I Hate Eczema. Need Advice

[samthebreadman]

God dammit my hands are itching like crazy and they won't stop! This happens every now and then. I was born with eczema and it affects just my hands. Anyone else suffer with it? Any tips you can provide for when it itches like a motherfucker and you just want relief?

I've tried many oils and mositurizers but I'm still not happy with what I have tried and am looking for suggestions for what works for people who have this same problem.

Thank you!

 

[Panthalassic]

You may want to try getting some allergy tests done if you haven't. My cousin had eczema all her life, until she moved away for school and it cleared up. She broke out again when she went home for school breaks.

Turns out she was allergic to dogs (which she had her whole life) and didn't know.

 

[I Don't Like]

Used to have it bad. Like bleeding arms because I scratched so much bad. Granted that was when I was a kid and couldn't control myself but still.

First thing you need to think about two factors often neglected: diet and alcohol intake. Both can exacerbate it.

Also I never experienced a positive effect from moisturizers. The thick antihistamine creams worked the best.

I essentially grew out of it a few years ago but I can relate. Ultimately it's a combination of changes that will alleviate or eliminate it.

 

[samthebreadman]

You may want to try getting some allergy tests done if you haven't. My cousin had eczema all her life, until she moved away for school and it cleared up. She broke out again when she went home for school breaks.

Turns out she was allergic to dogs (which she had her whole life) and didn't know.

Click to shrink...

Hmm. I never considered doing that. I'd be so sad if I was allergic to my pupper. 🥺

 

[Shoeless]

Have you seen a dermatologist about it? I have a variant of eczema that only gets bad in humid weather/environments, but after getting checked out, I was given a prescription for a topical steroid cream and that usually manages it. If your eczema is bad, off-the-shelf remedies may not cut it, you'd probably benefit from stronger, prescription-level medication.

 

[smurfx]

not sure if what i have is eczema but i usually use a cream i was prescribed called clobetasol to get rid of any irritation i have that makes me itch. i only use it sparingly since its pretty powerful.

 

[DrEvil]

Shea Butter
Coconut oil

try one of those, I had it bad as a teen, and I get it every now and again when the weather swings / gets too dry..

I find those tend to work really well at clearing it up.

 

[cinch]

I don't have eczema but i am prone to contact dermatitis, not sure if it's similar but particularly with hands you can switch to something gentle to wash your hands like Dove Sensitive skin bar (it might feel weird at first using a bar for that), as well as not using hot water to wash them. Fragrance feel lotion, and lotions made for eczema work too (Aveeno and Curel for example make some good ones).

 

[StudioTan]

I get it on my upper lip sometimes and if I don't do anything about it it starts to get really itchy and flaky. What works for me is hydrocortizone cream when it flares up and anything with oatmeal in it for maintaining. I just get lazy about applying creams every day, especially because I like to keep a short stubble beard.

 

[efr]

God dammit my hands are itching like crazy and they won't stop! This happens every now and then. I was born with eczema and it affects just my hands. Anyone else suffer with it? Any tips you can provide for when it itches like a motherfucker and you just want relief?

I've tried many oils and mositurizers but I'm still not happy with what I have tried and am looking for suggestions for what works for people who have this same problem.

Thank you!

Click to shrink...

Use or get a humidifier for where you live

 

[Okabe]

Mine always switches where to pop up every year but at first it only ever remained on my stomach area

Try to keep yourself in a cool enviorment

Put some ice cubes on your hand if you feel the need to scratch

DONT SCRATCH

 

[smurfx]

Mine always switches where to pop up every year but at first it only ever remained on my stomach area

Try to keep yourself in a cool enviorment

Put some ice cubes on your hand if you feel the need to scratch

DONT SCRATCH

Click to shrink...

yeah i no longer scratch because i know its only gonna make things worse. my outbreaks always started with itching on my neck which would then spread all over my body.

 

[Wilsongt]

I used to have it all over my body and the itching drove me crazy. I never found a good way to manage the itch, but anti-histimines did help for a bit. Now I am just on a bi-weekly injection for it.

 

[Deleted member 18025]

I get it during the winter. Sucks, feels sooo good to scratch but you get some nasty marks

 

[Harmony]

Seconding the above. A humidifier definitely helps.
Mine gets particularly bad in the summer/winter over here specifically because I would run the A/C.

Stopped using the heater to sleep and and my skins's cleared up for the most part.

If you're in the middle of a bout, however, what worked for me in the past was taking a cold shower. Then following up with both moisturizer and hydrocortizone. Usually does the trick.

 

[aSniperJones]

I'm just experiencing eczema bad for the first time. It happened out of nowhere. My skin has always been sensitive to prolonged warm weather, i.e. heat rash when exposed to warmth & humidity over multiple days, which I just let is heal on its own. However, for the first time winter has my skin going crazy; I had to get medication.

