Dyshidrotic Eczema HELP

I have eczema on my left pointer finger and sometimes get it across my palm. It can be due to allergies or induced by common household cleaners. I have my hands a lot in alcohol and eyeglass cleaner because I work at lenscrafters. A big culprit for me is the clorox 2. I love that stuff but my hands dont. I take flax seed oil or fish pills. I agree the steroid creams suck. You can also buy some over the counter stuff for the eczema. I can not remember the name of it but I bought it at rite aid. When cleaning at home use gloves. Good luck. I am in the same boat as you

I developed this last summer, mostly on my feet (dyshidrotic eczema, not just regular eczema). I also had no luck with steroid creams and/or the dermatologist. I finally found a web site that was basically a support group of people sharing home remedies. Some sounded crazy, but given that these were other people who could actually relate to how much it itched and hurt, I decided I had nothing to lose. It felt pretty crazy going to the beauty supply store for peroxide and dipping my feet in it, and it hurt like hell as I followed the web site's directions to keep them there for 15 minutes, dab dry, follow up with diaper cream, etc. But I have to say, that is the best relief I have found, and while not gone completely, it is now 90% better. Hopefully you will find some suggestions on the site that work as well for you, as it is miserable, I know. Here is the link:

http://dyshidrosis.110mb.com/

My hands have been a mess for over a year now. It seemed to start when I had some allergy treatments for food and environmental things...I think my remaining allergies got worse. It's all my fingers plus the palms of both hands. They range from a single intensely itchy time a day, which wrecks them because you CAN'T not scratch (rub them on a towel or rough blanket)...then I get blisters that ooze. At it's worst, I had a lot of pain from cracks etc, hard to bend my fingers because they were so swollen, and my hands were a peeling blistered mess. The only thing that helped them was not using anything on them except cetaphil soap and vaseline. I would wear vinyl gloves in the shower to keep shampoo etc off of them and gloves for putting lotion on my body etc. It finally cleared up although it's coming back. I haven't figured out my triggers...I'm thinking hand soaps, dish soaps, etc. I do keep a bowl of water in the fridge (since it's only one finger, you can probably use a cup) and when it gets intensely itchy I dunk my hands in until they are numb.

This sounds like my hands when I was a CNA and constantly washing the oils off my hands. What soaps are you using? Try not to use antibacterial soap- unless you work in a medical setting. It will strip everything off your hands- not good. Also use only products that do not have harmful chemicals in them. This includes cleaning, since gloves will only make your situation worse. Have you heard of Renew lotion? 7x's more effective then Eucerin for dry skin and conditions. They also have a handsoap and body wash so you can double up on the effectiveness. This has worked for many people I know. Let me know if you are not able to get it!

B. Miller
www.livetotalwellness.com/themillers

you are describing my hands. i have had it my whole life. the oozing blisters, that oooze because you cant help but scratch them because the itch is like no itch you ever felt before. water makes it so much worse. if you can keep them dry as much as possible,,,but i know, as a mom, that is impossible,,,every diaper, all the dishes, bathing kids,,,my hands are wet more often than they are dry. i also know stress makes it worse. i so feel for you. i just want to hug you :)

i have had times where each finger is oozing so bad, that i have to wrap each one individually in gauze so that when i sleep, they don't ooze and stick together during the night, because pulling them apart is a nightmare. hurts!!

in all my dr visits, all the creams, all the advise..the best thing i ever found was keeping them dry for 24 hours and using good ol vaseline. they steroids actually used to thin my skin and make it worse. ( the clobex was the worst one for me,,,actually made the cracks bigger and made new ones appear
!!)

you also shouldn't get the steroids on kids,,,especially the strong ones.

Castellani Paint is something that helped me as well. The one I was given was home made, but it was amazing. It is technically for fungus but even though mine was not fungal, i would put on the C.P. then half an hour later, do plain ol vaseline and over night it started to heal. in the morning, the corners of the cracks were visibly closing. still,,,through all that they further from water you can keep them, the faster they will heal.

Another trigger can be handling raw meats. Protect your hands while working with raw meats. Also, if my mother in law handles acidic foods or hand washes dishes, she gets an outbreak. For my son a lot of water (baths) breaks him out because of the dryness. There are only a handful of moisturizers that are OK to use after the water.

First - check your diet - any trigger foods? If you aren't sure, keep a journal. Removing gluten has been known to cure eczema. Also, what have you been using (lotion/creams?) brand? Anything with mineral oil (petroleum) as an ingredient will make eczema worse. Try a natural product. Check out a health food store with knowledgable staff and/or Arbonne sells products online that can help. Also make sure you are taking fish oil.

You don't want to go crazy and do too much at one time - you want to find out the cause. I personally know people with eczema who eat gluten free and don't have outbreaks. If they get even a touch of gluten in their diet, they'll have an outbreak.

I only have experience with my children's eczema, and the only thing we've found to really help is using soap nuts instead of regular detergent on our laundry. I'm sure it is much harder to keep your hands from being exposed to other surface irritants. Most eczema is likely an internal or contact reaction to an irritant. Have you tried an elimination diet? A trigger food should cause a flare within 45 minutes. I hope you get some relief soon.

I feel your pain! I went through several doctors and several treatments.. steroid creams and pills.. nothing helped!
I now use Jordan Essentials oatmeal milk and honey soap, dead sea salts, shea butter and lotion bar. It worked so well that I started selling it to get a discount for myself! Several of my customers have eczema and use the same with great results.
Try this for yourself at www.myjestore.com/martigibson
My contact info is available and I would be happy to discuss your situation and the products that might help with you.

It may sound crazy, but bleach baths with our other regimens were the answer to our ezcema problems. You can google bleach baths and ezcema to see for yourself and the proper amount to use. It also helps to clean out the types of infection that come with ezcema. Good luck!

What works for me personally, is the hydrocortisone cream plus (the plus being aloe, vitamin E). Regardless of whether or not I have a spot (and I haven't had one in years) I put a small amount on like lotion before bed each night. That and that alone is what works for me. That is maintenance. When I was having outbreaks I used a cream called Florasone from the health food store. It is non-steroidal and worked wonders for my hands! My triggers are chemicals so I am also very diligent in my use of rubber gloves for cleaning. I also keep a box of vinyl (latex is also a huge irritant) gloves in my bathroom so that I don't have to touch hair product, alcohol, etc. Unfortunately, I have found that once you start experiencing this type of eczema, you always have to be aware of your triggers and be proactive in preventing flare-ups. Good luck :)