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OT - dry, cracked skin



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 6th 06, 01:07 PM posted to misc.kids
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Default OT - dry, cracked skin

Hi,

This may not be the most relevant place to post this query but I'm
hoping someone else may have gone through the same thing and can give
me the benefit of their experience.

Basically, the skin on my hands has been really dry for about a year
now and I'm starting to wonder if it will ever get better. It started
just after I gave birth - my hands, feet and ankles became really dry
and a bit flaky (sorry if anyone's eating right now!) and I figured it
was a reaction to my fingers and ankles being so swollen while I was
pg. I also guessed that having to wash my hands so often from changing
nappies, wiping up spills, etc, wasn't helping but that it would get
better relatively quickly. The trouble is, while my ankles and feet are
a bit better, my hands are still terrible and the skin is actually
starting to crack around the top of my nails which looks horrible but,
more importantly, hurts like h*ll. I've tried various hand creams
(including that Neutrogena one that's meant to be for Norwegian
fishermen or something) but nothing really seems to work and I'm
starting to get a bit hacked off with it now. Anyone have any
suggestions?

I should come clean up front and admit that I don't religiously put the
cream on *every* time I wash my hands, simply because I don't always
have the time - oh, and I've also had some allergic reactions to some
brands of soap and babywipes, which is probably also contributing to
the problem. Do I just need to bite the bullet and basically keep my
hands submerged in hand cream at all times, even if it means the baby
squirts out of my hands like a bar of soap?

Cheers

Helen

  #2  
Old February 6th 06, 02:10 PM posted to misc.kids
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Posts: n/a
Default OT - dry, cracked skin


wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

This may not be the most relevant place to post this query but I'm
hoping someone else may have gone through the same thing and can give
me the benefit of their experience.

Basically, the skin on my hands has been really dry for about a year
now and I'm starting to wonder if it will ever get better. It started
just after I gave birth - my hands, feet and ankles became really dry
and a bit flaky (sorry if anyone's eating right now!) and I figured it
was a reaction to my fingers and ankles being so swollen while I was
pg. I also guessed that having to wash my hands so often from changing
nappies, wiping up spills, etc, wasn't helping but that it would get
better relatively quickly. The trouble is, while my ankles and feet are
a bit better, my hands are still terrible and the skin is actually
starting to crack around the top of my nails which looks horrible but,
more importantly, hurts like h*ll. I've tried various hand creams
(including that Neutrogena one that's meant to be for Norwegian
fishermen or something) but nothing really seems to work and I'm
starting to get a bit hacked off with it now. Anyone have any
suggestions?

I should come clean up front and admit that I don't religiously put the
cream on *every* time I wash my hands, simply because I don't always
have the time - oh, and I've also had some allergic reactions to some
brands of soap and babywipes, which is probably also contributing to
the problem. Do I just need to bite the bullet and basically keep my
hands submerged in hand cream at all times, even if it means the baby
squirts out of my hands like a bar of soap?



Go see a doctor. It could be fungal.
Dermatitis of any kind is very stubborn and hard to treat. Good luck.


  #3  
Old February 6th 06, 02:32 PM posted to misc.kids
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Posts: n/a
Default OT - dry, cracked skin

I use Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced and have for years and my hands are
not dry anymore. If they are really bad, then I sometimes would put Vaseline
all over my hands and wear socks to bed. I have really dry skin and eczema
and with the lotion on every time I wash my hands and after my bath and my
skin is isn't dry anymore. Also, drink plenty of water and maybe take a
Vitamin E capsule to help.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

This may not be the most relevant place to post this query but I'm
hoping someone else may have gone through the same thing and can give
me the benefit of their experience.

Basically, the skin on my hands has been really dry for about a year
now and I'm starting to wonder if it will ever get better. It started
just after I gave birth - my hands, feet and ankles became really dry
and a bit flaky (sorry if anyone's eating right now!) and I figured it
was a reaction to my fingers and ankles being so swollen while I was
pg. I also guessed that having to wash my hands so often from changing
nappies, wiping up spills, etc, wasn't helping but that it would get
better relatively quickly. The trouble is, while my ankles and feet are
a bit better, my hands are still terrible and the skin is actually
starting to crack around the top of my nails which looks horrible but,
more importantly, hurts like h*ll. I've tried various hand creams
(including that Neutrogena one that's meant to be for Norwegian
fishermen or something) but nothing really seems to work and I'm
starting to get a bit hacked off with it now. Anyone have any
suggestions?

