Handle With Care: How to Deal With Hand Eczema

• Posted on: Dec 15 2016
• By: Barry Goldman MD

So, you may not want to follow in Seinfeld’s George Costanza’s footsteps and try your literal hand at hand modeling, but if you suffer from dry, itchy patches on your hands, you may be suffering from hand eczema. Caused primarily by an allergic reaction or irritation due to things such as excessive hand washing, hand soap, or detergents, hand eczema is something that can easily be taken care of by Dr. Barry Goldman.

Treatment Options
If left untreated, chronic hand eczema can cause extreme discomfort which will leave you feeling uncomfortable even after washing your hands and doing everyday activities. To combat the associated discomfort that you may be feeling, you can try the following treatment options:

Wear Heavy Duty Gloves
You don’t have to pull a Michael Jackson and sports gloves all the time, but when you are exposing your hands to things such as water or the extreme cold, then you should wear gloves. For instance, if you are washing dishes, grab a pair of dish gloves to protect your hands from the water. Additionally, when you go outside in the winter, shield your hands from the cold and moisture by wearing some winter gloves.

Wear a Hand Cream
One of the best things that you can do is wear a thick, moisturizing hand cream throughout the day to lock in the moisture. When looking for a hand cream, look for one that contains ingredients like shea butter. As a good tip, try applying it to your hands directly after you wash them.

Steroid Cream
If your eczema doesn’t go away with either a hand cream or by wearing gloves when doing certain activities, contact Dr. Barry Goldman about getting a steroidal hand cream to help combat it.

To learn more about hand eczema or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Barry Goldman, contact our office today!

Image courtesy of Tharakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in: Eczema