possible latex allergy

hello, i am 20yo male,  i began a part time job at a meat counter in a supermarket about one year ago where i am required to wear plastic gloves, after a few months i noticed the upper skin on my hands and upper wrists have becom red, however in the past few weeks my symptoms have gotten worse and my skin has become broken and flaky, with a constant redness there and my knuckles become easily broken down and begin to bleed, i went to doctor who gave me betnovate cream which works temporarily, however it returns the following day or when im at work, i approached my manager at work and he said that standard plastic gloves does not contain latex? is this true and if yes, could there be any other chemicals which i could be allergic to? and is there the possibility of my skin getting worn down that is could cause some form of arthtritis? to be honest this also effecting me psychologically and find that i am covering them up everywhere that i go because they look so disgusting like i have some skin disorder.... would appreciate some help thanks

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It sounds like contact dermatitis.Even sweat dermatitis cannot be ruled out as sweating is common in plastic gloves and it may cause such skin symptoms.Latex free plastic gloves are there but nothing can be said about the gloves that you wear.I would suggest that you wear pure cotton gloves under the plastic gloves and wash them in a mild detergent on a regular basis. Avoid using any lotions and creams over the skin for the meantime. Wash your hands with a mild cleanser with moisturizing properties like Cetaphil. Pat them dry and then apply a good hypoallergenic moisturizer over the area and see if this improves.If the symptoms still persist then you can apply mild steroid like dermacort.

If the irritation persists then pls get it evaluated from a dermatologist.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing.Kind regards.