What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Hand Eczema?
About 1 in 10 people in the U.S. have hand eczema or related symptoms, even if they may not know it. It’s especially common if your hands are in contact with water or chemicals a lot.
Hand eczema is sometimes called hand dermatitis or atopic hand dermatitis. Dermatitis is a name for any condition that includes inflammation in your skin. Your hands may itch. They may look dry, red, or rashy. The skin on your hands may blister, ooze, crust over, or flake off.
Hand eczema can look different for different people. Some common signs and symptoms of eczema on your hands include:
- Fingers that are cracked, peeling, scaly, or crusty
- Redness
- Itchiness or pain
- Dryness that may lead to peeling and flaking
Your signs and symptoms may affect your:
- Fingers
- Hands
- Wrists
Hand eczema symptoms can be a lot like other conditions, including:
- Allergies or allergic reactions
- Hay fever
- Psoriasis
Your signs and symptoms of hand eczema may change over time. They may get worse and then improve for a while.
It’s a good idea to see your primary care doctor or dermatologist if you have hand eczema or if it’s getting worse. Untreated hand eczema can lead to symptoms that are severe enough you may have trouble working or doing other everyday activities. Some people with hand eczema will have symptoms on other parts of the body, too.
Hand eczema vs. atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is a type of eczema that affects your skin anywhere on your body. It often starts early in life. You may have it all your life, or it may start later.
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition. It’s caused by changes in the way your skin barrier and immune system work. Your immune system attacks your skin when it shouldn’t to cause the signs and symptoms. Many people with atopic dermatitis will have flares on their hands. It’s more likely for atopic dermatitis to affect your hands as you get older.
About half of people with hand eczema don’t have atopic dermatitis on other parts of the body. Hand eczema can be triggered by contact with water or other irritants even when you don’t otherwise have problems with your skin barrier.
Signs and symptoms of nummular hand eczema
Nummular eczema often affects the hands. If you have this type of hand eczema, you’ll have coin-shaped spots or lesions. You'll be able to feel that the spots are raised. They could look red or brown. Sometimes nummular hand eczema will change colors over time. They may get bumpier, too. The skin around your spots may get dry and crack or ooze.
Signs and symptoms of dyshidrotic eczema
You’ll have small blisters or bubbles on your hands. You may also have them on your feet. They’re most likely to be on your palms or edges of your fingers. Your blisters may itch. Up to 1 in 5 people with hand eczema have this type.
Signs and symptoms of hyperkeratotic hand eczema
You’ll have thick scales on the palms of your hands. You may not have any other signs of a skin condition. Unlike other types of hand eczema, this type doesn’t have redness or inflammation.
Hyperkeratotic hand eczema may start on one hand before you see it on the other. It may itch or hurt.
Signs and symptoms of chronic fingertip dermatitis
Fingertip dermatitis may affect all of your fingers or only some of them. You may have:
- Itching
- Stinging
- Burning
- Numbness
Fingertip dermatitis may also include:
- Raised, red lesions or plaques
- Bleeding
- Swelling
- Blisters
- Dryness
- Chapped skin
- Fissures
This type of hand eczema usually happens when you use your hands to do wet work often. It also can happen in children who suck their thumbs and if you regularly handle garlic, tulips, meat, fish, or other irritants.
Hand eczema vs. chapped hands
Mild hand eczema may look like dry or chapped skin. But hand eczema can be painful. It may also have worsening symptoms including:
- Red, brown, purple, or gray patches
- Scales and inflammation
- Burning
- Blisters that itch
- Cracking with bleeding or oozing
- Pain
See your doctor if your hands feel chapped or painful and it isn’t going away. You may have hand eczema.
Are My Hand Eczema Symptoms Contagious?
No. Hand eczema isn’t contagious, so you can’t give it to someone else. Most of the time it’s related to exposure to certain irritating substances. For example, you may get it if you’re often in contact with soap or water. Less often, it may be a contact allergy to substances such as:
- Rubber
- Nickel
- Perfume
Other people will have hand eczema related to atopic dermatitis, which is an autoimmune condition. Hand eczema also can happen for more than one reason. Talk to your doctor about what may be triggering your hand eczema and steps you can take to avoid it.
Tips When You Have Signs and Symptoms of Hand Eczema
If you think you have hand eczema, it’s a good idea to see your primary care doctor or dermatologist. They can do tests to make sure your symptoms are related to hand eczema and help you to figure out the causes. By understanding your hand eczema and what’s triggering it, you can take steps to avoid any substances or activities that are irritating the skin on your hands.
Some basic steps that may help with hand eczema symptoms include:
- Avoid washing your hands more than you need to.
- When you wash your hands, use cool or lukewarm water.
- Wash with a gentle unscented cleanser.
- Dry your hands gently by blotting them.
- Use moisturizer after each wash.
- Wear lined, waterproof gloves to wash dishes or do other tasks that require you to get your hands wet.
- Wear cotton gloves to do other repetitive tasks, like folding laundry.
- Wear disposable gloves when working with irritating foods, such as garlic, acidic fruits, onions, or meat.
- Avoid cleansers or other products containing alcohol or solvents.
- Put a layer of petroleum jelly and gloves on before bedtime.
- Ask your doctor about other products or treatments that may help.
Choosing a moisturizer for hand eczema
It’s a good idea to moisturize your hands regularly throughout the day. But some moisturizers may do more harm than good. Choose a moisturizer that has more oil than water in it. These will look and feel more like petroleum jelly than a typical lotion. Ask your doctor what they recommend for you. The National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance also has a list of moisturizers that are good to use when you have eczema.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: E+/Getty Images
SOURCES:
National Eczema Association: “Hand eczema,” “Nummular eczema,” “Dyshidrotic eczema.”
DermNet: “Atopic hand dermatitis,” “Hyperkeratotic palmar dermatitis,” “Fingertip dermatitis.”
Mayo Clinic: “Dermatitis.”
New England Journal of Medicine: “Hand eczema.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Atopic dermatitis.”
American Academy of Dermatology: “How to tell the difference between dry hands and hand eczema.”
