After a long hike with your buddies, you notice your hands are covered in an itchy red rash. Without appropriate treatment, that rash is likely to get worse. Consult with an allergist to discover the cause of your mystery redness so you’re able to avoid itchy hands in the future.
Identification
Unlike other types of eczema that often occur on several areas of the body, contact dermatitis only affects areas of the skin that came in contact with an allergen or irritant. If you scratch your hands to relieve itching, the itching becomes more intense and you risk breaking open the skin, which makes you prone to a bacterial infection. Blisters that resemble a burn may be present, and if the reaction is severe, these blisters ooze and crust over. Inflammation occurs around the blisters and the area of the hands affected are tender to touch. These symptoms occur for both allergic contact dermatitis and irritant contact dermatitis.
Cause
An allergy is created during a sensitization process. The first time you come in contact with an allergen, your skin does not react to the substance; however, your immune system recognized the substance as being harmful so your body starts developing antibodies to fight the substance the same way your body fights the flu or common cold. Some allergens are weak and take several years before a rash develop when you touch the allergen, but stronger allergens, such as poison ivy, only takes one exposure before the antibodies are produced and ready to fight against the poison ivy in the future, according to the Mayo Clinic. If your hand touches the allergen, your immune system tells the body to release histamines and other chemicals that cause your symptoms. Once the rash is present, the skin becomes sensitive and even exposure to water can worsen the symptoms. Sometimes an irritant instead of an allergen causes the rash on your hands, which can occur from harsh chemicals on the skin or frequent contact with a mild irritant. Once exposed to an allergen, you have an allergic reaction for life.
Treatment
Doctors often prescribe a mild steroid ointment or cream to be applied to both irritant and allergen rashes, but if the symptoms do not disappear within 10 days, a stronger medication is necessary. A severe allergic reaction to your hands may require a higher strength of a topical steroid medication or corticosteroids taken orally or by injection. Antihistamines help reduce itching caused by an allergen. Regular immunotherapy injections are sometimes recommended if you’re regularly in contact with your allergen. These injections are extracts from your allergen that are administered in small doses. The goal of immunotherapy injections is your immune system gets used to the allergen, so you’re able to tolerate the substance that triggers the allergic reaction.
Prevention
The best way to prevent allergic contact dermatitis is by avoiding the allergen that triggers your symptoms. If your allergen is unknown, have an allergist conduct a skin test. A skin test exposes you to common allergens to determine which allergen triggers a reaction. The rash can take up to 4 weeks to heal, so it’s important to prevent the return or worsening of the symptoms during the healing process. Moisturize your hands with petroleum jelly and wear gloves at night. Wear gloves for cleaning and other household tasks to prevent irritant contact dermatitis on your hands. If you touch an allergen or irritant, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water as soon as possible to remove the substance from your skin.
