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Hand eczema is becoming more common due to the corona crisis
Almost everyone has to deal with it in this corona era: dry and itchy hands due to washing many hands. For people with eczema it is even worse: hand eczema flares up more often due to frequent washing. And even people who never suffered from it now seem to get hand eczema more often.
Everyone suffers from dry hands from time to time, more than ever during the corona crisis. But hand eczema is an annoying and persistent condition that goes far beyond dry skin. It is a collective name for skin disorders on the hands that are accompanied by itching, redness, small bumps, blisters, flaking and sometimes fluid secretion. These complaints are not caused by a bacteria or fungus, but by inflammation. It is therefore not contagious, something that is often thought.
Hand eczema flares up more often
Research has shown that hand eczema has become much more common since the start of the corona crisis and that people who already had it, suffer significantly more. This is especially true for people in essential professions who wash and disinfect their hands even more often than others because of hygiene protocols, as it shows. other research dated May 2020, but it is also much more common in other people. In addition, children appear a greater risk to walk on irritating contact dermatitis. The skin is damaged by an aggressive substance and cannot recover quickly enough, causing eczema. Water can also lead to irritating contact dermatitis if your hands come into contact with it very often, such as with the corona protocols at schools. This form is much more common than allergic contact eczema and increases the risk of serious eczema symptoms later in life.
Higher risk of hand eczema
The annoying thing about hand eczema is that it can spread quickly, says Dermatologist G. Krekels in the Eindhovens Dagblad. She works at the Eindhoven skin center MoshA and is affiliated with Radboud and TU/e for research. “You quickly pass it on to other parts of your body, especially with thin skin. Eyelids, the neck. It’s already hard because of the mouth caps.”
One in ten Dutch people has a greater chance of hand eczema anyway. Krekels talks about an ‘atopic constitution’. This has to do with a genetic predisposition due to (other) eczema, hay fever, asthma, bronchitis or hives, for example. Less washing is of course not an option in corona time. But: alcohol dries out less and is therefore actually better. “Especially the spray. However, experience shows that people wash less with that stuff than with regular soap. Those twenty seconds still apply.”
What can you do about it yourself?
Do you think you suffer from hand eczema? Special eczema creams are available at the drugstore and pharmacy for mild to moderate eczema. Cetomacrogol ointment or cream and lanette ointment or cream are also available over the counter and can provide relief. They keep the skin supple, prevent it from drying out further and ensure that the barrier function of the skin does not deteriorate. A good piece of advice from Krekels: “Put on your hands before going to sleep and put a thin sandwich bag around them, or one of those thin gloves from the gas stations. Not the well-known latex things: that pinch, that causes scalding, sweating and that dries out again.”
There are also prescription hormone ointments that contain corticosteroids. These are available in different strengths. Your attending physician will determine which ointment you need. Other forms of treatment are: tar ointments and light therapy.
Other tips
- Rather wash your hands with lukewarm water than with warm water
- Just wash your hands long enough (20 seconds)
- Rinse them carefully after washing, so that all the soap is really gone
- Pat your hands dry instead of rubbing them dry
- If possible, use a paper towel, not an air dryer, to dry your hands
- Apply cream to hands that are still slightly damp
- Apply cream several times a day
Sources):
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- Eindhovens Dagblad