All this while I take very good care of my skin and I've been eating healthy and clean for years. I'm actually investing to see if it something other than the dry winter, because my eczema was BAD! It may have been the Tide Laundry Pods I was using, because changing detergent had gave me hives before, but I also just moved into a new home...so *shrug* don't know...

 

[Pico]

Definitely check for allergies. I had eczema from elementary school up to college years. Somehow figured out that I am lactose intolerant and then cutting out dairy products just changed my life. Now lactase pills let me do whatever I want.

 

[ohkay]

I get it on my hands in dry weather, and a cortisone cream normally helps

 

[Meatfist]

When it comes to things like Eczema you need to get real scientific and change only one thing at a time - your shampoo/body wash, specific foods such as dairy or alcohol, your sun exposure, skincare routine, etc.

Be thankful it's not psoriasis... you can try different things for years but ultimately the only thing that keeps me a functioning member of society are injectable biologic drugs (aka liquid money, if you don't have insurance you're fucked)

 

[Soapbox Killer]

Hydrocortizone 2.5% + Vegetable Crisco
50/50 mix on the effected area.

 

[ThisIsBlitz21]

Go to Dermatologist if you can afford it.

I've got psoriasis in my hair, and it's gonna there for life. Only thing I can do is minimize it.

 

[Shadow]

I've had seriously bad eczema on my hands when I was younger. I've tried many many lotions and different hands soaps, most made it even worse. I finally found a combo that mostly works just a couple of years ago. Goat soap for washing my hands, Neosporin Eczema essentials after washing hands and right before sleep, and Curel Hydra Therapy after taking a shower. I still get it, but it's completely controllable now.

 

[aSniperJones]

A humidifier definitely helps.
Mine gets particularly bad in the summer/winter over here specifically because I would run the A/C.

Stopped using the heater to sleep and and my skins's cleared up for the most part.

Click to shrink...

Thank you for the advice. I'm going to give this a try because climate and environment are the only factors that I believe have changed since my eczema started.

When it comes to things like Eczema you need to get real scientific and change only one thing at a time - your shampoo/body wash, specific foods such as dairy or alcohol, your sun exposure, skincare routine, etc.

Click to shrink...

Yes, I waited to see a dermatologist until my eczema got VERY bad, as it usually see it clear up on it's own. Unfortunately, by the time I seen the dermatologist so many things had changed in my daily life, it was hard for her to pin-point why is was happening. They prescribed me medicated ointment and it disappear almost immediately.

 

[RestEerie]

i suffered from mild eczema after returning from a trip to Chicago (i'm from singapore). The itchiness runs from both of my legs and thighs where i will scratched them even in my sleep subconsciously and due to that, scratch marks appears. Thankfully, after going for some treatment in the Singapore Skin Center (via specialized issued moisturizer and some cream containing growth hormone), my conditions subsides 99.9% and the itchiness is mostly gone after 2 months.

so my advise is, instead of using self-diagnosis and using off the shelf creams, why not consult a medical professional specialized in this field?

 

[Ether_Snake]

My left hand has it. It comes and goes. Never figured what could be the cause. I know kiwi juice on my fingers seems to make it worst.

 

[SneakyBadger]

I get eczema on my hands too. I use hydrocortisone cream whenever it gets bad.

But the most important thing for me is keeping skin moisturized. I use Cerave lotion multiple times per day and that does the trick.

 

[thenexus6]

My girlfriend has she uses Aveeno creams which she says the best ones she's tried

I think for her, stress, and diet were a factor in how bad it was.

 

[The Curry Witch]

I've had severe problems on my Hands for years.

Have you gone to a dermatologist yet? I've had a cream with cortisone which greatly helped but made my the skin on my hands paper thin. To the point where my hands looked liked I was 80 years old (at 30).

As others have said, diet plays a huge part in this. Other than that, experiment with different lotions and try to find one without cortisone. I've found a good one without it and my hands are finally recovering. It's called "Omida Cardiospermum" but I don't know if they sell that where you live.

Tldr: Go to a dermatologist. Experiment. Try to stay away from cortisone if you can. Embrace your Ghouly Hands Lifestyle.

 

[IDreamOfHime]

My Ezcema has been a mess lately. Got some strong steroids before Xmas that cleared it up for like a month and then it just came back with vengeance.
Waiting to see a dermatologist for a full review since I was a kid the last time they did a full one, but the waiting list is long.

 

[keku]

Steroids cream and prevention are your friends.

I have a filter shower head to help with all the chemicals and lime stone in the water. I have atopic dermatitis and it is very uncomfortable when I get an eczema.

