I Think I Have Eczema

[Frasbee]

I used to periodically get these little thick patches of skin on and around my fingers. Sometimes they'd turn into tiny little blisters under the thick layer of skin, not close to the surface.

For the past week, I've had a comparatively bad case, with more blisters spread over a wider area. They're not healing very quickly like a normal blister would, so I'm a little worried. It was just on my hands, but now I found a patch on my right foot.

Everything I've read suggests that it is eczema.

I've had this for years before, usually in the winter time when it's cold and dry. It would pop up on my hands and last about a week, then disappear. This just seems to keep getting worse.

Don't even talk to me about seeing a doctor, I have no health insurance, and going to a free clinic around here could take a whole day.

I'm gonna try some benadryl cream or hydrocortisone and see what happens. I've been trying to avoid intense heat, but this is New Orleans...

[misombra]

take some vitamin c. your immunity is low or something.

i get skin eruptions too and i take vitamin c and it starts working right away.

you may or may not get the same effect. that's just what i do.

[IndiReloaded]

That sucks. I know ppl who have it & it can be bad. Ask Vash, or RSK if he's around (PM him?) for more info.

Here's some reputable online info meantime, Fras:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eczema.html

[Lozenger]

I get eczema sometimes due to my hayfever. I just put on E45 moisturiser and that hydro -cream you mentioned.

[vashti]

My kid has eczema pretty bad. His knuckles sometimes crack open when he plays basketball in the winter because they get so dry. There is a probem with your skin's lipid layer, and it won't hold water. Outbreaks can be triggered by allergies or dry weather.

I suggest you keep your hands well-moisturized. This is a preventative measure. You need a heavy cream moisturizers followed up with something that has petroleum jelly in it to act as a barrier against water loss. You can also try putting cotton gloves over the creams while you sleep. You will need to carry high-quality hand creams so you can re-apply frequenty throughout the day. Do this even when you aren't having an outbreak - prevention is key.

If you are itchy to the point that you can't sleep, you can take a dose of Benedryl, but that is mostly for its sedative effects - not so much for itch relief.

The hydrocortizone may help, but you shouldn't overuse it. It can thin your skin if you use it too much. This may not seem like a big deal when you are in your 20s, but it will suck BIG time when you are older.

If you can't keep it under control this way, you wi have to see a physician for some prescription medications.

[Illusional]

why don't you see a dermatologist for a professional opinion??

raverboy

[Frasbee]

It's not getting any better. It's steadily spreading.

I hope I don't become one of those horrific cases you see in the pictures.

[Frasbee]

As I was doing some research by Indie's link, I came across "Pompholyx".

It's more specific in that it's these small blisters that appear on the hands and feet. This is definitely more accurate to what I have than just "eczema" or "dermatitis".

F*ck.

[misombra]

what did you try?

[Gigabitch]

My brother's hands used to be all ****ed up. He was cooking at a restaurant, and some kind of oil was really messing him up. Maybe sesame. I'll ask him what kind it was, Fras, but what you've described sounds a lot like what he used to endure.

He stopped doing that job, and it never happened to him again.

[Frasbee]

From what I read, it could be anything.

It could be too much sunlight, extreme heat/sweating, extreme cold/dryness, it could be a food allergen, it could be physical contact with something, it could a pollen I'm inhaling.

All I can do right now is treat the symptoms. It spread to center of my palm. Though, I've had it there before as a single blister, now theres a couple lined up. They're not too visible, so it's nothing like you may see on the internet.

I just try to avoid scratching and extremely hot water. I might get some aloe with menthol or something.

Otherwise, I have yet to try any medicines.

[vashti]

You may have to go to a clinic or something to get a definitive diagnosis.

Does it hurt? Or just itchy?

[Frasbee]

It's just itchy...if at all.

I've had worse.

I got chicken pox for a second time while I was in middle school.

I got a horrible case of poison ivy after it was exposed to a cut of mine and got into my blood stream and spread to every inch of my body. Yes, even my penis.

I've had a case of the hives in response to the amoxicillan I was taking for an ear infection during summer camp, which meant intense heat and humidity and an entire body of itchy patches.

This?

This is nothing.

But the idea of it being a chronic condition considering this isn't the first time I've had it, is the only thing that worries me.

[vashti]

These conditions while chronic, tend to be seasonal, if it makes you feel any better.

[lilwing]

You've built up enough curiosity to see the doctor about it. I don't know why you're hesitating when you have enough money to pay off your college loans in an instant.

If it makes you feel any better, lots of people have chronic skin conditions. Me, I have folliculitis and a chronic fungal infection.