Without Googling, which I am going to let you do, I would smear skin with vasoline at night and sleep with cotton gloves on. A Dermatologist may have a better product. Maybe check out Bagbalm also.
Bag Balm. Farmer use it on the udders of cows to keep them from getting dry and yucky, and on their own hands for the same thing. (and that’s actually what it’s called.)
I have this problem….if it gets severe enough, I have to use clobetasol ointment (Rx). To avoid this, I have tried dozens of hand creams and lotions. Some have been horribly expensive.
Here is what I do if I already have one and it is KILLING me, I fill it up with super glue! Don’t laugh, when you are in that much pain you will do anything. The pro football players do it too. It takes the pain away. They actually make a product just like it for bowlers too.
I have used vaseline and bag balm for my hands and feet, then I put on a pair of socks and it works great. The bag balm has a little anitiseptic in it. My only problem is it drives me crazy to have my hands or feet covered when I sleep. I have to use mind over matter. I remember reading somewhere that Doris Day used to slather her entire body with vaseline and put on socks, gloves and a flannel nightgown before bedtime, yikes! She said it kept her skin young looking.
When mine gets really bad (ie: spontaneous bleeding), nothing but a prescription steroid cream works. Definitely avoid hand sanitizer, and also anti-bacterial soaps!
I had eczema bad when I was younger, and when my dermatologist found out I was a nurse, he groaned. Hand washing is vital to hygiene, but canbe hard on the hands.
Dove soap is the best bar soap for sensitive skin.
@SoapChef: Cover your entire body with Vaseline? I can’t imagine anything worse. Ergh. The hell could she sleep? Not even mentioning the fact that you’d have to shower for about an hour and a half to get it off in the morning. I hate wearing clothes in bed, nevermind clothes that stick to your skin!
Ismear a good coat of petrolium gel on my hands then put on throwaway latex gloves at nite heals pretty good but in time comes back, is there any lasting cure?
Update: When I saw my dr., she said that it was a form of eczema and that I should use this steroidal cream, just for a short time, until it clears up. Then, I should be careful after that to keep my hands moisturized. Also, I should keep the steroid cream on hand for when it flares up again. (And it will.)
I use Nexcare skin crack care. It comes in a small bottle like fingernail polish. It burns a little, and seals some what like superglue. The outer sides of my thumbs are so bad right now, if I don’t put this on a couple time a day, they throb. I get this at wal-mart. It’s back by the band-aides.