puffy palms

[lou11]

hi
you had a post regarding excessive skin wrinkling on palms when the skin is wet for only a matter of seconds.

i have this condition and have been to see specialists but no one can fathom out what the reason for this is. over the years it has got worse, the symptons include;
puffy raised white area on the palms of my hands these go after apprx half an hour of being dry
little clusters of small holes/pores that seem to follow the lines on the palms of my hand, only in the area that is raised and puffy.
this happens even when my hands sweat in the summer when driving, washing dishes, showering, bathing, cleaning.. all connected with water.
it doesn't hurt but my hands feel so dry it's uncomfortable to touch anything.
a specalist mention that it maybe a karatin deficiencey previously but this has been going on for at least 7 years so i can be sure it'snot something i've just noticed, it also gets worse if i'm stressed.
Please help, i'd love to find a cure or even a reason behind it!


This discussion is related to Puffy Skin on Palms of Hands..

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
This could be Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms.
Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms (AWP) is a rare condition that mainly affects young women, and often occurs in patients with cystic fibrosis. It may also occur in carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene.
The cause of AWP is unknown. It may be caused by a salt imbalance in the skin cells, which results in increased water retention within these cells. Some cases have been related to different medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and some antibiotics.
AWP resembles the exaggerated wrinkling of the palms which is caused by spending too long in a bath or pool. Clinically, it is characterized by the appearance or worsening of a palmar eruption, following brief exposure to water. The palmar eruption is comprised of small, white or translucent papules that coalesce into plaques.In most cases the palmar skin returns to normal within a few hours of exposure to water, however, in some cases the eruption can persist for longer periods.
Some patients have had relief with an antiperspirant such as 20% Aluminium Chloride Hexahydrate (Drysol®) applied to the palms at night.
ref:http://dermnetnz.org/reactions/wrinkling.html
Stress cause palmar sweating, thus producing the same effect.

[kates2]

I also have the same "condition."  Any time my hands are submerged in water, or if I have sweaty palms, the skin raises, is white, has dots like pores, etc.  It usually lasts about an hour after a shower, though sometimes it seems to stick around for a whole day or two-- depending on the humidity, etc.

It first appeared when I was in my late teens/early twenties.  I'm 24 now and it happens EVERY DAY after I shower. :(  Annoying.

It doesn't hurt, but it's uncomfortable to touch things, and the skin feels delicate, like if I started to do something (open a jar lid, let's just say) the skin would tear.  

Thanks for posting, lou11.  Keep us updated.

[Jamie8989]

I have the same condition as well, i noticed mine about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Same with Kates2 any time my hands are submerged into water, or they sweat, the skin raises, is white, and has dots like pores. It usually lasts about 30-45 minutes after a shower, or washing dishes etc. Im 23 years old and even though iv only had it 2 1/2 weeks it really is ANNOYING!!! Its an everyday thing I have to deal with when ever i touch water. My hands are only submerged in water for about 2-3 minutes and they are as old as my grandma's hands. It hurts my palms a little but once i apply lotion it calms down. When my hands are dry they flake, so lotion lotion lotion ALL DAY! My boyfriends mom said her friend has this same condition, and her dr gives her some type of cream to help it but its unknown, and its not healing it, shes has it for over 7 years. <~~ not cool!

Thanks for posting or i would have never known other people had this.

Keep us posted!

[Jamie8989]

Hey my boyfriends mom has a friend with the same condition, and her dr provides her with some gold bond cream. I actually went to walmart about 3 days ago and bought Gold Bond Ultimate Restoring skin theraoy lotion it restores depleted dull skin. within 2 days my hands are back to normal. Im able to shower wash dishes and anything else with water and my hands be normal. They still get very very very little puffy white, and my hands wrinkle just like as if i was in the pool for a while. I just wanted to let you know about this, it worked for me. I guess what iv come up with is when my hands are in water the water ***** all the oils out of my hands. Its like this lotion has oils in it, and thats whats helping my hands. If any one has a question feel free to email me at jamie_rachuy***@**** make sure to put in the subject puffy white palms. Try it and see if this lotion works!

