I have not had a diagnosis from a DR. but I have a couple scaly, flaky patches that I get on my face. It bothered me and one day I thought to myself, it looks like dandruff, so i started putting a little dandruff shampoo on the patches, let it sit for a minutes or so, then continued to wash my face. In a week or so, the patches were gone. So now about once a week, I do the dandruff shampoo treatment on the places the spots were, and it keeps it away. If I slack off, the spots come back. Have you seen a Dermatologist? I would guess there are meds for real eczema. Good luck to you. Dottie

I've got it on my fingers and the inside of my legs. Itching gets bad sometimes. Dr. prescribed cream called "Vanos'., it dries it up, but doesn't get rid of it. I've had it on and off since I was a baby, for 65 years now! Don't want to wear shorts now, patches of it on my legs look awful. Good luck on finding something that helps.

My son was recently diagnosed w/a small patch on his back.His Dr prescribed a cream called Clotrim/Beta Lot.It seems to help it,when we remember to put it on him.It wasnt expensive at all,which is always a plus.

Shelley

My daughter had it as a baby and the best lotion I found for it was Eucerin Cream. If its really inflammed and red, you may need a cortisone cream to get it under control. It is related to allergies, so if you can figure out what you are allergic to, you might be able to get it under control.

I had a quite severe case on my hands (few other spots elsewhere, also). Went to the dermatologist, got a prescription and it has all but gone away.

Avoiding too much water as others suggested was instrumental in clearing it up, as was my Rx. I also discovered an over the counter cream called Aquaphor, and that WORKED WONDERS! I put it on at night and wear cotton gloves to bed. Used to have to ask for Aquaphor at the pharmacy counter, but I think it's actually on the shelf nowadays...if not, just ask a pharmacist and they'll get it for you (no Rx needed).

Best wishes it getting it under control!

Aquaphor!!!!!It is made by the same company as Eucerin cream noted above. I have sebhorreic dermatitis, and I get dry scaly skin on my chin...actually looks like a snow beard! and between my eyebrows, and in the fold on either side of my nose.

A friend told me to use Aquaphor. It looks like vaseline, but it is a miracle!!! I slather it on my face at night because it is too heavy (IMO)to use as under foundation makeup moisturizer. The flaky skin is gone. When I get a little lazy about putting it on each night, and the flakes come back, I'm right back on top of it with the Aquaphor.

I was going to suggest the AquaPhor too! Don't have eczema but DGD Maddie has always had dry dry skin and she will scratch in the winter time. Doc said AquaPhor. Her Mother told her Dad to get some for when she comes to stay with him. He thought she said it was Aqua4...Jenni told me the correct name for it. It worked miracles on our little girl!

I have a little on my face and the dermatologist told me to moisturize it a couple of times a day. They gave me some samples of Elidel or something like that, read the side effects no way will I use that. I have a red itchy spots on my head also that I use clobetasol lotion on, which is really a liquid not a lotion.

I have patches on both my knees. I had some prescription steroid cream that helped. It seems worse in summer, I think sweat makes it worse.

I have a bad case of it on my right palm. It is just starting on my left palm. It has started spreading on my right hand and now includes the knuckle and outside length of my index finger. Before that, for years, the skin near my knuckles would just crack open and bleed. It took me several years to finally break down and see a doctor about it. He diagnosed it as eczema and told me that there really is no cure for it, but there is treatment. He also said that stress aggravates it and that it can be hereditary (I have since found out that two of my brothers also have it). He gave me two prescriptions for it: Fluocinonide and Triamcinolone Acetonide, both cortisone based ointments. The first one is to be used when the outbreak is more serious. I bought cotton gloves and cut the fingers off, leaving about an inch on. When my eczema acts up, I rub the ointment on, being careful to spread it only using my palms, as the doctor told me that if I use my fingers it would make them peel unless I washed the ointment off, which is a bit difficult to do without getting water on the rest of my hands. I also cannot use the ointment for more than a few days at a time, because this actually breaks down the skin and might make me bleed (hasn't happened yet). After the ointment, then I put down a layer of either Aquaphor or Eucerin, then I put on the gloves. This is usually done only at night, but if the outbreak is bad enough, I have a nicer pair of fingerless gloves that I will wear to work (boss teases me and either calls me Bob Cratchett, or suggests that we can turn up the heat, even when it is 80 degrees). After a few days of the "treatment", the excess skin softens and actually peels away from my hand, with a little help from me.

