Saw the dermatologist about my hands

Cheekers2010 · August 2011

And, he confirmed that, yes, out of nowhere for the first time in my life I have developed eczema. I think it's so weird. And, not only is it eczema, it's a particularly nasty and creepy variety. It's called dyshidrotic eczema (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyshidrosis). Check out those horrible pictures! Mine is nowhere near that bad and I pray it never gets there. Eeeep!

Gidgetwho · August 2011

My H had this pretty badly on his hands when we got married. We found that hot water aggravated it, so he wore gloves when doing dishes, and he took cooler showers. They also prescribed a steroid ointment and eventually it went away. We haven't seen it in a few years. Try to keep them dry but not too dry, and keep them out of hot water. Good luck with it.

heyitsme · August 2011

I missed your original post, but I have dyshidrotic eczema on my hands that comes and goes. I also get it on my feet sometimes. It is SO annoying and itchy (and yes the pics make it look horrible). The bubbles appear so randomly on me, but it's decreased A LOT since I cut out some foods that I tested positive to allergy-wise. Have you considered allergy testing? Some people find that they develop allergies after major hormonal changes such as pregnancy. It could be food or environmental-related.

I like to use Aveeno's hydrocortisone on mine when they first appear for initial relief. Then the key is just using mild soap and keeping the spots clean, because they're more prone to infection when scratched. I use Dove sensitive.

Cheekers2010 · August 2011

heyitsme:
I missed your original post, but I have dyshidrotic eczema on my hands that comes and goes. I also get it on my feet sometimes. It is SO annoying and itchy (and yes the pics make it look horrible). The bubbles appear so randomly on me, but it's decreased A LOT since I cut out some foods that I tested positive to allergy-wise. Have you considered allergy testing? Some people find that they develop allergies after major hormonal changes such as pregnancy. It could be food or environmental-related.
I like to use Aveeno's hydrocortisone on mine when they first appear for initial relief. Then the key is just using mild soap and keeping the spots clean, because they're more prone to infection when scratched. I use Dove sensitive.

Thanks, ladies! I'm still just kinda horrified that this is happening. I will try your suggestions. I have been extensively allergy tested in the past because I'm allergic to everything under the sun(except foods). I've just never had any skin issues. Maybe I need to go in and be tested again. Sounds like pregnancy may be messed me up a little bit.

--halo-- · August 2011

I've had a flare-up of this about every 5 years since I was a kid. Mine isn't too bad, but it is really itchy and irritating! I get it on the palms of my hands or on my fingers.

I actually have it right now on my pinky and ring finger on my right hand. I have also noticed that hot water really makes it worse.

jillybean800 · August 2011

Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. My husband has terrible eczema on his hands (more like psoriasis) and it is painful for him. Did she give you a steroid cream to use? I hope it clears up soon.

xxbabycakesxx · August 2011

oh my, i hope this goes away soon and doesnt come back!

erind0213 · August 2011

Mine comes and goes. It was not even around when I was pregnant, but it has come back with vengeance since... so frustrating and at times painful.

jigglyjelloo · August 2011

I am a Dec 2010 Momma, but mostly lurk. I have had this all my life, and there have times when it has been very severe. My dermatologist always told me to expect it to get worse once I had kids. It has been flaring, but only on my right hand (my dominate hand). I find that using a corticosteroid really helps minimize the flares and using a very good moisturizer after washing hands makes a difference. I use gloves when I wash bottles and when I use any sort of cleaning product. Also avoiding hot water seems to help (mind you I find that running my hands under nearly scalding hot water will relieve the itching) reduce the flares.

Stress is a big trigger for me as well. When I have a very bad day I pretty much expect a flare up overnight.

I have probably used well over 40 different creams in my life, and have had good success with one for many years, but I can no longer get it since I now live in the US (it was a canadian product ). I have used Doak Oil and Oilatum oil before as a soak and it has really helped with the itching. Doak oil smells really, really bad (it is made from coal) but it works. I haven't had to use them for several years (thankfully) but I could just ask at the pharmacy and they could order them in, since they were not a common item that they stocked.

Good Luck, it can be a very frustrating condition, but with a little vigilance it can be managed.

Cheekers2010 · August 2011

jigglyjelloo:
I am a Dec 2010 Momma, but mostly lurk. I have had this all my life, and there have times when it has been very severe. My dermatologist always told me to expect it to get worse once I had kids. It has been flaring, but only on my right hand (my dominate hand). I find that using a corticosteroid really helps minimize the flares and using a very good moisturizer after washing hands makes a difference. I use gloves when I wash bottles and when I use any sort of cleaning product. Also avoiding hot water seems to help (mind you I find that running my hands under nearly scalding hot water will relieve the itching) reduce the flares.

Stress is a big trigger for me as well. When I have a very bad day I pretty much expect a flare up overnight.

I have probably used well over 40 different creams in my life, and have had good success with one for many years, but I can no longer get it since I now live in the US (it was a canadian product ). I have used Doak Oil and Oilatum oil before as a soak and it has really helped with the itching. Doak oil smells really, really bad (it is made from coal) but it works. I haven't had to use them for several years (thankfully) but I could just ask at the pharmacy and they could order them in, since they were not a common item that they stocked.

Good Luck, it can be a very frustrating condition, but with a little vigilance it can be managed.

Thank you for your experience! I sincerely hope that it doesn't get much worse.

SmilingMrsF · August 2011

Two weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night and the top of my left ring finger started to itch and when I scratched it skin started peeling off. It kept itching and I kept scratching and then it started to burn. I put a bandaid on it and tried to resist the urge to keep scratching. I got on Google at 4am (as any sane person would do, right?) and the kind of eczema you have is the first thing that popped up. I was totally scared and grossed out that I might have hands that look like some of those pictures in a few days- you know since I self-diagnosed myself at 4am.

The strange thing is that I definitely have my hands in hot water a lot since DS was born (washing bottles, toys, etc) and the reason I woke at 4am that morning was because DS had been sleeping face down around that time and I was so nervous that I kept waking up a million times to check on him. The websites I was looking at said hot water and stress were big triggers. I also just found my engagement ring that's been missing for months and had put it on that finger 2 days earlier. The itchy spot wasn't near where my ring sits, but maybe the ring irritated my finger and it's nothing more than that.

I haven't had another flareup since then. I did keep that part of my finger bandaged for a week and now I still see a light pink mark there. If something freaky like that happens again, I'll go in to the dermatologist.

Glad to hear yours does not look like the pictures either. Google is not my friend.

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