Peeling and Cracking Fingertips, Fingertip Eczema, Mositurizer, Painful, Hospital Work

I also have fingertip eczema. I was prescribed clobetasol propionate ointment 0.05%. I apply this twice a day, apply cerave throughout the day & wear gloves at least 20 house a day. I haven't had new cracks form since I started the steroid ointment. Skin is still dry but there is definitely improvement. I work in an office & am always touching paper as well as a keyboard & mouse. Prior to this treatment I would have up to 8 bandages on at a time. It was very painful, and the crackoftener bled. I hope I do not need patch testing.

I used to get painful injections of steroids to cure my fingertips. I found that triamcinolone acetone cream 0.1% works when applied with a fingertip bandaid in place. I probably need stronger stuff.

I have had the same condition for many years. Turns out that I break out severely when exposed to Chloroxylenol .10% . It is a chemical used in many anti-bacterial soaps.
It is found in so many products, that I do not dare wash my hands with any unknown soaps. I only use Tone™ brand bar soap. I went to dermatologists and was prescribed Clobetasol Propionate .05%. It works for me.
Hope this helps.

I have had this accursed problem for three years and it has totally destroyed my life. I used to play guitar which I can no longer do. Any hobbies I had were all blown out of the water. Doing any DIY around the house or working at my car was impossible so I now have to pay a lot of people to sort things out for me. Like everybody else here I have used every cream you can think of, both prescription and over-the-counter. First off, after patch testing it was discovered I was allergic to fragrance mix 1 and I had to clear out all my bathroom stuff, washing up liquid, washing powder and fabric softener for the washing machine. You have no idea how much more expensive the alternatives are, at least 3 times the price. I have been on Prednisolone and although it works for the duration you take it, the eczema comes back worse afterwards. I was then started on Azathioprine which was working but it pushed my liver function test (GGT) from an average of 55 up to 219, so I had to stop taking it. Another 7 or 8 months later (until my liver recovered) I am now on Methotrexate. I discovered another drug I was on (Lansoprazole) was increasing my GGT so I stopped taking that and got Pantoprazole which is working better. Been on Methotrexate now a month (4 Tablets once a week) and my fingers are returning to some form of normality and liver function tests are stabilising. They tell me it will take 8 - 12 weeks to work then they cut back the dose to a point where it comes back, increase the dose again slightly and find my maintenance level.. I have hope of having some normality now. Hope this helps somebody out there.

I have had this problem for ten years now. Only on three fingers. Suffered from eczema as a kid. Bandaids and gloves seem to help somewhat but are difficult in daily life. Tried steroid creams and those didn't help. The only thing that helps is to get acrylic nails. I hate doing it because they are costly and going to the nail salon every two weeks is a time suck, but I can't pick them then and they heal up. Then I will stop for awhile, it will come back within a few weeks, I will suffer for awhile and then head back to get the nail tips again.

Thanks for the advice. I'm using my dad's account right now. He suffers from fingertip ecxema, so I'm looking for a way to remedy it and relieve the discomfort he experiences mostly on then off.

I have this problem as well, over two years, and I actually have developed a solution, one that at the moment is working astoundingly well. My fingertips, and patches on my hands dry out and the skin comes off in chunks and shards, leaving exposed raw flesh. Deep cracks form that won't heal. The pain is unbearable and seems to emanate from deep within the flesh. This has NOTHING to do with dry skin, which is a symptom rather than a cause; putting on moisturizers actually makes it worse. I have been to the best derms in the state and they have acknowledged the problem and, beyond the high test clobetasol steroid approach, which has little effect other than to harden the skin for a day or two and lead to more cracking and peeling, they have no answer and have directly told me so. So your chances of getting help from a dermatologist on this one are slim to none.

There is no known cause for what I have. My hands are in no caustic or strange substances, and I have tested negative in a standard allergy patch test. And while I state that this has been bad for a couple of years, I have actually had smaller patches of it for much longer. Until it got really REALLY bad I was able to ignore it.

One of the earlier treatments I had tried, and there is nothing I have not tried, was Psoriasin, a coal tar ointment that also had no effect. Bear in mind that I saturate the affected areas and cover the fingers with a finger cot over night; I may do this during the day as well if things are really bad. I have used Clobetasol in conjunction with Psoriasin and at best gotten half a day's relief.

I my endless searches for a solution I came across a scholarly article that stated specifically that the action of Clobetasol had been significantly improved when used in conjunction with DMSO, and that this had been applied in a situation similar to mine. No derm or other doctor has ever mentioned this to me. I can no longer find that article, but it's out there. Bear in mind that DMSO is a carrier that transports substances across the skin barrier deep into the flesh, and my thinking was that this transport mechanism might make some sense. I had some DMSO on hand and had actually been thinking about giving it a go, just to see. So I saturated a couple of problem fingers with DMSO and then layered on a good amount of Psoriasin (you're looking for 2% coal tar ointment, MG217 is another), worked some more DMSO into that, covered the fingers with a cot overnight and... next day I was better. I repeated the process and... next day I was even MORE better, and I had been starting with a vicious condition on my hand. I worked some Clobetasol in here and there, but the coal tar worked fine on its own. I continued to do this for a week, and in about that amount of time of repeated DMSO / Psoriasin treatment BOTH OF MY HANDS WERE BETTER. This was the first time In two years that I wasn't looking at my hands and seeing deep cracks, raw flesh and open bleeding wounds. As I write this I have one tiny crack on one of the fingers, which I will continue to treat; the rest of the hands are sealed tight and actually look pretty darned good.