[km101]

I had this exact same condition on my palms, and so did my little sister. The solution is simple!! I did some research and found out that Drysol (typically used under the arms as an anti-persperant) works to get rid of this. You can find it at any drugstore...and fyi if you have very sweaty underarms it's a miracle drug. Just apply Drysol to your palms before bed, and within a day or two the condition should clear up! I did this and told my sister to as well and we haven't had a problem since. No idea why it works but it does!  

[awp]

It's strange that Aquagenic Wrinkling of the Palms is considered a rare condition which is most associated with Cystic Fibrosis. I think in the medical literature there are less than 50 reported cases (mainly female). I personally imagine it to be much more common and either goes misdiagnosed or unreported. As it is not serious or [very] painful  doctors will offer a cortisone or other ointment and the patient will perhaps give up. I have heard that the condition can correct itself after a few months but can also reoccur.

I have had the condition for a few months after moving to a warmer climate. Obviously my palms are sweating more now and sweaty hands + water will cause bad wrinkling. I need to submerge my hands in warm water for 5 or so minutes to have a reaction.
I tried various ointments and treatments but find the best solution to be talc. I must try drysol though. I'm wondering if it is some form of eczema or dermatitis. I think all that is known is in some cases a malformation of a sweat gland was present. Another factor is high concentration of sodium chloride (salt) in sweat.

The same condition I think goes under many names...
-Transient aquagenic palmar hyperwrinkling
-Acquired aquagenic syringeal acrokeratoderma
-Papulotranslucent acrokeratoderma

Unfortunately it seems very little is known about this disease and an average doctor will have no idea about the condition. I would suggest indicating to your doctor what you think the condition is and asking him to investigate or ask to be referred to a dermatologist.

[gbabyd]

I seem to have this as well; several weeks ago I went to the dermatologist for a body check and showed her my palms (which were wrinkly from hand sweat!). She took a good close look and said it's probably some sort of hereditary skin abnormality but was not concerned. (Note - no one in my family has this so I can't say it's actually hereditary.)

End of October I got a cat (I'm allergic to cats) - I've been washing my hands a lot since then and I'm wondering if the natural moisture/oils in my hands have been depleted from so much washing (after I got the cat is when I first saw that I had this skin condition). I read some people use Gold Bond therapy lotion to replace the lost moisture. If I have any luck with this, I'll let you know! I don't have hyperhydrosis - the puffiness only occurs when I shower/do dishes.

I feel okay about it since the dermatologist didn't seem too worried, but if there's a way to "cure" it, I'd love to know!

[Arose2486]

Obviously Im writing becaue I too have this same thing going on with my hands! Annoying is right! At first I thought it was a skin fungus and after about a week of putting anti-fungal cream on my hands I started to see a little change. (I will continue this but I think I've found something that may work better!) Oregano oil! I have just started using it and I have high hopes for its results! Family friend of mine's son had a huge wart on the bottom of his foot and after about a week to two weeks of apply oregano oil to the wart it was gonel! Hopefully this works and I encourage the rest of you to look into oregano oil and even tea tree oil! They have really good benefits and in all aspects of our health!

God Bless,
A

[DelicateHands]

I too have this problem.  In water for mere minutes and they are puffy, wrinkly, etc etc.....everything mentioned here.  Could some of you re-post with updates on your condition.  I would like to know if any of these methods work.  I discovered a few days ago that this may have begun when I started to drink coffee regularly after work.  I'm going to cut that coffee out after work and see what happens.  I have tried all sorts of things, to no avail.  While I feel your frustration with this problem, it is comforting to know that I am not alone.  Thanks for posting.

[elleo]

I have the exact same condition and have had it for 2 years now. I have it under control now that I use one of those rocks which are used for pedicures. I scrub away as soon as I see the white forming in the shower.. My palms/between my fingers get a little fleshy and red but I rather that than the dry and disgusting feeling I was getting when they were there. I really don't want to do this the rest of my life, though. I have asked a skin doctor, and he gave me a cream which did not work. I could tell he wasn't even sure what it was.

