Posted 10/22/2017 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
I had been suffering with dermatitis on my hands for a few years. I do not have health insurance so by researching the symptoms of my condition online I was able to figure out what this painful condition on my hands was. By trial and error this is what worked for me:
1. I am in the kitchen a lot. Whether it be cooking or doing the dishes, my hands were constantly being exposed to water and dish soap. So I got a pair of latex-free dish gloves (the latex ones seemed to irritate the condition further) to wash dishes with. I also got a box of latex and powder free disposable gloves I leave on the counter (the vinyl ones work great for me). This allows me to work with meat and other food items without constantly having to wash my hands in between. To me this was key, cutting down on the hand washing and keeping the skin from irritating chemicals. I also will use the disposable gloves to put in my hair products, or any other chemicals I may come into contact with.
2. My dermatitis is all around my fingers. I found that covering the fingers thickly in Neosporin (the creamy gel used for cuts and scrapes) and then wrapping each affected area in a giant band aid that covers said effected area before I go to sleep. Just having the coverings on overnight I found it heals the skin a lot. Wrap your hands every night, religiously, until the skin is healed. This one is the most important steps. If you can get the condition to a point where the skin is no longer open you've won half the battle. As it heals the skin will begin drying out and become itchy. It is imperative that you DON'T scratch it. This will restart the cycle of opening the skin and creating once again those painful fluid filled postules. Which brings me to step three.
3. I keep a tube of hydrocortisone around. I actually use to bathe in the stuff applying it every few minutes before I found the gloves and wrapping. I don't like the idea of my skin absorbing steroids into it on a constant basis. But since finding the gloves and wrapping while the skin was healing and itchy I started using it sparingly as I have found nothing better to combat the itching. This is a last resort. Try to not apply the cream at all ,and if you do, only when you are feeling desperate for relief.
* Note: I understand some people will have the condition in other areas other than on the fingers. For them I suggest getting gauze pads and securing them on the effected area ( also coating the area thickly with neosporin beforehand) with medical tape and again having these bandages on overnight while you sleep. . I would also note not to lapse on any of these behaviors just because the skin is starting to heal, and your seeing results. There's no quickly washing a few dishes in the sink with bare hands, or cooking a meal without using the disposable gloves. Keeping on top of the condition at all times is key. Because I'm about 90% healed I no longer wrap my fingers every night. But have gone to just a few times a week. And I fine this works well for me. I'd only attempt this though once the condition is almost healed. I hope this helps some of you, good luck.