Hand eczema appears as a scaly, itchy rash on the skin that constantly peels. In some cases the hands might become cracked, red and painful. Flare-ups can occur on any area of the hand, but is most common on the back, sides and palms.
This type of eczema is most likely to occur in people who have a family history of eczema or other allergic conditions such as hay fever. Also, people whose hands get wet often or are exposed to irritating chemicals are prone to develop this type of eczema. The condition is more common in people who work in the cleaning, health-care, catering and metalwork industries.
This eczema cannot be passed from person to person, and does not usually spread to other areas of the body. However, people with hand eczema may have eczema on other parts of the body.
In addition to genetics, the main causes of hand eczema are outlined below:
Product Allergies
These range from normal every day items such as soaps, laundry detergents, cleaning agents, hand lotions and perfumes, to harsh chemicals used in the cleaning industry and metals. One of the most common metals associated with this eczema is nickel.
Fabric Allergies
Persons with hand eczema may be allergic to certain fabrics. The skin on the hands may become irritated by wearing gloves made of certain fabrics, or frequently touching these fabrics. Latex allergy is common among persons working in the health and house keeping industries where latex gloves may be worn for long periods of time during a work day. If you notice the onset of irritation after wearing latex or any type of fabric gloves, chances are this may be the trigger for your hand eczema.
Traumatic Injury
It is not uncommon for this type of eczema to develop in the area of a traumatic injury to the skin. These include chemical burns, scrapes or cuts. Hand eczema is more likely to develop if the top layer of the skin is removed. The eczema clears up when the injury fully heals, and usually does not occur again.
Seasonal
Hand eczema may be associated with seasonal allergies, such as hay fever. It may also be associated with the seasonal weather pattern, tending to be more common when the environment is dry.
While the above is not intended to an exhaustive list, it does cover the major causes. However, in the final analysis, you can only know what triggers your hand eczema, by being observant of what your hands are coming into contact with most frequently, around the time of a flare up.
Shelley M Rock provides information on how to control eczema to persons suffering from this dry skin condition. Her approach to controlling eczema is to deal with the root causes, rather than just treat the symptoms.
For more information visit my blog at http://allergyrock.com/
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