Information On Managing Hand Eczema Symptoms
Hand eczema is a frustrating condition because it is often painful, which makes it difficult to do things with your hands. Plus, your hands can be covered with red splotches, scales, blisters, and bleeding areas that cause you embarrassment since your hands are so visible. Hand eczema can be challenging to treat when you have a bad flare, but here are some things that might help.
Learn What Makes Your Symptoms Worse
Each person is different, so there is no set list of things to avoid when you have hand eczema. Instead, you need to learn what makes your symptoms worse. You might have a sensitivity to latex and develop symptoms after wearing plastic gloves. Water, detergent, hand creams, or even handling certain foods could trigger a flare up for you. Once you track your symptoms and discover what makes your eczema worse, you can avoid the things that trigger you as best as possible.
Protect Your Hands
You may feel like everything bothers your hands, so it may help to protect them against possible irritants by wearing gloves as much as possible. Always wear cotton gloves against your skin as a barrier against plastic or rubber gloves, and buy non-latex gloves for cleaning as an added precaution. Wearing gloves protects your skin from irritants and keeps your hands dry since water can often cause further irritation.
Apply Creams And Medication
Your doctor can help you choose the right type of medical treatments for your hands since what works for someone else may not work for you. Generally, you should avoid moisturizers and creams that have a high water content and choose more oily creams. Your doctor might recommend using coal tar soap or covering your hands in petroleum jelly and then wearing gloves to hold the moisture against your skin. Always apply the moisturizer that works for you every time you wash your hands or get your hands wet so you can minimize the drying effect of water on your skin.
Your doctor may also prescribe steroid cream for your hands. Steroids help reduce inflammation and itching. Medications are prescribed for hand eczema as needed to control infection, inflammation, dryness, and itching. While there isn't a specific drug that cures eczema, there are medications your doctor can use to manage the symptoms so you have more control over your condition.
Prevent Future Flares
Eczema can come and go over the years. You may have mild flares sometimes or they can be extreme. Once you have a diagnosis of hand eczema, you'll want to take special care of your hands even when you're not having symptoms. Preventative measures such as using moisturizers and avoiding triggers might reduce the risk of another bad flare up in the future. However, hand eczema is difficult to predict and treatments that once worked may not work in the future and you may develop new triggers. Always stay alert to new symptoms so you can begin treatments to manage your condition.
If you still have more questions, it's always a good idea to seek out more information. You might visit sites that deal in hand eczema information in order to learn more about yours or a loved one's condition.