HELP! bleeding, cracking hands for 25 years

Hello,
I am posting a question for my mother.  She has been experiencing horrible cracking, bleeding hands/fingers for years and years.  She first noticed after I was born (almost 25 years ago).  She has tried just about everything doctors (including dermatologists) have given her.  Salves, creams, oral medication, just about everything.  She is getting very frustrated with no relief and paying for creams, etc that do not work (she has no insurance).
Water seems to aggrevate this problem more (doing dishes).  She is constantly wearing cotton gloves (even taping them around her wrists to shower).  Her hands look horrible when broken out, swollen, red, cracked, peeling...you name it.
She has mentioned that at night they will get so severely itchy that she has no choice but to scratch, therefore making the problem.  She has taken Benedryl to take the itch away with relief but no help with the actual problem.

Any help would be SO greatly appreciated!!!

[Dr_Smita_S]

Hi

I can understand how much trouble your mother would be facing. From the description of the condition, it seems to be eczematous, allergic or psoriatic rash or some infection. Furthermore scratching would have led to superimposed secondary infections.

Eczema includes a variety of persistent skin conditions which cause dryness, redness, skin swelling, itching or bleeding. Areas of temporary skin discoloration may appear. It usually affects the face, chest and skin creases. In chronic cases, the skin of affected part becomes thickened and coarse, dark red or brown, sometimes accompanied with scales. There is also associated crusting, erosion and redness, especially when hands or feet are affected. Chronic eczema may last several weeks or years. The patients are generally in a state of constant mental agony.

Eczema diagnosis is generally based on the clinical appearance and a few tests like the patch test and blood levels of IgE antibodies and eosinophils. A specific test for eczema is called the Radioallergosorbent Test (RAST), which is also done in some cases.

Skin rashes are diagnosed clinically based on the history and appearance of the rash. You should consult a skin specialist for proper clinical examination, which is necessary to evaluate any skin condition. He may give your mother medications to treat the underlying cause or antihistaminic for relief from symptoms.

In the meanwhile, she should avoid irritants like perfumes and detergents and keep her skin moisturized.

Do write in after your doctor’s consultation.

Take care