I, too, feel glad I'm not the only one with this. I am still very nervous about it, though, and wish to find a cure which does not involve me ruining my skin like I do everyday showering. Good luck guys!


Ps- do any of you use Jolen (facial skin bleach)? I have used my hands because I got lazy to use the stick; I wonder if this may be a cause? Has anyone else gotten this bleach on their hands and developed this?

[orev]

I have had this for many years now. I've found that using Drysol helps a lot but the skin on your palms will get EXTREMELY dry and tight. So it's either live with the drynes or have hands that look like death. I chose dryness...

[twopheat]

Wondering if you (orev) have ever tried the oregano oil or tea tree oil, or even gold bond medicated lotion?  You said you've had it many years and Drysol drys you out too much, wondering if you can shoot down or recommend one of these others or another?

-TwoPheat

[silkroses]

I have the same condition, I think. My hands are fine when dry (although the skin on my palms has very faint whitish patches and *tiny* little holes that follow the lines of my skin). However, when I shower the prune up really quickly and become tight, swollen and bumpy. They only hurt a little bit, and that is mostly because they are so tight, I think.

I noticed this happening around the July/Aug of this year. When it first started, I remember it would really hurt along the deepest line that curves around the thumb joint (the "life line", in palm reading terms). I think it has spread since then, but it's only on my palms.

Some things that may be common factors: I bleach my hair regularly, I use Nivea body wash and organic (Renpure) shampoo and conditioner. When I shave my legs, I use conditioner rather than shaving cream, which means that it stays on my hands for awhile. Also, my left hand seems to be worse than my right, and I am right handed. I have no allergies and no known illnesses. I take birth control, but no other medications.

Could others list possible common factors, or comment if you match any of mine? Thanks!

I found this article which has a description and photo which match what I've experienced. http://dermatology.cdlib.org/94/NYU/Apr2002/5.html

[halebale]

---> silkroses
that link was great! I finally know what I have on my hands! this has been going on for about a year or more now and i hadn't been able to figure out why. I'm so glad that I know the name of it now!

My hands have been getting really sensitive with this going on. My hands can't be in as hot of water. When i get in a hot tub I have to put my hands above the water like a weirdo but at least I can still enjoy it. And I have been turned off of doing my usual cleaning/dish washing and dread taking showers. I will have to try that Drysol to see if it works for me. I'm really hoping it does. I rather have dry hands than that ick feeling from this. Thanks everyone for you input, I'm glad I'm not the only one with this!

[HiLey]

I've been reading many of these posts and am relieved to find that this is more common than I had assumed!  I have had those symptoms (white, raised, tight skin with tiny pores) for a few months, now, and was beginning to wonder what it was.  At first I thought it was typically allergies (my hands usually peel at this time of the year) except that these symptoms have not ever gone away... I do notice that it does get worse after my hands have been in some kind of water, but it does last all day, everyday.  I'm particularly interested about those who posted about the Drysol.  I'll try that for a while and see if it helps.  

[cookiemicetr]

Im 14 and first noticed this in the summer, im on a swimteam so i figured it was from swimming so much, going into the fall it went away on its own. It then returned about a month or two ago in the winter and i went to a dermatolgist about it. He knew what it was and had seen it only 2 times, theres a name for it, but its the name is so long i cant remember. He prescribed drysol and it has helped amazingly! i definitely recommend it!

[frillygirl]

My 14 yr old daughter just started getting the extreme wrinkly, white painful palms about 2 weeks ago. it's so bad she would get out of the shower after 5 minutes not able to close her hands. She doesn't have patches or holes, just plain white, painful, and wrinkled like she has been in a pool all day. We went to a family physician and they were baffled took pictures and sent them to dermatology, meanwhile he put her on 2 ointments one is a steroidal one and the other is aquafor. She has had hyperhidrosis since she was born so her hands and feet are always sweaty, but this is new. The dermatologist called today and wants to see her, and did state something about awp. But I will say she had used drysol a number of different times and it does nothing. Lotions don't absorb into her skin and it takes the ointments hours to absorb.

