Hand Eczema

Eczema is a skin disease that affects people of all ages, but for both genders the common cause is usually genetic. Where does eczema appear? Well, it can be seen almost everywhere on the skin. You can recognize eczema by the following symptoms: dryness of skin, repeated rashes, redness of the skin, skin swelling/edema, itching, crusting, blistering, flaking, oozing, cracking and even bleeding. Besides these, occasionally, temporary skin discoloration might appear due to lesions that have already healed. However, scarring, in eczema is quite a rare consequence. The hand eczema is a very common condition. It affects 10% of women and 4% of men, according to Ronald Vender, MD, FRCCP. Apparently, hand eczema has been reported mainly by people who work as homemakers, bartenders, mechanics, hairdressers, surgeons or dental workers, as well as by parents. What do all these people have in common? The answer is that they work in wet environments; therefore, humidity is a favoring factor for this skin condition.

Approximately 75% of people who experience eczema have the type called contact dermatitis. This can be irritant or allergic and it is difficult to make the difference between them sometimes. Hand eczema differs in severity from one patient to another but it usually begins with mild dryness and a little redness. Initially it manifests on fingers and between them and it can become very itchy and scaly. Like the other types of eczema, in time, hand eczema may also develop cracking, swelling and blisters on the skin of the hand. If it is not treated properly and in due time, it will probably spread to arms and feet.

The most common cause of hand eczema is the repeated wetting and drying of hands. There are three situations that show a possibility to develop hand eczema: if you had atopic eczema in your childhood, if you have a history of hay fever or asthma, and if you have psoriasis. Fortunately there are a few things you can do to ease your hand eczema symptoms and get rid of the condition. Besides the practical advice that any health care provider will give you in such situations there are also some pharmaceutical products from which your doctor will surely select the best. It is good for you to try to avoid washing dishes by hand, but if this is not possible, use loose rubber gloves with a pair of cotton gloves inside to avoid both contact with water and detergents and sweating of the hands caused by the rubber or vinyl gloves worn directly on the hands.

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