Right hand is constantly dry, cracked and painful while my left is fine

[Chris1989]

Hi all, my right hand is constantly painful and extremely dry, I’ve tried using lots of different moisturisers and wearing cotton gloves to bed after putting moisturisers but I whatever I do it doesn’t help at all.

Now it’s winter it’s even worse and I get a lot of pain, especially when curling my fingers and washing my hands (both hot and cold cause me a lot of pain!). Weirdly my left hand has always been fine and never goes me an issues, is this unusual or common? What other things could I try to help? So far I’ve tried Diprobase, Zerobase and ‘QV’ cream (these are all uk brands so sorry if they’re unfamiliar)

Thanks :)

What do you do as a job?

Sounds/looks like eczema/psoriasis (which I have). Presentations can look a bit different.
Avoid detergents, so rubber gloves for all cleaning. Only unscented soaps for hands/body. Wear gloves outdoors when it's cool and especially when cold. Get a prescription steroid cream to apply to affected areas and continue to moisturize constantly. I use CereVe cream which is heavier than lotions.

I had exactly this for most of a year. I used Cetraben Flare Up Overnight cream every night and every morning. It was the only thing that worked for me. I still use it before bed now but I don't have the same problem any more.

I think it was because I would always do jobs with my right hand, like cleaning stuff, taking washing out of the machine etc.

I got it in Boots or Tesco.

https://www.boots.com/cetraben-ointment-120g-10229591?traffic=paid.shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21096115648&gclid=Cj0KCQiA9t3KBhCQARIsAJOcR7zuXferi2EAGec1vEZq7-OyjMFucHmb64NjlGSUT8mmNErDjxmlF3caAj1KEALw_wcB

Yes my first thought was are you cleaning with chemicals predominantly with that hand? Or have you done so in the recent past? It can trigger eczema and you can also get something called contact dermatitis. It can take absolutely ages for it to go away. I had a particularly bad reaction to accidentally getting hair dye on one finger in 2003 and the nail bed has never fully healed but the finger itself is ok now.

Thanks all 😊 I’m a software developer (I’m a male, I share this account with my fiancée) so nothing that would cause this. The only chemicals etc I can think of is things like washing up liquid or hand wash but they’re used with both hands anyway.

I’ll try some of the creams suggested, thanks :)

I have very similar issues with the same hand. I have eczema and this is hand eczema. I also have a nickel allergy. Because it’s the dominant hand, it suffers massively more than my other hand - washing up, hair washing and gardening without gloves being the main triggers. Oh, and changes in the weather, whether it be from dry to wet or from warmer to colder. I do use steroid ointment, but if you keep your hands well moisturised (and I do mean several times a day) this should help enormously. My GP prescribed Zerobase You can also get it from Amazon. An antihistamine helps if it is itchy. I use disposable glove for hair washing and a cotton glove underneath rubber gloves when doing the domestics.