Did Cortaid and Nail Polish Cure My Dermatitis?

I went to the doctor for a routine check up and showed him my ring finger. My wedding band was off because the area was red, itchy and scaly. This has been going on for about a year now but I never sought treatment. I think it's due to my fingers swelling and the ring getting too tight. Then the skin gets irritated. My doctor told me it was dermatitis and to get 1% Hydrocortisone.

He also gave me a tip which I haven't found super effective but if your fingers don't swell as much as mine then you might have a chance. The tip: put a coat of clear nail polish on the underside of your ring.

Itchy, dry skin is more common in winter months I've been told because these symptoms can be caused by low humidity. We use humidifiers to help with this problem but my fingers may swell just by the heat of working out. These symptoms can be caused by the aging process or genetics.

What is dermatitis?

I can tell you what it isn't. Dermatitis is not eczema. Dermatitis is a rash that can have a number of causes. So the definition of dermatitis is skin that's inflamed!

So I decided on Cortaid Maximum Strength Cream for no particular reason except that the active ingredient is 1% hydrocortisone whose purpose is to stop itching. The inactive ingredients are aloe Vera gel, benzyl alcohol, ceteareth 20, cetearyl alcohol, glycerin, isopropyl myristate, isostearyl neopentanoate, methylparaben, mixed fatty acid esters, polyoxyl 40 stearate, and purified water. I paid about $4.00 for a ½-ounce tube.

How did it work?

In the car I put this white, slightly medicinal smelling, quick absorbing cream on my finger. When I got home I put clear nail polish on my ring. After a couple of days the flaky, scaly skin was gone though there was still some redness. I put my ring back on and continued putting the Cortaid under my ring and around it. Then I went to Florida. Above you read that these symptoms happen when it's less humid; however, it is very humid in Florida as I write this. So humid my fingers are swollen. I took off my ring and sure enough though not as bad as previously there was a little bit of flaky skin and the area was red.

Cortaid hasn't been a miracle cure for me. I will have to talk with my dermatologist about this problem. I will continue to use Cortaid because it seemed to help but it didn't cure my problem.