I should come clean up front and admit that I don't religiously put the
cream on *every* time I wash my hands, simply because I don't always
have the time - oh, and I've also had some allergic reactions to some
brands of soap and babywipes, which is probably also contributing to
the problem. Do I just need to bite the bullet and basically keep my
hands submerged in hand cream at all times, even if it means the baby
squirts out of my hands like a bar of soap?

Cheers

Helen



  #4  
Old February 6th 06, 02:55 PM posted to misc.kids
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Posts: n/a
Default OT - dry, cracked skin


Sue wrote:
I use Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced and have for years and my hands are
not dry anymore. If they are really bad, then I sometimes would put Vaseline
all over my hands and wear socks to bed. I have really dry skin and eczema
and with the lotion on every time I wash my hands and after my bath and my
skin is isn't dry anymore.


This may be a stupid question but are you wearing the socks on your
hands or on your feet? I've heard of people wearing gloves at night to
encourage the moisturiser to sink in - is that the sort of thing you
mean or am I being silly? I actually also suffer from psoriasis,
although not usually on my hands, but I'm wondering if it might be
connected... I think I may have been a bit misleading in that my hands
aren't really flaky any more, just dry and with little sore bits round
the fingertips, so I don't think it's likely to be fungal but if my
psoriasis keeps flaring up I'll probably have to go to the doctor
anyway and I might mention it then. It just seems like such a minor
thing to make an appointment for, even though it's a nuisance.

Also, drink plenty of water and maybe take a
Vitamin E capsule to help.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)


Yes, I really should try and drink more water but I find it a bit of a
chore.

Thanks for the suggestions,

Cheers

Helen

  #5  
Old February 6th 06, 03:01 PM posted to misc.kids
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Default OT - dry, cracked skin

wrote in message
This may be a stupid question but are you wearing the socks on your
hands or on your feet?


Both, if they are both really dry. I usually just wear the socks on my hands
though. I do wear socks to bed, but I have been trying not to since my feet
are in socks and shoes all day. I figure they need time to air out, lol.

I think I may have been a bit misleading in that my hands
aren't really flaky any more, just dry and with little sore bits round
the fingertips, so I don't think it's likely to be fungal but if my
psoriasis keeps flaring up I'll probably have to go to the doctor
anyway and I might mention it then. It just seems like such a minor
thing to make an appointment for, even though it's a nuisance.


Well try the lotion and drinking water and see how it goes. If there are
rashy spots, sometimes I will use the hydrocortisone for a bit and that
usually helps me, but I just have ezcema and not psoriasis so I don't know
if they are in the same family of rashes or not.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)


  #7  
Old February 7th 06, 01:08 AM posted to misc.kids
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Posts: n/a
Default OT - dry, cracked skin

You probably should consult your doctor - this could be a form of
exzema. My middle child, a 12 year old boy, gets this on his hands and
feet terribly in the winter - and its NOT from being in soapy water.
Because his skin is so sensitive, he only takes one or two baths a week
in the winter - and you should see his poor feet - they are peeling all
the time, big dry cracks in the skin etc.

What works is greasing up his feet at night and making him wear socks,
plus with the doctor's support, the occasional application of steroid
cream (sometimes you can moisturize all you want if its gotten bad and
you can't get it to clear up, but a couple of days with the cortisone
will knock it right back and it will stay gone for months).

You might want to start wearing gloves to clean and wash dishes, and
try moisturizing and wearing cotton gloves to bed to see if it helps.

With my son, it gets to the point of bleeding. Its very painful.

M.

