Hardenning of skin related to arthritis

Dear Sir,

This is Ambika 26 years old. 2 years back i was diagnosed with stills diease. I am having allergy to some foods and air. Doctor suggested me prednisole tablets for that diease.
I was tacking. while taking my eyes will be swollen. Now I stopped that steroid.
My current problem is hardenning of skin of fingers, ear pinna. along with hardenning I have iching problem in that perticular area. Kindly suggest me the solution for this.

Thanking you.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For the hardened skin, use moisturizers after washing with luke warm water. Soap should be used minimally. Moisturizers should be reapplied liberally during the day. You can also use a topical cortisone (steroid) cream or ointment like dermacort(hydrocortisone). Adding a humidifier to the central heating system of your home or using a humidifier also helps.
If the symptoms persist then please consult a dermatologist and get scleroderma ruled out.
I hope it helps. Take care and God bless.