What Does Eczema Look Like On Hands – Clare Wightman MS, PAC, Dermatology, Medical Research Medical Review – Kristina Iavarone – Updated April 29, 2022
Hand eczema, also called hand dermatitis, is an inflammatory skin disease. It produces swollen, itchy, scaly, discolored rashes on the hands and fingers. The skin may blister and crack, which can be painful.
What Does Eczema Look Like On Hands
Hand eczema is quite common. It affects about 10% of people in the United States and can develop at any age. It can be acute, lasting only a short time, or chronic, lasting throughout a person’s life.
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Hand eczema is more common in people with a history of atopic eczema and people who are in frequent contact with water and chemicals. This may include, for example, hairdressers, cleaners, cooks and health workers.
Hand eczema is not contagious, that is, it does not pass from person to person. It can interfere with daily activities and can make a person feel self-conscious. Stress and exposure to irritants and external allergens can trigger or worsen it.
Keep reading to learn more about the causes and symptoms of hand eczema and when to see a doctor. We also look at prevention tips and treatment options.
Symptoms can vary from person to person depending on their age, medical history and various life factors. The American Association of Dermatology (AAD) states that dry, cracked skin is often the first symptom that leads to a diagnosis.
Eczema,atopic Dermatitis On The Skin Of The Hand In Blur.Сoncept Of Care,treatment Of Skin Diseases,allergies Stock Image
“Eczema” refers to a group of skin disorders that cause inflamed, itchy and irritated skin. It tends to stem from an overreactive immune system. When something triggers the immune system to overreact, rashes form.
Found that people with eczema may be more prone to developing skin infections such as those that cause warts, athlete’s foot and cold sores. The researchers note that this is due to the body not having enough filaggrin, a protein that maintains the protective skin barrier.
The cause of eczema is unknown. Scientists believe that genetic and environmental factors are involved. Below we explore some of the factors that can trigger or worsen hand eczema.
Requires continuous exposure to water, solvents, detergents, other chemicals, heat, cold or friction, which are more likely to cause hand eczema.
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It is usually more common in healthcare workers, hairdressers, cleaners, construction workers, cooks and people who work in manufacturing, for example.
According to the AAD, frequent hand washing and drying can increase the risk of hand eczema.
Even when a person dries their hands, some water remains on the skin. When it evaporates, it reduces the natural sebum in the skin. Constant washing with hot water can lead to further depletion of these oils and trigger eczema. One should rather opt for lukewarm water.
When a person experiences stress, the body produces two hormones called cortisol and epinephrine. These suppress the immune system and cause skin inflammation.
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Sometimes high levels of stress can cause a person to develop dyshidrotic eczema. It is a common form of eczema that causes itchy blisters on the skin.
Dry air and sudden temperature changes in winter can dehydrate the skin and trigger eczema. This happens, for example, when people move from the cold outside to an area with indoor heating and don’t remove their layers. Air from heaters can further dry the skin.
There is no cure for chronic hand eczema, and the symptoms can be painful and bothersome. Sometimes the rashes take weeks to disappear.
A key initial step is to identify and avoid trigger irritants or allergens. A healthcare professional can perform a patch test to help identify these triggers.
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For children, it is important to help them manage their eczema and keep their skin hydrated all year round.
If eczema symptoms on your hands are difficult to manage, contact your doctor. If the current treatment plan is ineffective, the doctor may recommend other approaches.
Eczema is an inflammatory skin disease that can develop at any age. It can cause itchy blisters, rashes, cracking and inflammation on the hands and elsewhere.
It is not contagious. Although there is no cure, medications and natural remedies can help calm inflammation and treat or prevent infections and flare-ups. A dermatologist or other doctor may recommend a treatment plan.
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Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using third-party links. We link to primary sources—including studies, scientific references, and statistics—within each article, and we also list them in the sources section at the bottom of our articles. Learn more about how we ensure the accuracy and timeliness of our content in our editorial policy. Eczema (dermatitis) is an inflammatory skin disease that can cause unpleasant rashes that can develop unexpectedly. Hand eczema is a fairly common type of eczema that affects your hands, fingers and wrists.
Although it is possible to have eczema on other areas of the body at the same time as eczema on the hands, certain occupations, skin care habits and other factors can lead to the development of this skin rash only on the hands.
Here we discuss how you can tell if dry, scaly, itchy skin on your hands could be an eczema flare-up and what you can do to help treat and prevent it.
Dryness is one possible symptom of hand eczema. However, the symptoms of eczema go beyond dry skin. One way to tell that you’re dealing with more than just dry skin is that you can’t find relief using hand moisturizer alone.
Hand Eczema: Understanding The Types & Treatments
Before attempting to treat hand eczema, it is important to find the underlying cause(s) of your symptoms. Below are three types of eczema that can affect your hands.
In some people, hand eczema may be related to more widespread allergic eczema. In this case, it may be a symptom of atopic dermatitis (AD), which can run in families.
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) suggests that if you have skin rashes along with allergies or asthma, you may have AD.
AD is the most common type of eczema. The AAD estimates that 1 in 10 Americans have the condition. It usually develops before the age of 5, but eczema rashes can come and go throughout life.
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Itching is the most common symptom of AD. Scratching an itch can cause the skin to crack and become discolored. Over time, the skin on the hands can also thicken. In some cases, the symptoms can be severe enough to interfere with your daily activities, sometimes even causing insomnia.
AD is thought to be caused by a leaky skin barrier. It can be genetic or environmental. It can cause your skin to become dry and irritated as water leaks out and irritants build up.
Contact (irritant) dermatitis is a type of eczema that occurs when your skin reacts negatively to contact with a foreign substance. The reaction can occur almost immediately.
Substances that can cause contact dermatitis include fragrances, chemicals, metals, cleaning solutions, and more. Eczema can also develop from wearing latex gloves or if you are sensitive to certain food substances such as citrus.
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According to the AAD, people in certain occupations may be at increased risk of developing hand eczema. These include but are not limited to:
In general, any job that exposes your hands to chemicals or frequent immersion in water (such as frequent hand washing) can increase the risk of hand eczema.
Pompholyx primarily causes blisters on the palms, fingers, or soles of the feet. It can also cause cracked, bleeding skin.
Blisters from this type of eczema can last 3 to 4 weeks, according to the AAD. The National Health Service (NHS) has found that before these blisters develop, you may feel a burning or stinging sensation on your skin.
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Some people may experience occasional flare-ups of dyshidrotic eczema throughout their lives. For others, this type of hand eczema may be a one-off.
According to the NHS, there is no clear cause of pompholyx. However, it is thought that this hand eczema may share some triggers with contact dermatitis. These include:
According to the AAD, one of the first steps in treating hand eczema is to avoid the cause(s) if possible. You can also frequently apply a fragrance- and preservative-free hand moisturizer to help your skin heal. Your doctor can recommend one that will be effective.
If your symptoms are severe, consider seeing a dermatologist to discuss treatment options. The AAAAI outlines some of the treatments you might receive for the various problems that hand eczema can cause.
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For example, if your hands are extremely dry or cracked from eczema, your dermatologist may prescribe a topical steroid cream—a treatment that’s applied directly to the skin—to help reduce any underlying inflammation that might be causing your symptoms.
If your dermatologist thinks allergies or AD may be triggering eczema on your hands, he or she may recommend oral antihistamines—allergy medications taken by mouth—to help prevent inflammation associated with allergic reactions. Some antihistamines can cause drowsiness, so your doctor may recommend taking them at night.
Sometimes severely dry, cracked hands or blisters can lead to a
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