s going . Am I just weaning off to then just go back on a steroid ?? So confused !!!!!!!!!!! And finding it hard especially between the chores with the kids 😞

Ask for Betnovate,got rid of mine within a week and I'd had it for ages and tried everything. Any hand wash triggers mine so switched to bar soap and I don't get it now.

Mine is flaring right now. It's been 4 months more or less. I've got an appt with the doctor to discuss. It's intolerable! I was recommended tamanu balm by Tropic but I don't like to support MLMs.

I had this very badly on my hands some years ago (thankfully pre Covid!) and the only thing that finally cleared it up was more or less avoiding water and soap of any kind on my hands. Washed them perhaps three times a day with the plainest soap possible. Wore cotton gloves in bed to stop myself scratching. No washing up in rubber gloves!

Your hands look to be mildly afflicted. But the patch on your wrist looks sore. It is also possible it's a different type of eczema, as other have said. Mine was hundreds of tiny water-filled bumps mostly on the fingers and palm, with none on the back of the hand.

Patch testing is a type of allergy testing. It tests for type IV skin allergies (delayed reaction). I was referred under NHS.

I had tingling and itching around mouth and nose also. Plus hay fever type symptoms. Clears up when I avoid the allergens identified in patch testing.

It is v hard to work out what allergens are without patch testing. As there is often a delayed reaction of 2-5 days from exposure. So hard to work out the cause. I am also allergic to something that’s in virtually all hypoallergenic/sensitive skin products plus emollients that you are prescribed for eczema such as dermol. It’s also in prescribed creams. So in a lot of “safe” products. Would never have worked this out without testing.

Ouch, that looks so sore, @GitTaeFuck. I get mine mostly on the fingerpads/tips, and down the sides of the fingers — luckily haven't had it spread to the palms yet. I hope they can give you some treatment that works. It's so bloody inconvenient having rough, dry, snaggy bits anywhere on your hands, too, quite on top of the pain and itching. Glad I don't wear tights 🤣

I think I tried changing my washing powder, soap, shampoo and moisturiser first. Then when that didn't work, I cut out gluten. Noticed improvements within a week (no new patches starting to form). It was about 15 years ago though.

@GitTaeFuck I have a small patch at the moment on the palm of my hand, but mine looked like yours during first lockdown, so you have my sympathy 💐

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor hownlong had u had it before u used betnovate ? I think this is the one they prescribed but my pharmacy didn’t have it . And did u wean off ?
im thinking about getting a stronger steroid .

@WhatNoUsernameahh I see so u had the patch testing too.

I can’t wait to have mine !!!

@GitTaeFuck what is MLMs
ouch that looks so horrible . Hope it’s is dealt with easily

@hopsalong
yeah I do believe that soap has contributed to this for me .
did u use anything from the GP ? Creams steroids ? How long did it take for urs to go?

yeah I thought that too about my hand . Even though I can get the hot burning itchy sensation I thought maybe I should just keep weaning off and see if my skin can take it but yes my wrist is sore and that’s a patch getting bigger too .

just thinking if I should go back to gp for stronger steroid .

I am trying homeopathy tablets at the moment but I’m really not sure at all if they’re doing anything 🤷🏽‍♀️

I had it at least 6 months, nurse took one look, gave me Betnovate and it disappeared.

Never had it again as I switched to bar soap, liquid hand wash especially anti bac irritates me. It was gone within the week and just stopped using the cream. I've always had eczema but the itch from this was maddening.

You can buy Betnovate on line,it's £15.

I get this. Changed to bar soap and shampoo and it got a lot better.

Also massively triggered by stress.

Just checking you know itching makes it worse?

Have you tried things like lavender, oats, calendula or whatever that old fashioned remedy for bringing out the bruise was… can’t bring it to mind.

When you think of the skin trying to defend itself, it helps imagine remedies- things that will soothe and calm.

Also have been told by a GP that the skin is an organ and needs to be treated as one whole big thing. So to moisturise everywhere, avoid soap everywhere etc.

The nurse said to me it's known as Hairdresser's Hands as it's common with hairdressers as their hands are in soap/shampoo all day. She said it starts out as eczema and then an infection starts as the skin is cracked.

Plain bar soap is the way to go!

@Trufflenose is it bad shampoo ? Any good ones out there ? Maybe I should do that .

what bar soap do u use ? I’m currently using simple. I’m hardly putting it in my hands to be honest only when I need to

@pickledandpuzzled
yeah I’m aware itching makes it worse . I see it instantaneously when I do. When I get the urge to itch I really try not to and distract myself . Yesterday I put an ice pack on for abit . But I do itch it sometimes .

yes I understand may start looking into that as in the shower for body wash I am using the h fragrances sanex . And shampoo I am using body shop ginger shampoo . I use simple bar soap too in the shower .

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor makes sense and sounds like me . Constantly washing my hands before this .

what bar soap do u use ? I use simple bar. But when my hands are like this I hardly put bar soap on my affected areas !

I use dettol bar soap. I buy it in bulk from Amazon as its hard to find proper soap in the shops these days.

Shampoo - any bar shampoo should be fine. I'm not sure of the exact ingredient I react to but if I use a normal liquid shampoo I get a rash on my neck and shoulders.

I get this too but all over my hands and it's very angry looking. I don't have any advice I'm sorry because I've not been able to get mine under control for years now, but I'll be following this thread to see what others suggest. Even when it calms down I have leathery, old lady hands from years of scratching, and it's so embarrassing.
I find it's always worse at this time of year with the cold weather and the central heating on.
Sometimes I take antihistamines to take away the redness and the itch, and I use Eucerin Aquaphor sort of as a barrier from irritants and water (which also makes it worse'

I’ve had this since August and the doctor gave me steroid cream which made it worse.
I bought Chlorella tablets after seeing an advert that it helped with psoriasis, and touch wood it is so much better. Also the cream that is called First Aid Beauty (FAB) it was in my daughters advent calendar and is the best thing I’ve used.

I also find that steroids make it worse.

You can take a tablet of Piriton OP. The relief will be glorious.

its so often stress or heat with me, 27/28 degrees or more

@MikeRafone i feel like I can’t do above 22 degrees atm. I always have the heating on more often over winter but these last couple weeks I’ve just been in a T-shirt and joggers t the time which isn’t like me . I spoke to the homeo lady about my body being like this so I’m not sure if their tablets have helped keep my body abit cooler. I can heat up really quickly too so it’s not just the environment