Is this Excema or something else, with photos.

[Sunshineandrainbow]

Dd has struggled with itchy patchy elbows for the past year and tried 4 creams from the GP, sadly nothing has yet helped.

Her hands have now broken out and itcy and patchy and she is struggling.

Any one know what it could be.
Will call GP

Looks like pompholyx eczema to me. Definitely see the GP.

What creams did she try? Does she use regular hand wash? It looks like eczema, but it may have different reasons. When I had smth similar due to cold weather, I was advised special gentle hand wash (and don't wash hands too often)/reduce contact with water (wear gloves while cleaning etc)/corticosteroid+antibiotic cream.

That looks like ezcema.

What she washes with is v important. I was able to get rid of my ezcema after the blast of steroids with obsessive emollient and never ever using SLS containing handwash/shower gel/shampoo.

She hasn't tried any creams on her hands, the ones she has been prescribed were all for her elbows.

She wouldnt be able to get out of work to attend GP until Wednesday afternoon but I will get her to send the photos Monday morning and see if they can prescribe something over the phone.

Sls free hand wash is very hard to find we have now found a sanex one. She washes her hands a lot at work.

Thanks everyone

@Sunshineandrainbow look at E45 hand wash. But not washing too often is a key. No hand sanitizers as well.
Ask GP for Trimovate cream (it has all the components needed).

As well as SLS it is also important to avoid hand washes/sanitisers with ethyl alcohol as it is very drying on the skin.

I have suffered with eczema on my hands on and off for some years and I have tried a lot of hand washes. I find the natural ones by Green People the best.

Trying to find what triggers flare ups is also helpful. For me it is cleaning products (even if they don’t come into contact with my skin, the fumes seem to trigger it.)

Sanex is generally not as mild as it makes out.

Places I look are:
children's ranges eg Child's Farm, E45 children
'green' ranges eg Faith in Nature, Green People
pharmacy brands eg Eucerin, E45

There's a lot more choice in non-foaming, skin friendly products than there used to be.

While it's bad you can also use your emollient to wash with, which initially feels weird as it doesn't foam. Ultimately though I found I started to want something that looked a bit more 'normal'.

The latest cream she has for her elbows is dovonex ointment.

Will get the E45 hand wash.

Get some burden barrier cream, I wash my hands at work a lot and suffer with them cracking, this stuff really helps as a barrier to the washing. Expensive, but lasts well. The blue hand cream version is not as good.

Please don't use E45, it burns any broken skin like eczema. Really painful. Cetraben emollient is very gentle and there's no need to use any hand soap.
It could be pomphlyx eczema but that tends to affect hands and feet rather than elbows. The GP might prescribe something like fucibet. Definitely needs a dermatology referral.

To be honest what's on her hands seems different than what's on her elbows. GP said he would refer her to dermatology if the latest cream didn't work on her elbows. GP hasn't seen hands yet.

We have a tub of cetraben, so use this as a hand wash? Will it clear germs before eating?

This is what I use for pompholyx.

Thanks you I will see what we can do.

It's such a tricky place to have it when your washing your hands every hour.

@LoafofSellotape do you use a particular hand wash? Thank you

E45 cream uses lanolin, a very common irritant for those with eczema. It nearly drove me to distraction when I was advised to use it. I was bright red for weeks.

Avoid anything with lanolin in it.

Does she do cleaning with bare hands? Mine often break out when I don't protect my hands from cleaning solutions

Don’t use handwash. DD with similar used cetraban cream to wash with. At night she puts the ointment on and a pair of cotton gloves to keep it on over night. She’s also careful in the cold-always wears gloves.

She works in child care, so will do a bit of basic cleaning

Thanks, she works in childcare so washing her hands regularly, do the creams get rid of germs and ok before eating.

I bet it's the cleaning products. Maybe try some thin gloves when using it. Or changing babies using wipes etc?

It will be the handwashing.

She needs to wear gloves for as much cleaning as possible and when she is washing her hands, use Cetraben not whatever anti-bac handwash they have provided.

I work in healthcare and have to be v careful with all the endless handwashing and use emollient a lot during the day.

Get some gloves for eczema from the chemist , layer her hands in Vaseline , put the gloves on and leave over night . Works wonders for my DDs fingers and hands !

Also ask the GP for Dermol 500 it’s a soap substitute avoid any handwash especially perfumed ones.

Never anti bac or liquid hand wash, always bar soap. When I stayed at a friend's house who only had bar soap it cleared up within days. Soap is anti bacterial by nature,it doesn't need to be 'anti bacterial.' Hope it clears up soon,it's maddening.

Deemol is good but can be bought OTC.

I don't have eczema but I do get this whenever I touch sponge cleaning cloths or soap that isn't white (ie with moisturizer and is unscented).
The only thing that works for me once I have a flare up is smothering it repeatedly with Bepanthen. It works every time. It's amazing!