Cracked and bleeding hands
Many people suffer from hands cracked into blood, cracked skin on fingers and cracked palms. These are the most common causes for cracked skin on hands:
Dyshidrotic eczema appears only on fingers and palms. It manifests itself in red spots and blisters filled with transparent fluid that crack and peeling skin. This disease is considered a type of atopic eczema but can be also a symptom of allergic contact eczema.
Atopic eczema – this disease appears already in childhood. Its most frequent cause is genetics and commonly occurs, if there are relatives with allergies and asthma. Atopic eczema can disappear I childhood but then reappear unexpected in adulthood as a result of stress, bad environment or hormonal changes. The eczema can develop on various body parts, most frequent are the neck and face, upper arms and knee pit, and on hands.
Allergic contact eczema is caused by a hypersensitivity (inherited or acquired) to specific substances. This type of eczema most frequently appears on palms and between fingers and is associated with severe itching forcing the allergic person to tear the skin to blood. Inherited hypersensitivity appears already in childhood with the first contacts with soil, sand, dust and animal fur. The acquired hypersensitivity develops gradually. The skin is rather dry, sometimes slightly redden and occasionally itchy in the first phases. Gradually, the symptoms tend to be more intensive.
Irritant eczema is a result of direct skin damage with harmful chemical substances. It can occur after long-term exposure to water, soap, and cleaning and laundry products. The skin is drying, callous, itches, peeling and cracks.
Acute toxic dermatitis form when the skin gets into contact with caustic substance (chlorine bleach – SAVO, lye, pool chemicals, etc.), acid or some plant juices (cow parsnip, parsnip, etc.). This eczema affects everyone in contact with the substance. Reddening is replaced with blisters, sometimes deep erosion or necrosis. When the skin is healed, these are crusts forming and skin peels of in stripes. The patient feels pain and burning in the wound, during the healing stage, these feelings are replaced by itching. A conservative skin treatment is applied – only with sterile coverings and dressings.
Protecting the skin from damage
Described types of dermatitis have one common denominator – an increased sensitivity of the skin towards allergizing substances. Such skin has to be protected and prevented from being irritated. The dermatologists recommend application of Dermaguard-like barrier creams. The are able to protect the skin for several hours while providing it with necessary moisturizing.
