Sorry, but it is kinda a long post.
So I have eczema on my hands and it drives me crazy. So far luckily it has only stayed on my hands and spreads no where else. My right hand has it worse than my left hand. I can't touch any soap without it flaring up and it is really aggravating. I can not take a shower with out having help from someone because if I don't then the eczema just flares up, I can't wash the dishes without wearing gloves(and sometimes even that doesn't always help), I can't wash my hands with soap after using the bathroom or that will aggravate it(although I still wash them anyway with soap after), and if I need to wash my hands after they get dirty it will flare up again. I feel like if it is impossible to avoid it from flaring up sense it is on my hands. How am I supposed to keep my hands from being germ free when I can't even use soap on them?
Yesterday I washed one of my dogs because she had fleas and I used gain dish washing soap. It was only for like ten fifteen minutes and two hours my hands were red and puffy from the eczema they were stinging and it wouldn't go away. I cleaned her ears and put a little vinegar in them to clean them with and forgot about my hands and my hands felt like they were on fire. It is so annoying!
After I did that I decided to soak my hands in some cold peppermint tea. That helped when they were in the liquid, but once I took them out they went back to stingingso I went to bed with stinging hands.
I have gone to the doctor when it first appeared and the doctor gave me some cream stuff. It works somewhat by controlling the flare ups, but I just wish I could get the darn stuff to go away! I plan on going to a dermatologist soon. If the stuff he gives me doesn't work then I want to do some type of homeopathic remedies.
I honestly don't know how I even got eczema in the first place. I just started to get eczema not last year but year before that in October when I moved to Puerto Rico to live with my fiance. Before I moved here I lived in Arizona. In Arizona I never had eczema I didn't even show signs of it. I don't know if the climate here made it show up or what. Before I lived in Arizona I lived in New York and in New York I never had eczema either. I read somewhere that if someone in your family has or had eczema then it can carry in the family and you can get it then. I am pretty sure my grandpa use to have it so maybe I carry it?
Does anybody have the same problem?
Hi uglyduckling! I know this post is very old, but I'm sure that eczema still haunts you.
First of all -- I hope you faired well from the recent hurricanes. Everyone has been worried about you.
I've had eczema outbreaks for years, but have had it pretty easy compared to a lot of people. My mother had it terrible when I was a child and like you was unable to do dishes, etc.
I find that my biggest trigger is heat. It isn't the dish soap that gets me it's the hot water, so I use warm water and a quick hot water rinse. I don't take hot baths or showers either. I also find that oily residue of most types seems to cause me to break out.
I know somebody had mentioned anti-histamines. They can be very beneficial. One of the most commonly used is Benadryl, but it can make you a bit drowsy. There is also Ceterizine, very much like Benadryl without the drowsiness. Both are available over the counter. Cortisone creams help. I have prescription betamethasone lotion that helps a lot too.
