Contact Eczema

Loratadine Allergy Tablets 

Epaderm Emollient Cream

Epaderm Emollient Ointment

Around April I noticed little red, super itchy, what appeared to be blisters forming on the inside of my middle finger. I assumed it was bug bites and ignored it. Eventually, the itching became so bad and the blisters were spreading to my index finger so I decided to visit a doctor. 

The doctor informed me that I had dermatitis due to emotional stress (I assume my exams) and my problem would clear up on it's own in two to four weeks. Four months later, it had spread down my palm, all over my index finger and my middle finger and was making it's way to the front of my hand. It was also so bad that I now couldn't bend my finger and it was beyond tender to touch. It was constantly itchy, everything hurt it, it really looked like a terrible affliction. 

I went back to the doctor and this time booked an appointment with my GP who couldn't see me until a week later. In this time, I started doing some internet research to see if I could get rid of the layers upon layers of excess dry, flaky, weeping, cracked (i'll stop here, but the list of symptoms is pretty long) skin that caused my fingers to stand straight, unbendable and in constant agony. I was totally devastated by the answers from the internet that I found. The eczema I thought I had, dyshydrotic eczema, which is characterised by small fluid filled vesicles and is beyond itchy (which I definitely suffered with) is apparently one of the hardest types of eczema to treat. This is because it gets worse in hot weather (which it was), there's no direct cause and it could be due to anything from a nickel allergy to stress. Also, because it had little fluid filled vesicles and weeps a lot, products targeted towards the more common 'gets worse in the winter, is dry, flaky and itchy skin' eczema wouldn't be of any use to me. 

However, I persevered and the several sources from the internet suggested that I forgo touching soap or any type of chemically, detergent type product at all with the affected area. I should use gloves when washing my hair, face, cleaning, doing pretty much anything that would involve getting anything that could be considered remotely irritable to my skin with gloves on. You get the idea. I also found out about emollients. These are massively moisturising ointments or creams that get between the barriers of the skin and really help to get some moisture in there and stop water loss from happening, keeping the skin nice and supple and non-flaky as possible. 

I followed the above instructions to a T. I wore gloves a latex glove doing anything that could irritate my skin and it turns out that the emollient I bought could also be used as a skin cleanser so instead of never washing my hands, I just used a little bit of the ointment. The ointment texture looks very similar to hair wax and isn't creamy or loose at all so a simple swipe with a clean finger was enough to wash my hands. For the first couple of days, every two hours I would give myself a 'hand bath'. This is when I filled the sink with lukewarm water and just sat for 15 minutes with my hand soaking. I'd then take the emollient ointment and slather my two fingers in it and eventually, my skin was just coming off my finger. It was magical to say the least. By the time my doctor's appointment rolled around on September 1st, there was nothing left to show him. 

I went to visit him anyway and explained my issue, what the first doctor said, how bad it was, that i'd done research and what i'd done since and he explained to me that because i'd stopped using soap etc on my hand that I was actually suffering from contact eczema. This is usually found in people who work with cement, photography etc and i'm a student who pretty much just uses beauty products, soaps and pens. He put it down to me being (basically) allergic to whatever I was touching and I should just continue what I was doing. I thought it was actually going to be really inconvenient but it's not. Not using the soap and things like that on my hand has really made all the difference. I even switched all my products to more organic products (all from LUSH - it's not all bad!) and my skin and scalp feel much better for it. My doctor also prescribed me some allergy tablets full of wonderful anti-histamines to keep the itching at bay, specifically containing Loratadine and a 1% Hydrocortisone ointment to help with the skin. 

I decided to just keep using my emollient ointment as a hand wash, using my gloves, giving myself an occasional hand bath and popping one allergy tablet a day and my skin feels great. Never take advantage of being able to bend any of your fingers! The brand who makes the emollient ointment also use an emollient cream which sort of smells like TCP and feels like a regular, little bit more greasy, moisturizer. The cream aids moisturization in less severe cases, which I consider mine to be right now. So, until it flares up really badly again, or it looks like it will be heading that way, I won't be using the emollient ointment to slather my fingers in, or using the Hydrocortisone ointment as prolonged use has a bunch of side affects I don't think are worth the risk right now.

I thought i'd write this post to help someone else who are, or think they are, suffering from contact eczema (or dyshydrotic eczema) because I would have loved information so detailed and in one place when I was looking. If you have any questions at all, please leave them in the comments below and i'd love to get back to you. If you also have any tips about any amazing products or routines that worked for you, please, please, please, leave those for anyone else in need.

*Squeamish alert! If you don't want to see my eczema looking eczema-y, don't scroll down to the bottom pictures*

Love, 

Eloise

One week later

3 days after no soap treatment