An aside about the creams you use. The doctor told me that you want to avoid anything with alcohol in it. Even the Eucerin has several formulas. As much as I hate the feeling, the "greasier", the better. Pretty much - petrolatum is what you are looking for. It's not medicine in a cream that you're really looking for, just a moisture barrier. Something to hold your natural oils in and everything else out.

I also purchased a contoured (not a rectangular block) pumice sponge that has the right curves and angles to use on my palm. A couple of times a week (every day is too much, trust me) while I'm in the shower, I put soap on it (important not to use just water) and whirl it in my palm a few times. This gets rid of some of the excess skin and leaves my palm smooth so the skin doesn't catch on my clothing or anything else.

I still really detest those greasy ointments, so when it isn't bad, I use Eucerin Calming Cream. It has oatmeal in in and gives me moisture without the greasy feeling, but even better, it calms the itching and keeps me from scratching. Aveeno also makes a good calming cream. Others do too, but I have only tried those two.

I'm sorry this has been so long, but I wish someone had shared their experiences with me when I was trying to find out what was going on with my hands. Maybe none of this will work for you, but then again, maybe some of this will help. Good luck.

I come from an allergic family. My mother tells of bringing me home from the hospital with eczema covering me from the residual soaps in the hospital linens. My older sister and I had awful eczema growing up. I can remember my mother binding my arms at the elbow with cloth bandages made from torn sheets and tying them on tightly at bedtime so that I would not scratch in my sleep. Otherwise, I would awaken in the morning with the bedsheets healed into the wounds and have to tear the sheets off my arms.

We tried everything. I can remember when it got bad soaking with washcloths saturated with a boric acid solution, which helped. Certain foods brought it on and made it worse, so we avoided citrus, eggs, and tomatoes especially. Detergents and soaps could make it bad too and laundry had to be carefully rinsed. Bath soap, shampoo, deoderants could bring it on or make it worse, so Mom bought olive oil pure castille soap and made shampoo from it or cut it into bars for our baths.

Cortisone creams helped the best in later years. These days I rarely have an outbreak.

My grandson has it and the Aquaphor that DD uses for diaper rash is great on his skin too. Someone here mentioned almond oil, and she used it on his skin too after a bath to keep his skin moist. The doctor said not to bathe him every day. So she does so every 2nd or 3rd day, and often uses no soap, just the bath water.

Several people online also mentioned putting some Clorox bleach in the bath water but I have not tried it. Many said their doctors had recommended bleach in the bath water.

I have a red itchy spots on my head also that I use clobetasol lotion on, which is really a liquid not a lotion.

Starrgazzer - be very careful with the Globetasol. It may be okay to use on your scalp, but I wouldn't use it elsewhere. I don't have eczema, but I do have another skin disease which improves with steroids. I used the Globetasol cream on my hand and now even if the skin disease went away I'd be left with wrinkley thin skin that looks like it belongs to an 90 year old. Not pretty.

Lydia, I have to use the ointment for female use or I am very uncomfortable, tender and raw. I have to use it on my scalp because the problem will escalate into running sores, so I have been told. I know if I scratch they will, but I don't scratch.

I have eczema on the back of one hand, mostly on my knuckles. My dermatologist prescribes Clobetasol ointment for my outbreaks. I use Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser to wash my hands and Cetaphil cream or lotion to moisturize them. When I had my arm in a brace for 4 weeks recently, I didn't have much eczema because my hand only got wet when I showered.

Washing dishes can do a number on hands with eczema. My mom had ezxema only under her wedding ring from detergents and soaps lingering there.

Wow! Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me. I've never been sick or really had any skin problems except acne( and I still breakout). So this is really frustrating.
I get one or two bumps on my fingers occasionally and they drive me nuts but my feet are driving me MAD.
Reading all of your responses has made me realize a few of the triggers and something that helped although it was water it was clorinated pool water. Our last house had a pool and I was in it every day. Feet weren't bad. Now we are in a rental and no pool, feet are a mess. I also realized that they are better in winter and although I wear sandals almost all year, I wear boots and socks in the winter and to ride my motorcyle.
Thanks again for all of your help.
Marion

Not sure if it's eczema or not, but the past 6 weeks my feet have been terrible, with serum filled blisters, severe itching, cracking between my toes leading to bleeding. The itching was so bad I nearly tore my skin to pieces, even knowing I shouldn't be doing any scratching, got really bad at night.

