Weird rash--what is it? What do I do?

[Harriet Vane]

Hi folks,

 

A couple of my little cousins have what I thought were really, really chapped hands. It's been a couple weeks that they have had this problem. They look chapped and windburned and red and feel rough. It's not all over the hands, though, just in patches. I assumed it was due to playing outside in wet gloves or being outside with no gloves.

 

The kids do put on lotion daily. They are with me on the weekends, and I have been putting on some serious, moisturizing "belly butter" from Burt's Bees. The lotion does seem soothing.

 

My assumptions about their chapped hands have changed though, now that MY hands look like theirs. Just an hour or two ago I noticed the joints where the fingers join the hand feeling sensitive. I now have patches that look chapped and windburned. I have not been outside all day.

 

I have been cooking all day and have washed my hands a lot. However, my hands have never ever gotten like this on any other cooking or cleaning marathon. I think my cousins have a bona fide rash, and I have caught it.

 

Any ideas? If I knew what it was I could hopefully treat it more effectively.

 

Thanks.

[newlifemom]

Before you mentioned yourself I was instantly thinking excema(boy for the life of me I can't spell that.) All my kids did with it, but differently. I have two that look like a rough patchy rash on their wrists and the top of their hands. My 2 yr. old also has it on her back, top of her butt and behind the knees. Each place looks different. It can look very different and a lot of times it looks exactly like rash. So, is it possible that you have excema too? Have you ever had an outbreak, even one different from this?

[AnnetteB]

Several of our kids get a rash like you described. Theirs is on their hands and feet. Initially, I thought they were sharing a fungal infection, but it turned out to be allergic eczema. It often gets worse in the winter months and seems to be related to a lack of sunshine (vitamin D). An elimination diet helped us discover their allergies. A friend with a milk allergy gets the same redness and cracking on her hands year round if she has any milk at all. I wonder if A & D ointment would help? Our dr. prescribed an ointment that didn't work :( We have learned to avoid corn, wheat, soy, and excessive sugar...what a drag.

[Doran]

Fungus?

 

 

I don't really know (don't you hate it when people answer who really have no information!?), but I'm thinking a fungal infection could look like what you describe and be contagious. :confused:

[runamuk]

My daughter gets this every winter and we still don't know what it is. Her ped thought it was allergic dermatitis but we could never nail down the cause. His next diagnosis was eczema, but the cream he prescribed didn't help. She has it again this year and it's so bad she doesn't want to wash her hands because they hurt so much. We're going in next week and I hope we can figure it out.

[newlifemom]

My daughter gets this every winter and we still don't know what it is. Her ped thought it was allergic dermatitis but we could never nail down the cause. His next diagnosis was eczema, but the cream he prescribed didn't help. She has it again this year and it's so bad she doesn't want to wash her hands because they hurt so much. We're going in next week and I hope we can figure it out.

 

Have you considered fish oils for her? My dc all have eczema and the rx cream doesn't always help. My dd(10) gets it every winter on the backs of her hands and it's all I can do to keep it under control. I have definately seen an improvement since I started the omega 3 stuff. I get it from a health food store. The brand is borleans or something like that. They take the flax seed oil (very slimey, but no real taste) and follow it with the lemon sorbet omega 3 stuff (very tastey). Dd still has it but it is so much better than any other year. By far. We have only been doing this consistantly for about 2 weeks. I am hoping for even more improvement in the weeks to come.

[Mommyof4ks]

I thought fungal infection when you said that you caught it too. You can try OTC anti-fungals, but it might be helpful to go see the doc so you don't spread it to anyone else especially with the holidays coming.

[OnTheBrink]

Is it mostly between your fingers, in creases, along your wrist? If you caught this from them, it could be scabies. Does it itch? If so, does it itch more at night? Do you get any liquid filled bumps? Are there any small lines that look like scratches? Do you itch on your feet, behind your knees, in the creases of your arms?

