Recurring every year, hot and itchy! A woman is so self-conscious that she dares not reach out! These practices are not advisable

Reviewer of this article: Zhou Xiaobo, Doctor of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

"Doctor, I have a lot of small blisters on my fingers, which are really itchy. This year is worse than in previous years. As soon as the old blisters break, new ones pop up." The patient, Ms. Zhu, sat depressed in front of Dr. Yuan Bo, deputy chief physician of the Skin Plastic and Repair Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University Medical College. The palms, sides and fingertips of her hands were covered with blisters the size of millet grains, and there were many peeling spots.

Doctor Yuan said that this is a typical case of dyshidrosis, and it is now at its peak. He has seen it in every outpatient clinic recently, sometimes with five or six patients at a time.

Patients with dyshidrotic eczema seen in Yuan Bo’s outpatient clinic.

Relapse every year, hot and itchy

Ms. Zhu said that when summer came, her dyshidrotic eczema came back again. In addition to her hands, she also had a lot of it on her feet.

Ms. Zhu had dyshidrotic eczema the year before last and last year, but this year it was particularly severe. This year, due to work reasons, she often had to wear rubber gloves for a long time during the day, and her hands sweated a lot. Every time she took off her gloves, it was particularly itchy, and her hands peeled repeatedly, and some places had exposed bright red tender flesh.

She found that the itching was worse after contact with detergents, such as soap, detergent, shampoo, etc. Sometimes, simply washing hands with water seemed to make the itching worse.

"It's so itchy that I can't help scratching it. Scratching will break the skin, which makes it even more itchy and painful. In addition to the itchiness, sometimes I feel my fingers are hot." Miss Zhu said that it is said that "hands are a woman's second face", but now she feels very inferior and doesn't even have the courage to reach out her hands.

A type of eczema characterized by recurring attacks

Dr. Yuan said that dyshidrotic eczema is a recurrent blistering disease that occurs on the palms, sides of fingers, and fingertips. It is a type of eczema. It is characterized by repeated attacks, often for several years, accompanied by varying degrees of itching. The seasonality of dyshidrotic eczema is also very obvious. It usually starts in late spring and early summer and worsens in summer.

The main manifestation of dyshidrosis is needle-tip-sized blisters, which are hemispherical and slightly higher than the skin surface. They appear in groups or in groups, with no obvious redness around them. A single blister usually disappears in about a week, but new blisters continue to form, and the blisters peel off after drying up.

Dr. Yuan said that the cause of dyshidrotic eczema is still unclear. Some patients, like Ms. Zhu, will experience exacerbations after using washing powder, detergent, soap, etc. Emotions such as tension, fatigue, and depression are also the causes of some dyshidrotic eczema.

Patients with dyshidrotic eczema seen in Yuan Bo’s outpatient clinic.

Not contagious

Washing hands less often and applying moisturizer more often can help

"Doctor, is this disease contagious? I have children at home and I'm afraid it will be transmitted to them." In the outpatient clinic, many patients with dyshidrotic eczema are concerned about whether it is contagious.

Dr. Yuan clearly stated that dyshidrotic eczema is an allergic disease that may be related to genetic, environmental, and psychological factors, and is therefore not contagious.

What should patients with dyshidrotic eczema pay attention to in their daily lives?

Dr. Yuan suggests that first of all, you can try to avoid or reduce contact with laundry detergent, soap, dishwashing detergent, etc. to reduce irritation to the skin.

Secondly, for patients with sweaty hands and humid working environment, keeping hands dry is beneficial to the condition. Therefore, the frequency of hand washing can be appropriately reduced to reduce contact with water.

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In addition, for patients with dandruff, they can apply some simple moisturizing cream after washing their hands every time.

If sweat herpes is severe, some patients will wipe the affected area with alcohol and rinse with hot water because of the unbearable itching. Dr. Yuan said that these practices are not advisable, but will aggravate the irritation, and it is recommended to see a dermatologist.

Patients with early-stage dyshidrosis can use calamine lotion or glucocorticoid ointment externally. In the later stage, peeling and dryness can be treated with moisturizing hand cream, vitamin E urea cream, etc. Patients with obvious itching can take oral antihistamines such as loratadine tablets and cetirizine tablets as prescribed by the doctor.

Source: Ningbo Evening News

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