I've had skin problems all my life, but this foot thing was the worst yet. I could barely wear a pair of crocs, nothing else would go on my feet as they were swollen besides. Tried flip flops, OMG, hurt too much to even walk a step. Wanted to keep feet open to air as much as possible and went barefoot at home all the time.

I tried everything, wound up soaking my feet in in epsom salts for a few minutes to soak off any scabs and loose, flaky skin. Dried very carefully, then using a cotton ball and a 1/2 apple cider vinegar/1/2 water solution dabbed it all over my feet and let them air dry.

Finally followed up with an antifungal cream (clotrimazole) that I bought at Wal Mart, Equate brand.

Did this in the evening before bedtime. For the severe itching I also used Lanacaine cream or Gold Bond Powder.
Finally this mess is nearly healed, just a few tiny area that still have a small scab.

Apologize for this being so long.:)

I don't, but my 39 yr old son has the worst case I've ever seen on his hands and fingers.

As long as he is on steroids it is gone, but 3-4 days after stopping the pills it comes back with a vengeance. The palms of his hands and his fingers look like they're decaying. He get bumps that fill with serum, they burts and the skin starts peeling and splitting. Then the oozing and bleeding starts.

This started last November when he had to wear gloves while prepping food at a restaurant. It doesn't affect the backs of his hands, just the palms and fingers. He's found soaking his hands in a bleach/water solution helps a little,
but it certainly isn't a cure.

I will pass this suggestions on to him. Maybe his doctor will agree that some of these creams/ointments might be worth a try.

Donna you may have had ringworm of the toe, my son had that one time and I caught it when only one toe was involved. I think it was fungicide that I used. Tinactin or something like that.

Monablair...could your son be allergic to latex? Gloves he uses at work probably have latex in them. It sounds like an allergic reaction.
I have psoriasis and nothing really has helped me much. It is so bad on my head. Very embarrassing to me. I don't have dandruff...Lord knows I wash my head every single day! If I don't...the scales are awful.
Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease so I just have to live with it.
I use lots of lotion, I love the Gold Bond lotion they have out now.

Deb

I've had it since I was a child. I would get the regular itchy type, especially on my legs, and the fluid-filled bubble type on my hands. I went on a strict diet last year and basically gave up sugar. NO eczema since. Not even one little bit. I don't think I've gone a winter without it in 35 years, but I did this year. A friend of mine has a very severe type and she said giving up sugar is one of the few things that got it under control for her. I'm not saying I never have sugar, but it's very rare (like, a piece of cake without frosting on my birthday). It's not easy, but it may be worth it for you. But you have to give it at least a month. I would also give up refined carbs, I did that at the same time.

Interesting. Sugar is from sugar cane, which is a grass. So many people are allergic to grasses. Wonder if that is the connection.

debn, we wondered about that but I think that's been ruled out.

The gloves produced sweaty hands that led to this. He hasn't worn latex/vinyl gloves since last November and still has this "thing" on his hands. He'd worn gloves on and off for small projects and never had a problem. It was only when he started wearing them for hours at a time when the skin problem started.

His hands look so bad that he can't hand a card to a merchant without people staring at his hands. People obviously are wondering what's wrong with his hands. If I weren't his mother I wouldn't want him touching anything I had to handle. His hands are raw, scabby, blistered, peeling and look like they're rotting.

This condition is causing him to become very depressed, not just because of the discomfort, but because of the impact it's had on his dealing with other people both at work and at social functions.

I'm praying that his Dr can come up with a method of controlling this other than steroids. He can't stay on steroids for the rest of his life.

Monablair....I know exactly how your son feels...Bless his heart!

Deb

I just bought a jar of Aquaphor at WMart this morning, gonna see how it works on my skin. It's greasy, like vaseline.

I work with a girl who has a latex allergy. She has not worn latex gloves in over a year and yet her hands still get red and sore. She also found out she is allergic to something in paper! She wears cotton glove liners at work to avoid contact with paper.
She also avoids sugars in her diet to keep it under control. Was told that sugars in the diet raise the levels of yeast in her system.
I get a patch on one leg during very hot,humid weather.It can last quite a while before it goes away. The worst part is the itching. And it seems to itch much more in the evening. I use Aveeno Anti Itch Lotion. It works well to keep the itching under control so I don't scratch.

Bigack, yes the Aquaphor is greasy. It is supposed to create a barrier to keep your natural oils in and moisture out. But it is not a medication. Most likely you will need more than just the aquaphor. See a doctor.