Dry hands and dry anus

I am 48 years old and never had any skin problems until about 5 years ago.  My hands and anus are both dry but no where else is notably affected.  My fingers and palms are peeling and cracked so I use perfume free soaps sparingly and have tried many types of creams for very dry hands. I put polysporin and bandaids on my fingers for a couple of days when they are really cracked and sore.  I take flax and salmon oil supplements which appears to help a bit. The dryness in my anus has caused fissures which I have had to have surgery for once now but the dryness, itching and cracking has never stopped.  I take Metamucil daily and it keeps stools soft enough to minimize pain. I try to clean with water after going to the bathroom but am not sure what kind of moisturizers to use on my anus.

One unique complication for me was I was diagnosed with Hemachromotosis and the dry skin started a few years after my iron levels were brought down to a reasonable level.

I am open to suggestions as my doctors have prescribed cortizone creams but they don't seem to help any more than dry skin creams which I use 5-10 times a day.  Could this be caused by my diet?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From your symptoms the symptoms are suggestive of eczema. Allergic reaction is one of the important causes of eczema. You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate eczema a weak steroid may be used and also use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin. If still the symptoms do not improve then please get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.