I must emphasize that it appears that REPEATED application of the DMSO / Psoriasin is necessary to get results; if you just apply it once or twice and give up you'll get no where. If you have a really large area to treat get a little spray bottle for your DMSO, it seems to spray pretty well. There are both gels and liquids of DMSO; I've only used the liquid but the gel may be very appropriate in this application. Also, I poured out a little DMSO into a cup and mixed the Psoriasin around in it, then just applied that with a Q-tip to the affected area and let it settle in without covering it with a cot. This is easy to apply throughout the day. That one really works, and the relief can be almost immediate.

I do NOT know if this is a cure or just long term palliative relief, nor do I know how this will work for each specific case. I will personally continue to treat as necessary, but right now It's been a week and only one small crack on one finger. Coal tar / Clobetasol / DMSO appear to be the winning combinations, but someone else might find another combo that works. I'm not sure about straight DMSO with no other substances; the gel may work well on its own, but I know that it works with coal tar.

So if you are desperate, you need to try this one, and I'm quite serious. Then ask your derm why they never mention DMSO as a potential treatment for this one.

See my post below yours. Good luck.

Update: I am still battling this fingertip thing daily. Anything with fragrance or dish or antibacterial soaps really should be avoided if you have this condition. Stay away from sodium lauryl sulfate as well. Anytime I use hairspray it seems to aggravate my fingertips. I have been using nitril gloves when doing dishes and handling cleaning products. It comes and goes but my knuckles continue to be slightly dry but no cuts. I do not like to use prescription meds daily because it is absorbed by your liver and can be harmful.

I developed my condition - peeling, cracked, sore, reddened fingers (palms are ok) while overseas on holiday in September last year. My dermatologist prescribed Advantan Fatty Ointment 0.1% and it definitely helped. However, after a few months, i was advised to stop using it, except for flare-ups, as continual use thins the skin. All the symptoms immediately returned. I can say that applying very liberally and often, Sorbolene Lotion, helps. Still, very depressing! I would really like to get my hands back to normal and asap. Jan

I have the same exact problem and have spent a lot of $ on over the counter products that just relieve slightly but the cycle Leo's repeating and can get extremely painful!!! When I went to the dermatologist I got a cortisone shot and the cycle stopped for a couple of months then returned again:( I have another appt to see what else can be done b/c the steroids creams don't work but maybe something oral will work better! The shot seemed to help but you shouldn't get more than two a year but I'm desperate! Ask your derm about Cortizine shots!

I've had fingertip eczema for about 15 years now. It is one of the most difficult to treat. You have to keep your hands as dry as possible. I had spent alot of money going to a dermatologist and not one of the prescriptions work except thinning my skin layers on my fingertips. So I tried lots of over the counter concoctions until I found one that worked for me. Believe it or not I was able to heal the infected areas using O'Keeffe's working hands cream. I had some relief for about 6 months before the next occurrence. I have to be careful using my hands because it doesn't take much pressure to my fingertips and they start to crack, etc. So make sure you always wear gloves and try to keep your hands as dry as possible.

This is exactly what I have been experiencing for years - this past winter has been the most challenging ever! Will check out the 2 products - hopefully they will be as effective as your case! Thanks for sharing!!

My son is 16 years old and has this problem also. He had eczema on his arms and legs since birth and developed this type about 4 years ago. It is exacerbated by being in the lake every day since he is a competition water skier. I have read all of your replies and you all have contributed very good information. What I have not seen is anyone who had gotten tested for food allergies that might be contributing to their problems. Like you, we had been to dermatologists UMPTEEN times with only minor improvement from the steroid creams. More recently, we discovered which foods my son is allergic to and with the elimination of those, his hands have never been better. Gold Bond as many times per day as is reasonable and Vaseline with gloves at night has been what has worked the best.

Just to weigh in, I have atopic dermatitis, a condition related to asthma and allergic sensitivity. Eczema and other rashes pop up on various parts of my body, get real bad, go away, and pop up again somewhere else. A couple of years ago, I got it on my finger tips. Like so many of you, it didn't respond to regular moisturizers or steroidals. Dermatologist finally diagnose a secondary fungal infection. Added treatment for that and things got better in a few days and in a few weeks (and this was after months) it had mostly cleared up. This winter it cropped up again, but moisturizers and the odd application of hydrocortizone have kept it minimal. So long story longer, if you're not getting relief after a few weeks, ask someone to check for signs of fungal infection.