Hand rash going on close to 1 year

[cad7798]

I have had a rash on my hands off and on for close to a year now. They are small, itchy red bumps that look comparable to pimples. They have never broken open or oozed. Around winter time when my hands got extremely dry they felt a bit crusty.

My 1st dermatologist recommended changing all my soaps, laundry detergent, etc to non perfume and prescribed Betamethasone Dipropionate. That did help and the rash went away but then came back a few months later. My girlfriend was just recently diagnosed with a MRSA skin infection of 1 large bump on her side.

Upon our own research we are not sure if it could be MRSA, and after 4 days of trying her prescribed Mupirocin on my rash, it seems to have increased the bumps on my hand. At this point I'm really not to sure what it could be. I can not tell if it is increased by anything specific or something that is more serious. Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated!

[cad7798]

Ms. Kaur,

Thank you for your help! I have taken your advice and with much excitement my hands are doing much much better! Again I sincerely appreciate your expertise!!!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Your symptoms are suggestive of pompholyx.  The other name is dyshidrotic eczema. Wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites. 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 (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide).But they are available under prescription and should be taken only after consulting a dermatologist. Eczema can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. 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 doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.