hand dermatitis

[simplynikki]

it is also known as hand excema (<-sp?) and being a massage therapist it is a common thing. well I think i have that. the description and pictures i have seen about it match up. i wanted to try something over the counter first before wasting money on a dermatologist. does anyone have any suggestions?

[happy ending]

have you asked a pharmacist? i think they are very good at helping with skin problems, as they deal with the public they see just about everything. i just know that my local pharmacist is a wealth of valuable information about minor ailments.

[simplynikki]

i did and she suggested i start off with something really moisturizing like vaseline intensive care which I have been putting on my hands after washing and ive been using gloves during all my sessions lately but aside from it making my hand more "wet" instead of cracked the way it was...the rash is not going away

[happy ending]

gee vaseline intensive care is really highly perfumed i think it would just aggravate the problem, mine told me to use an unperfumed plain cream and wear cotton gloves under my rubber gloves but my problem was probably different, maybe go back and ask her again telling vaseline didnt work?

[WildChild]

I wrote a rather long thing about how I got rid of mine, don't have time to do it again- maybe you could do a site search? Basically did a food elimination diet and I thinking getting off sugar was what really did the trick.

[simplynikki]

the one im using is unfragranced but it doesnt seem to be doing much as i said. im going to cvs today during my lunch break i'll ask the pharmacist there.

wild child should i google the same screen name?. cause i've googled hand dermatitis and mostly get doctor's journals pop up not any people's advice or dicussions

[metallikirst]

I struggled for ages before i got rid of my hand dermatitis, but it's calmed right down now. I had a bit of a 'day' and 'night' routine both of which are fairly cheap.

During the day I would use a hypoallergenic, fragrence free hand cream (I used 'simple derma' handcream, but switched to a cheaper one as my hands got better.) Then, when that was rubbed in, I use 'scholl athelete's foot tolnaftate cream' to stop the itching. It sounds odd, but it seemed to really calm my hands down, especially when they start to blister. I put them on one after the other because if I just put the handcream on I would still be itching, but if I just put the scholl on, my hands would feel dry 5 minutes later. The handcream is about £4, and the scholl cream you can get for about £1.99.

Then on the night, I would use cotton gloves which you can get for about £2-3 a pair (depends where you shop) put on over boiled down acqueous cream (my grandmas trick!). The boiling is optional, but all you do is get a tub of aqueous cream (about £1.99 for a shedload!) and put it in a pan and boil it down for about 45 minutes, depending on how thick you want it (thicker the better). Let it cool and poor away the water. This leaves you with a nice thick cream to LATHER on, and really make it a good centremetre thick on your hands! then try to get the gloves on haha. Best to get a couple of pairs of gloves so you can wash them (in a hypoallergenic wash powder of course!) Just sleep with these on until you start to notice it calming down.

I did this for a week or so and mine really calmed down. It keeps creeping up on me every now and then, but I know how to keep in control of it.
The only other advice I can think of is to just wear plastic or rubber gloves (i get latex free ones) when doing anything with a substance your not sure of eg. shampoo, wash liquid, cleaning products.

Hope you find your solution, I thought I was going to go crazy when I had it!

[flight_of_fancy]

I just rely on the hydrocortisone cream my derma gave. whenever I a slight itchiness,i apply the cream. I also pamper myself with moisturizing hand cream, the milder the better.

[Kung Fu Kitty]

try to find a lotion that contains paraffin,it will keep your skin soft even after washing your hands a few times.

[Tina55]

I have had a problem with hand eczema for my whole life. I hate to tell
you this, but you should go to a dermatologist. He really helped me, I
saw him only once, but my hands cleared up. And I keep skin cream
available and I use a ton of hand lotion. Good luck.