Getting to the bottom of a winter skin complaint
 

Hi all,

In my teens I had a sort of eczema thing between my fingers. Tried all sorts and eventually found an intensive moisturiser called Eumo Cream which resolved it (really just kept it at bay until it sort of resolved itself when I was no longer a greasy youth). Since then I have occasionally had something similar, and for the last few years it has been on the back of my hands only coming into autumn or winter. The rest of the time my hands are perfect... not even a hint of it. Since about February I haven't had anything this year, but last week I noticed my hands getting dry (this eczema thing flares up a few days after leaving them like that) and I was working away without this cream. Still thought it might have gone for good this time, but nope, sure enough a couple of days later it started flaring up. Lucky I'm home now and plastering this stuff on to get rid, but I'd like to know what causes it and try to resolve it for good if possible by avoiding the trigger or whatever else I can do.

I work outside, and a couple of ideas I've had have been wearing wet gloves, or just my hands being cold and wet in general, mud getting on my hands and something in it irritating them (obviously not a problem during the dry summer as my hands aren't getting caked in mud) or possibly, as the result of a google search, low humidity. That seems to be a trigger for a lot of people, and it's been colder these last few weeks. Also, despite the colder weather, my hotel room was boiling, so I had the air conditioning on which I presume will lower the humidity in the room.

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to the cause, perhaps from having something similar or the same? Also, would a visit to a specialist perhaps get the bottom of it or is it a very difficult thing to find the cause of and therefore a waste of money?

Any input welcome.

This sort of thing is a (decent) GP's bread and butter with specialist input for those that don't respond to treatment.

I would occasionally experience something similar, and there are a number of things that can trigger it - dust is one of them, washing my hands with soap is another, exposure to oil and grease when working on the cars is another, in colder weather I seem more susceptible to it - GP described it a contact dermatitis, gave me some cream to use, but I found it too greasy and left a trail of fingerprints on everything I touched.

I have found a correlation with not drinking enough water, if I keep the fluids going in, it doesn't bother me, lessen the water intake over a few days and I will see a few small white patches form on the palms of my hands, which will eventually begin to peel.

I use epederm cream on my right hand when mines flares up(really dry skin and itchy), other hand is fine(which I thought was weird..) sometimes its steroid cream that I have to use(under orders) when its bad. when I get a tan(which is rare..) it looks like the pigment is out of my skin. I always try to wear gloves at work and when im doing stuff.

Wash your hands after knocking one out.....it's not flakey skin :lol1:

If it were just the dry skin issue, I'd say give Hemp oil and Hemp cream from Body Shop a go. Saying that, there are reviews on internet that it works on eczema as well. I'm no dermatologist, so I'm NOT saying you should apply that to treat the eczema affected area or anything, and it'll do you wonders. I'm just saying because this Body Shop Hemp cream in Winter has been God-sent to me for my little dry hands.

I have what sounds very similar. Hands are fine through the 'summer' time, but as soon as the colder/winter weather kicks in, my hands go really dry, mainly between my little finger and the one beside it and across my knuckles, on both hands. Not only dry, but red and sore/itchy and it looks like the skin is cracking, but when the redness and soreness ever settles a bit, my skin looks a bit of a funny colour. Putting normal hand cream on stings. Strange thing is, it's only really started in the last couple of years or so, the same time as I've started to tan a bit in the sunnier weather. Could be totally unrelated though.

Scabby net.com :D

^^ lol ^^ at least no one will touch our keyboards.....

This coinage (Scabbynet) came into life a long time ago, but you spotted the opportunity to literally apply it to this thread. Credit to you, ditchy. :thumb: :D