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Hello
I have contact dermatitis ( eczema) on my hand mostly fingertips, it’s very painful as the skin is splitting and exposed, I have suffered this condition for nearly a year and it shows no sign of healing, I have used dermovate eumovate and all sorts of cream and ointments to no avail, is there anything that could help heal my hand?
Thanking you Wiliam

Dear William,

Many thanks for your question. I am sorry to hear that you have been experiencing painful splitting of the fingertips that has not responded to potent steroid ointments. Simple measures such as avoiding alcohol hand gels, avoiding detergent soaps and hand washing with warm and not hot water, may help to soothe hand eczema. Regular use of ointment-based moisturisers can help to repair the skin barrier and lock in moisture.

For severe forms of hand eczema that do not respond to conservative measures and topical steroids, I would recommend a referral to consultant dermatologist at your local hospital. There are light based therapies and tablet treatments that can be effective. In some instances, allergy testing is also performed to exclude an allergic cause for the hand dermatitis.

Kind regards,

Dr D Phillips