Dear Doctor
I have got a skincrack on my finger that bleeds.
Dear Patient
Your symptoms are suggestive of finger contact dermatitis.
Contact dermatitis of the fingers or hands develops when the skin comes in contact with irritating substances like detergents, cement and solvents like alcohol, turpentine and xylene.
The treatment of finger contact dermatitis includes:
- Avoiding Irritants
Identify the irritating substances that worsen your symptoms and avoid exposure to them. You can do this by protecting your hands with gloves if you come in contact with them in you job.
- Using Gentle Cleansers
Wash your hands with gentle cleansers that do not contain harsh detergents like sodium lauryl sulphate. You can also use mild skin cleansers like Aquanil and Cetaphil instead of using soap.
- Using Effective Moisturizers
Moisturize your hands immediately after washing them in order to lock the moisture into the damp skin. You can use 100% pure petroleum jelly like Vaseline or bland barrier creams with dimethicone like Cetaphil or those which contain ceramide like Cerave to restore the epidermal barrier.
- Topical Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids that are applied on the skin like amcinonide, fluocinolone and betamethasone (Diprosone) are prescribed since they have anti-inflammatory properties. They also soothe the itching.
- Topical Immunomodulators
Immunomodulators are medications which alter the response of the immune system are also applied on the skin to treat hand eczema. Examples include tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus 1% (Elidel).
- Systemic Antihistamines
Anthistamines that are taken by mouth can also be prescribed to reduce the itch. Examples include the non-sedating fexofenadine (Allegra) and loratadine (Claritin) as well as the less sedating cetirizine (Zyrtec).
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