 

If it is scabies, it's a simple treatment of a cream to be applied, and wash all bedding in hot water. My dd had a horrid rash all over her hands and stomach, so bad it caused hives that were so intense, they bruised. After seeing a pediatric allergist and pediatric dermatologist, it was diagnosed as scabies! Seems anyone can get them, they pass on hands from one to another and it's almost impossible to determine who passed them to you.

[Unicorn.]

 

I have been cooking all day and have washed my hands a lot. However, my hands have never ever gotten like this on any other cooking or cleaning marathon. I think my cousins have a bona fide rash, and I have caught it.

 

Any ideas? If I knew what it was I could hopefully treat it more effectively.

 

Thanks.

 

Are you washing your hands w/ antibacterial soap? My dd got something similar after she went on a handwashing binge. I bought her some moisturizing, foaming soap, and it went away. I always attributed the rash to excessive use of the antibacterial soap.

[Chris in VA]

Could it be ringworm?

 

There's a fungal cream the dr will give you if it is.

 

Or try Tinactin or an athlete's foot cream otc (not for ringworm, but for other fungal infections).

[elegantlion]

My ds used to get this in the winter. He was in private school and either the soap or the so frequent hand washing was causing it. It was horribly painful . the school quit using disinfectant on his desk and allowed him to wash without soap. It still took weeks to overcome.

 

We used Eucerin cream or some other all natural type lotion. He would cry when we put on lotion it hurt so badly. That was the only thing that worked, putting on lotion religiously.

 

When we started homeschooling it quit happening. :D

[Harriet Vane]

Before you mentioned yourself I was instantly thinking excema(boy for the life of me I can't spell that.) All my kids did with it, but differently. I have two that look like a rough patchy rash on their wrists and the top of their hands. My 2 yr. old also has it on her back, top of her butt and behind the knees. Each place looks different. It can look very different and a lot of times it looks exactly like rash. So, is it possible that you have excema too? Have you ever had an outbreak, even one different from this?

 

Nope. I do struggle with warts but have no other skin issues.

[Harriet Vane]

Is it mostly between your fingers, in creases, along your wrist? If you caught this from them, it could be scabies. Does it itch? If so, does it itch more at night? Do you get any liquid filled bumps? Are there any small lines that look like scratches? Do you itch on your feet, behind your knees, in the creases of your arms?

 

If it is scabies, it's a simple treatment of a cream to be applied, and wash all bedding in hot water. My dd had a horrid rash all over her hands and stomach, so bad it caused hives that were so intense, they bruised. After seeing a pediatric allergist and pediatric dermatologist, it was diagnosed as scabies! Seems anyone can get them, they pass on hands from one to another and it's almost impossible to determine who passed them to you.

 

I googled and looked at pictures and don't think this is it. While there is some itching, there are no bumps, and it's not in creases; rather, it's out on open stretches of skin on top of the hands.

[Harriet Vane]

Are you washing your hands w/ antibacterial soap? My dd got something similar after she went on a handwashing binge. I bought her some moisturizing, foaming soap, and it went away. I always attributed the rash to excessive use of the antibacterial soap.

 

Nope. I don't buy antibacterial soap.

[Harriet Vane]

Could it be ringworm?

 

There's a fungal cream the dr will give you if it is.

 

Or try Tinactin or an athlete's foot cream otc (not for ringworm, but for other fungal infections).

 

Nope-- I am familiar with ringworm. Ds had it when he was a baby. This isn't it--no rings.

[OnTheBrink]

Glad it's not scabies. Doing all that laundry is toturous! LOL

[Snickerdoodle]

Winter hands? Wear gloves while doing dishes. Wash your hands with real soap not detergent.

 

Cheap detergents give me those kind of winter hands. My goodness it's irritating.

 

If it occurs year round, it could be eczema and I recommend a good cod liver oil for that. My second son has eczema just on his hands and feet and it gets better with CLO.

[The Governess]

My hands get like that sometimes. For me, it's just really dry skin, then it gets irritated and red and then my knuckles will start to crack a bit. It only shows up on the back of my hands and my knuckles. I've found that using this lotion for a couple days clears it right up.