Hand Eczema: Three Products That Worked for Me

About two years ago I started getting small bumps all over the insides of my middle fingers. At first they were hardly noticeable. After a few months, they appeared to be small blisters, and began to itch extremely and create a lot of discomfort, especially at night.

After about six or seven months, the bumps spread to other fingers and the top of my right palm. It was terrible. My hands were red, blistered, dry and cracked, and painful. I didn't know what it was at the time and I couldn't find relief for it; with no health insurance I was unable to go to the doctor.

A year after this started I finally found out I had Pompholyx, or hand eczema. I decided to manage the symptoms myself (I recommend you see a physician before making this decision), and came up with a lot of good ways to prevent outbreaks of the condition (for more information about how to manage Pompholyx or hand eczema see the link listed under resources).

Since I have already written an article about several ways to manage the condition, I have decided to focus this article on a few specific products that I have found to be especially helpful for me.

Product 1: Vinyl Gloves

In my other article I spoke about using cotton and nitrile gloves, and I still recommend them. However, recently I decided to try Vinyl gloves because they were less expensive and there are more pairs in each box. A box of forty Nitrile gloves cost $4.99. I purchased a box of fifty generic Walgreens brand gloves for $4.50 (you can find them in the diabetic supply section by the pharmacy).

I like these gloves because they are light weight, and latex free. Because they aren't so heavy and tight fitting, my hands do not sweat as much as they did in the nitrile gloves. I can often wear the Vinyl gloves without cotton ones underneath and have no problems.

Product 2: Plain antibacterial soap

I tried lots of all natural soaps. They helped, but cost so much money and are only available at certain places. Two months ago I decided to buy three dispensers of just plain, no fragrance or anything else added, antibacterial soap. I placed a dispenser at each sink in my home.

The soap does not cause any irritation to my hands. Still, I only use a small amount when I wash, and I try not too wash my hands too often. I was worried that I would experience an increase in outbreaks if I stopped using the all natural soap, but instead they decreased.

Product 3: Lubriderm Intense Skin Repair Body Lotion with Itch Relief

This is my favorite moisturizer now. I used to apply moisturizer and itch cream throughout the day. Now I only have to use a small amount of this moisturizer regularly and I am set. I also love it, because it's a great lotion, not incredibly expensive, and I always get coupons for it in my Sunday paper.

I would have to say out of all the lotions I've tried, including all natural lotions, this one is by far the best one. And, it doesn't make my hands feel greasy.

Of course these products are useless if you don't use them properly and consistently. You must educate yourself on the right way to manage Pompholyx or hand eczema. And remember, this worked for me, but may not work for everyone. We're all different and will respond uniquely to different treatments. But I can honestly say that, for me, In just the last two months of using these three products, I haven't had any outbreaks. I look at my hands and don't see any bumps, or cracking. My hands look and feel like they are actually starting to heal.