Hand eczema

Hand ecze­ma is an inflamm­a­to­ry con­di­ti­on of the skin of the hands and one of the most com­mon skin dise­a­ses over­all. Becau­se the hands are con­stant­ly in use, it often runs a stub­born cour­se and noti­ce­ab­ly affects ever­y­day life and work.

Cau­ses

Usual­ly seve­ral fac­tors act tog­e­ther: a pre­dis­po­si­ti­on to dry skin or ato­pic der­ma­ti­tis, con­stant irri­ta­ti­on from water, soaps and dis­in­fec­tants, and cont­act all­er­gies to nickel, fra­gran­ces or pre­ser­va­ti­ves. Fun­gal infec­tions and pso­ria­sis can also pre­sent in a simi­lar way on the hands.

Sym­ptoms

Depen­ding on the form the­re is red­ness, blis­te­ring and wee­ping, or dry, sca­ling skin with pain­ful fis­su­res on the fin­ger­tips and backs of the hands. Itching and a fee­ling of tight­ness are typi­cal. In a chro­nic cour­se the hor­ny lay­er thi­c­kens and the skin loses its elasticity.

Tre­at­ment

First the cau­se is cla­ri­fied, if neces­sa­ry with aller­gy test­ing and a fun­gal swab. The basis is con­sis­tent skin pro­tec­tion with emol­li­ent creams and gloves for wet work. Inflamm­a­ti­on is trea­ted spe­ci­fi­cal­ly, and for seve­re, tre­at­ment-resistant forms pho­to­the­ra­py and sys­te­mic medi­ca­ti­on are also available.