So far the shower filter and a specialized moisturizer has kept things at bay.

 

[amoy]

Oh shit, I know the pain.

When it's just kinda itchy, but scratching doesn't create any wounds/bleeding, I just use Vaseline intensive care cream, now if it's really bad... gotta use a prescription steroid cream.

Ain't no one got time for that staph shit.

 

[Deleted member 2809]

My doctor gave me a cortisone cream for it. Works alright.

 

[Nezumi]

I started suffering from this when I had to regularly wear hygienic gloves at work. Made an allergy test but nothing showed, and the dermatologist concluded that I simply have super sensitive skin that basically reacts to my own sweat. Yay... (I also have to take some pills for other reasons that have skin irritation as a side affect)

My dermatologist provided me with a cream that helps with immediate relief. Takes care of the swelling and inflammation and the itching in a couple of days.
Once the immediate inflammation is taken care of I personally use Exipial to keep it from flamming up too bad. Use the Protect Variety before you do stuff with your hands that might cause a reaction (washing the dishes, handling cooking ingredients etc.) The Repair variety is good for getting your hands back to normal after an outbreak. It's also good for general moisturizing.

 

[Deleted member 2809]

and the dermatologist concluded that I simply have super sensitive skin that basically reacts to my own sweat

Click to shrink...

I'm pretty sure I have this and it is the fucking worst. My legs feel like garbage at the end of the day, especially in summer.

 

[Nezumi]

I'm pretty sure I have this and it is the fucking worst. My legs feel like garbage at the end of the day, especially in summer.

Click to shrink...

You should look into cremes that provide a protective layer when you use them. It feels a bit weird and takes some getting used to (a bit like your skin is permanently powdered) but I found it to be a great help.

 

[Elliott]

I get pretty bad flare ups on my ankles during the dryer months. Can really ravage your skin if your like me and scratch unconsciously.

 

[Wackamole]

Hmm. I never considered doing that. I'd be so sad if I was allergic to my pupper. 🥺

Click to shrink...

That would be tragic. But it IS possible....
Could also be something else.

 

[Unleash the Flutes]

I'd try magnesium oil and see if it helps. Dilute it with a bit of water and apply it on any affected areas (It's gonna sting a bit).

 

[Deleted member 2809]

Hmm. I never considered doing that. I'd be so sad if I was allergic to my pupper. 🥺

Click to shrink...

Fwiw I've had several dogs in my life, I had no problems with them before. My current dog though? His saliva and scratches give me terrible rashes, and his hairs make me sneeze a lot. Kind of sucks.

 

[Deleted member 41520]

I've been living with this for 30 years.

Here's your solution:

You have an allergy or an intolerance. Find out what it is. Stop consuming that food or being in that environment.

Could be dairy, could be gluten, could be wheat, could be eggs, could be nuts, could be pets, etc...

If you get flare-ups only periodically, think carefully about what you ate over the last 24 hours.

• If you ate a certain food substance immediately before the flare up, you may be allergic to that substance
• If you ate a certain food substance up to 24 hours before (e.g. the night before or that morning) then you may have an intolerance to that food substance (intolerances take longer to activate, in your gut)

IMO 90% of skin problems and gut problems stem from intolerances/allergies people have that they don't know about.

 

[Symphony]

Slowly cut out things you use, touch etc from your daily routine for a week or so to see if you've got an allergy causing it (like if you have carpets start wearing socks around the house, replace your soap with a bar of basic "pure soap" etc.). I started devloping bad flareups of it on my right hand a few years ago, found out recently via trial and error that I was actually allergic to something in either shampoo or handwash. Nothing worked on it, all the creams, moisturisers etc would just make it worse.

Worth noting as well that allergies don't have to be something that are always there at the same severity level throughout your life, I was allergic to milk when young (undiagnosed though), then fine with it for 15+ years, then started being super allergic to it again.

 

[Deleted member 9932]

i somehow got a face eczema that does not want to go way (outside of using corticosteroids creams) and in my ....dick! I feel old. Dick eczemas? fuck this shit

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Try find some Jojoba Oil "Jojoba is the closest botanical match to our skin's natural oil. It is able to restore, nourish and maintain healthy skin" my partner uses it on hers and clears up pretty fast.

 

[brochiller]

If you need to moisturize, make sure you're applying it as soon as you get out of the shower. Like do it before even drying off completely if you can. This is advice my dermatologist gave me and it helps.

 

[Ohnonono]

My wife had this all over very badly for a long time. She tried a ton of stuff and eventually used an elimination diet and now doesn't eat eggs or gluten. It took many many years and a good nurse practitioner that had her go get food allergy tests. Now it is barely if ever an issue.