★★★★★
After having a pretty bad bout of poison ivy on my arms, I was prescribed a steroid cream. Shortly after that my hands started breaking out with what I thought was still poison ivy that was still on my boots or other items I may have touched after. Eventually I got to the point where I wasn't sure if it was in fact still poison ivy on my hands. Long story short, I went to two different dermatologists. One said it was probably Granuloma Annulare while the other said it was probably Eczema. Both agreed, however, that it wasn't poison ivy and that it was probably caused from my skin being compromised (i.e. good bacteria) on my hands.
I used to use a lot of hand sanitizer and wash my hands a lot because of the type of job I have. Anyway, after using their creams that they prescribed, getting good results at first and then my condition getting worse (mind you, one dermatologist actually prescribe a cream that had alcohol in it- go figure right), I decided to go natural and with the mind state that I had to rebuild my skin on my hands.
Initially I was using a mixture of oils that had both restorative and anti-fungal/bacterial properties as well as a new method for my hand washing. This worked for a while, but then I was having issues again.
So what I have done and this has been the best results hands down is soak my hands in Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (organic). That is, 1 to 2 cups of Old Fashioned Rolled Oats blended/food processed down to powder with warm to hot water in a bowl where my hands are fully submerged. I use a Bullet mixer. (By the way, hot water, as hot as I can stand, relieves the itch for some hours! )
Make sure it's mixed pretty well. I soak my hands for 15 to 20 minutes. After I pat dry and I use Aveeno Eczema Lotion. At first, I soaked twice a day until I got results then once a day and then once a week or so for maintenance. I also use the Aveeno Lotion at least twice a day, more during winter or if hands are dry. I also use the Aveeno sensitive body wash soap as soap for my hands. I found not letting my hands become dry helps a lot and keeping hand friction to minimum, especially the areas that get affected (i.e. the tops of my hands). I also minimize the amount of gluten I eat, especially bread, and eat as healthy as possible with minimum sweets, while still enjoying life! :)
Oh yeah, and I stay away from hand sanitizer too as much as possible and don't overdue washing my hands. If I must, again, I focus on the parts of my hands that actually touch (i.e. the underside of my fingers).