[Paigiepoo]

This is starting to happen to me. AWP symptoms exactly. I am pretty scared, starting to have extreme anxiety about it. Havent spoken to a dr. yet. I was wondering if you found a cure or treatment. Any info to ease my mind would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Paigiepoo]

I just discovered this is what i have. I am really freaking out right now. It even happened to me today just from sweating in the car. I will call my doctor tomorrow. If anyone could offer any info to ease my mind i would greatly appreciate it! We need to get the word out and find out what causes this and how to cure it. Its pretty weird. But like others have said its really nice to know im not alone. Thanks for all your info ladies.

[SuzyP]

My daughter, who is 21, has had this condition for around 3 years now, but strangely only has it from late autumn until either spring or if she goes to a warm climate for winter break it just goes away and doesn't return until the following November. I spoke with an aquaintance who's a dermatologist yesterday and he said that AWP is very rare and didn't even know about the connection to CF until I mentioned it. My niece has CF and my sister-in-law, not knowing that there's a condition called AWP said that she's heard that carriers of CF may suffer from the wrinkling palms such as described in this forum. He prescribed Drysol, though apparently it is an over-the-counter medication. He said that with it, the condition should go away. However, the fact that it seems to be seasonal is a puzzle. I'm going to take her to a naturopath as well and get her take on it as well. Perhaps there's an underlying reason that it's only seasonal with my daughter.

[jaynel]

Hi I have same condition, but my palms have turned an orange/yellow colour.
Looks awful.  I live in Scotland and my doctor can't prescribe Drysol as it's not available here, but has prescribed something with the same % mix of ingredients, however this product advises to rinse off after it has dried and then throughly wash in morning - does Drysol advise the same?
Seems a strange thing to do, if water is causing the problem?

If anyone could advise, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks

[handsproblem]

Wow, I can't believe I've found other women with the same problem! I'm 24, and have been experiencing these exact same symptoms for about 2 years. I'm from Florida but living in NYC now. Originally my skin reacted with these symptoms when I showered or did the dishes combined with the weather being too dry or too humid. Now in NYC, the weather is a lot drier than I'm used to and my palms have displaying this problem for the entire 7 months that I've been living here. What's the deal with the one person who brought up the symptoms and the association with Cystic Fibrosis?? Let's hope that's not true...if its not then a comment like that causes unnecessary fear.

Going to try Drysol and Cortisone. Hope to hear updates from others who've tried these solutions.

[Jen0189]

I too have this condition no one that I know has even seen or heard of anything like it and thought I was crazy. Glad to know other people have had it too. I started to notice it after using Mary Kay Satin Hands and I was worried I have an allergic reaction but after 2 months of not using the product I still have this inflames white puffy perferated looking skin so weird looks so painful. Does anyones palms seem like they hold water? When i was driving the other day it seemed like my steering wheel kept getting wet more so than sweat...and I have always had sweaty palms and feet but the condition is new.

[Snowy200]

My answer was found: I started noticing flat wart like bumps in the middle of my palms, near the base of my thumb and then starting to run up my fingers.  They turned white and slightly raised after showering. I didn't see any open pores as some posts have described.  And, my palms became very very wrinkly like a grandma after a good shower as well, then all pretty much disappeared after dry. Also, the bumps don't hurt or itch and are unnoticable to anyone else.  Went to the dermatologist and Dr. took a small hand biopsy.  Got 2 stitches. I was advised by the pathologist this is benign hyper keratosis and not contagious.  Prescribed a salicylic hand cream, which can cause peeling, and the cream came with a moisturizing lotion to go with it.  I haven't used it yet.  The cream says it is for the condition of too much keratin in the skin.  I was really worried after seeing all the terrible things it could be on the internet.  I have taken pictures to share, but it doesn't look like I can post them on this site, sorry.  Basically what I've found in my case is that this is nothing.  My husband used a salicylic shampoo for some junk on his scalp for a while and it cleared up so I think the lotion I was prescribed will work fine and for good riddance.