  #8  
Old February 7th 06, 04:38 AM posted to misc.kids
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Posts: n/a
Default OT - dry, cracked skin


"Jeanne Clelland" wrote in message
...
In article . com,
wrote:

Helen,

Here's an extreme answer for you: I had really bad eczema, often
including cracked skin as you describe, on the fingers of my right hand
for several years, getting worse after each pregnancy. No cream or
lotion did much good beyond temporary relief. What finally made it go
away was when my acupuncturist told me that she was certain I was
allergic to wheat and dairy. I was a bit flabbergasted by this, but
agreed to try giving them up for a week. After that week I felt so much
better that I never went back: the rash on my hands got maybe 90%
better, my digestion improved, and I just felt better than I had in
years. I eventually ended up going completely off gluten (the protein
in wheat, as well as in rye, barley, and oats), and that took care of
the last 10% of the rash.

Like I said, it's extreme, but when I accidentally eat something I
shouldn't and the rash comes back, I can't believe how I lived with that
itching and cracking for all those years, and how it's finally GONE!


I've known a number of people with bizarre reactions to foods, so this
doesn't surprise me at all. I'd just use the caveat that it might not be
gluten, wheat or dairy for somebody else - these are foods that are pretty
common allergens, but really a person could be sensitive to darn near
anything.

Also, this is good stuff:
http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/r.../lac1641.shtml


  #9  
Old February 7th 06, 07:39 AM posted to misc.kids
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Posts: n/a
Default OT - dry, cracked skin


wrote in message
ups.com...
,
more importantly, hurts like h*ll. I've tried various hand creams
(including that Neutrogena one that's meant to be for Norwegian
fishermen or something) but nothing really seems to work and I'm
starting to get a bit hacked off with it now. Anyone have any
suggestions?


When my hands get so dry they crack, I use Liquid Bandage or something like
that on the cracks. It works great.

the problem. Do I just need to bite the bullet and basically keep my
hands submerged in hand cream at all times, even if it means the baby
squirts out of my hands like a bar of soap?


Yes. What works best for me is after I wash my hands at night, I put on a
thick layer of Eucerin and then wear a thin cotton glove. They sell the
gloves in the pharmacy specifically for this purpose. In the morning, my
skin feels soft and supple.



  #10  
Old February 7th 06, 09:58 AM posted to misc.kids
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default OT - dry, cracked skin


wrote:
You probably should consult your doctor - this could be a form of
exzema. My middle child, a 12 year old boy, gets this on his hands and
feet terribly in the winter - and its NOT from being in soapy water.
Because his skin is so sensitive, he only takes one or two baths a week
in the winter - and you should see his poor feet - they are peeling all
the time, big dry cracks in the skin etc.


Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear about your son: I guess my problem is
nothing to what some people have to put up with. I'm not sure if it's
eczema, simply because this is the first time it has happened like this
and it's so localised - it's just at the sides of my fingernails at the
top, mostly on my thumbs. It's the part of your thumb that gets put
under pressure a lot when you're doing everyday things like opening
bottles, doing up zips, etc, and I'm thinking that it's just that my
skin's inelastic because it's dry and so it's just cracking when it's
put under pressure.

What works is greasing up his feet at night and making him wear socks,
plus with the doctor's support, the occasional application of steroid
cream (sometimes you can moisturize all you want if its gotten bad and
you can't get it to clear up, but a couple of days with the cortisone
will knock it right back and it will stay gone for months).


Yes, that's my problem, I think - the moisturiser is all very well
*before* the skin cracks but once that happens, it doesn't really help
it to heal. I'm not sure if psoriasis is related to eczema (although my
dad also used to use cortisone on his psoriasis) but I'm also wondering
if there's an underlying cause between this happening on my hands and
the other flare ups elsewhere (mostly on my scalp but I'm now getting
little patches on my arms and back.) The psoriasis isn't sore at all,
though, it's just red and rough to the touch.

You might want to start wearing gloves to clean and wash dishes, and
try moisturizing and wearing cotton gloves to bed to see if it helps.


Yes, I do make a point of wearing rubber gloves to wash up (and
hopefully I'll get my dishwasher back in commission soon, yay!) but I
think I will try the gloves overnight thing, as a few people have
suggested and if it doesn't heal up soon I'll take myself off to the
doctor to see what she can suggest.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply!

Cheers

Helen

 




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