I am not a doctor and am not diagnosing or recommending any treatment.
That said, here's my story:
About 12 years ago, I saw the doctor for exactly what you described on
my fingertips, palms and feet. I thought that maybe I gotten a case of
athlete's foot that transfered to my hands. It was diagnosed as
eczema. I was told to use 1% hydrocortisone. For more severe
'outbreaks' I was to use Triamcinolone Acetonide 0.1%.
I found, over the years, that I would get it in the summer and again in
the winter. Sometimes, it was so bad that I would have no skin left on
my fingertips - just raw tips that were tender and heat sensitive. I'd
been doing okay until this past summer when I did a two-week dying
marathon. So, who knows what could've sparked it - the gloves, the
dye, the soap, the vicious circle of washing & drying my hands without
moisturizing.
There is a lot of good info about the various types of eczema at
www.eczema.org then click on "About Eczema" in the right navigation
bar. Yes, eczema can be type of allergic reaction. I had no idea that
there were about 7 types of eczema!
The gal that taught me to spin also had a condition with her hands that
she was being treated for. That's when she was finally diagnosed with
the latex allergy. Which, then went on to include just about all
polymers/plastics. She was working with a florist and found that her
hands did better after working with the antifungal solutions that the
flower stems were soaking in. So, she started soaking her hands in a
vinegar solution. (One type of eczema is linked to yeast. And
changing the pH kills yeast. So, perhaps that was what was happening
in her case: the latex allergy would cause a flare up that would then
get infected with yeast?)
Whenever I do have a flare-up, it definitely puts a damper on my
spinning. The dry skin 'snags' the fiber and even though the fiber may
be 'washed', we all know that it is still 'not clean.' And that can't
be good when the fingers are prone to infection.
Gabrielle
Since we are discussing various maladies here, I would like to get some
feedback on my hands. In the past few weeks, my fingertips look as if
they
have been soaking in water for hours, all prune-like, and I have tiny
bumps
under the skin of my fingers and palms. It is not painful but itches
from
time to time. Also, sometimes the bumps break into little blisters on
the
surface of my skin. I have been knitting more than usual, trying to
start a
knitted purse business, designing patterns and also selling the
finished
product. Has anyone else experienced this or have any idea what it
is? I
can barely feel my fingertips anymore!
To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
