Anyone out there who suffers from POMPHOLYX? (blistery eczema of the hands and sometimes the feet)

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

I'm suffering terribly with it right now, my hands for once aren't too bad but the soles of my feet and the toes are absolutely covered in painful weeping blisters, making it hard to walk. Doc has prescribed some cream but it's doing nothing to help.

Anyone else on MN who suffers from pompholyx? It'd be nice to know I'm not alone!

Sounds like it. It effects hands and feet. You can get potassium permanganate for your feet. It stains them purple. I asked my GP for some thinking it would be a pale purple but he said it's very vivid so not a good look for work. :)

I've had this - or something very similar. Had it for about 4 years and it started at a time of particularly bad stress for me. No idea if there was a connection. Anyway - last year I had to give up sugar for unrelated reasons - within a month my skin -primarily feet but also hands - was absolutely clear. Coincidence? I am convinced not. I am so happy it's gone - some days it was so bad, I scratched it and picked it till it cracked and then I couldn't walk. My sympathies to anyone suffering and I can only recommend quitting sugar!

Had this for years, realised it started after i came off the pill, disappeared when I got pregnant, returned ( but very gently) in between pregnancies after finishing bf, . last baby 12 years ago, get it very slightly now but hardly at all. Think it was hormone related, at least with me.
When it was bad, nothing worked, tried everything from cold tar wraps, oils, etc.

I have this too, never realised it had a proper name! Thank you op, at least I can go back to gp feeling more positive that something will work.

Oh, this is the weird bumpy itchy thing I get on the sides of my fingers in hot weather! Always reassuring to know something has a name.

I suffer from this, although it was way worse just after I had the DCs. My GP said he often saw it in new mothers.

Nowadays it only flares up in really cold weather, or when I am stressed, mainly on the backs of my hands, and sometimes on my fingers. The best treatment for me is a steroid called Elocon - only 2 or 3 applications send it packing - I tried a lot of alternatives before finding it.

I've had this type of eczema since we moved to this area, it goes when we're on holiday or I'm at my Mum's so I blame the water here, there's lots of chlorine in it. Normally it's just pin prick like small blisters with clear fluid, I've never had it like this before. This current outbreak is much much worse, great big blisters with yellow liquid.... which have all burst leaving deep wounds which aren't drying up. Anyone else had it like this? Any advice? Please!

Off to the doctors again this afternoon the ointment is taking the swelling away but because it's keeping them moist they're not healing up. I want to know if I can get them covered up somehow, I'm sure they're going to get infected.

Does anyones DC have this ? my DD appears to have what looks like the photo's on the link above it started on her ring finger and has spread across her palm, the blisters come and go but its v itchy and quite painful for her at times.

Has anyone found anything that helps relieve it ?

Bump

Omg I get this too. Had it a few years ago and it was awful. Stress definitely aggravates it for me.

I've had Pompholyx for 6 years now - I developed it while pregnant with my second child. I get it severely every summer - for me it is definitely seasonal and a sign of stress. It drives me insane - to the point that I could cut my hands off! I have tried every steroid cream and nothing helps. In fact it feels worse. I spend every morning getting out the pumice stone and scouring off the cluster of blisters under cold water. It is the only relief from the burning and itching. I also keep cold packs on my hands at night. I have googled for years and the only information that I get that seems helpful is the following:

Witch Hazel (yet to try - in fact I am purchasing some tomorrow)
Cobalt/nickel - eliminate foods that contain this, and also household products/utensils that contain this
Vinegar solution to soak hands and feet
Eliminate B12 from the diet
Potassium permanganate soak (can purchase powder or tabs)

There is no known cure or treatment. There only seems to be relief. Good luck to us!!!!

Hi Emma thanks for listing the things that might give relief, we have been using steroid cream and epiderm and cotton gloves and apart from a small patch on her finger it seems to be under control again fingers crossed it stays this way

Me too with this eczema blistering. Sends me mad.
Really interesting site here neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread9067-4.html

All about nickel allergies and food that contains nickel. I'm sure that sets it off with me. Am going to try taking Vit C and iron supplements which apparently bind to dietary nickel and stop it being absorbed by the body. Maybe complete Wooo, but you never know.

Thank you everyone! I had no idea what the blistery and itchy rash was on my feet for years! I first noticed this on my feet about 15 years ago. Went to see 2 Dr's who were pretty stumped and said it looked a bit like excema and gave me a hydrocortisone cream which did diddly squat. So I've basically just lived with it. It only comes out when it's summer though and I'll get a couple of patches on each foot. It can get quite red and sore looking. I always have to apologise when I get my pre-holiday pedicure!! I've also noticed red itchy bumps on the side of my finger when it's really hot. The things I learn on Mumsnet...!

Now the hot weather is here its only a matter of time before it comes back again

I get this about once a year on my hands and sometimes feet. Usually when it's really hot. I used to think it was scabies and used all manner of treatments for that.
Usually takes about 2 weeks for the pomph to go!

I know this is an old thread (and I've reported apeers for spamming) but I have this pompholyx. Dear god it's awful.

No history of skin problems and I'm definitely not stressed.

I was prescribed elocon steroid cream on Friday but today it's worse

I'm off out tomorrow to get some emollients and ecover.

Anyone else?

I have it too, for the last 6 months. It's only on one patch of skin on my hand, really strange, it's not painful but it sure doesn't look very nice!

I get this - hands crack a lot as well. The best thing I use is O'Keeffe's Working Hands which has stopped the vast majority of the pain

my daughter has this. we have avoided using steroid and have been soaking her feet in epsom salts nightly and then applying sudocrem (zinc oxide containing nappy rash cream). The magnesium reduces inflammation and I believe zinc deficiency may actually be the root cause and recent studies on kids with eczema show they are generally zinc deficient. Just trying to find a doctor who is open to doing mineral testing. Other way of getting zinc up is eating oysters but thats not an option for us. For itch management we have used antihistamine previously but she feels just as much relief from magnesium/zinc treatment. Sweat is absolutely a trigger as when wearing no shoes no issues. But as soon as there is heat and closed shoes its back. I will also be trying out probiotics (figure cant do any harm) and there are clinical trials that show improvements in atopic eczema with probiotics

you are lucky we live in the tropics so no respite from hot weather. its an all year round issue for us

Try soaking in epsom salts daily and applying a zinc oxide cream onto the red patches (we use Sudocrem but others should also work). Steroids didnt do anything for us. Actually the above gives more relief from itching than steroid

I have itchy lower legs from a pinched nerve in my back. nothing had really worked when I have a nerve flare up and all I want to do is scratch the skin off my legs until they bleed. I don't like using steroid creams or products tested on animals and full of chemicals. Foderma serum has great ingredients and it actually works so much better than the other products i would rather not put on my skin. this has been such a god send. it gives me so much relief instantly.