3 ms·

Symmetrical nature is strange -- almost like Raynaud's. But anyways I hadn't realized just how quickly that temperature could damage your skin, that's wild. Hop

Symmetrical nature is strange -- almost like Raynaud's. But anyways I hadn't realized just how quickly that temperature could damage your skin, that's wild. Hopefully they heal up quickly.

CatWChainsaw 2y ago
It wasn't the cold air itself so much as the fact that I had to handle metal doors and racks to get to the cardboard boxes holding the sample vials. I didn't touch any one thing for longer than a few seconds but I guess even if you only spend a couple minutes doing that, cumulatively it added up. Since I'm off microbe duty for the weekend I started to play science with the rest of the fingers on my right hand, comparing what does better healing - antibiotic ointment, petroleum jelly, or "liquid bandage".
- CatWChainsaw 2y ago
  Updating/elaborating here before the comment window closes on the off chance that an obscure log on HN helps in the future. The situation with my fingertips matches most with Pompholyx/dyshidrotic eczema in the sense that the first thing to happen was very tiny pinprick blisters called vesicles appearing on my fingertips before they developed a callus-like texture which has generally given way to skin peeling, in that one case enough to make me think I had a second-degree burn. I've never had ezcema before, so no wonder I wasn't thinking about it. But that itself is bizarre, because a 30-year streak comes to an end with no conclusive reason. Triggers can include metals (not around any unusual ones AFAIK), allergies or weather (?!?), foods (never a problem before!), stress (okay, great), sweaty palms (biologists wear gloves all the time and it's never been a problem before), potential fungal infections, chemical irritants, and more. And as I said originally, this showed up a couple of weeks after what I thought was the most likely trigger, so it probably isn't actually the trigger. It can be chronic, or happen once in your life and never again! The symptoms are supposed to fade after "a few weeks", so hopefully 2 down now. Treatments include keeping hands hydrated, stress management, antihistamines, moisturizing creams with dimethicone, calcineurin, or steroids, and even UV light treatment. Hygiene is important for preventing bacterial infection. Still hoping it clears up soon.
  - CatWChainsaw 2y ago
    Last update, had an e-visit with a NP who said it sounded like dishydrotic ezcema, hooray guessing skills. Got prescribed a steroid cream which insurance refuses to cover, and a dermatologist appointment next week. I wash my hands, pat them dry, cover them in lotion or petroleum jelly, and cover the fingertips in bandages, and honestly it's just slowly getting worse. Cotton gloves dried my hands out in minutes. US health insurance is BS.
    - cloverich 2y ago
      My wife actually developed this in her late twenties (now 39). She hasn't had much luck keeping it from slowly progressing, but it comes and goes in waves. Lotion / steroid helps a little but nobody has a good solution for it, yet. She works w/ her hands and it hasn't limited her, but is frustrating. I don't have anything helpful really but feel free to reach out (email in bio) if you want me to put you in contact w/ my partner just to have someone to chat with about it. Best of luck in managing it.

Symmetrical nature is strange -- almost like Raynaud's. But anyways I hadn't realized just how quickly that temperature could damage your skin, that's wild. Hopefully they heal up quickly.

CatWChainsaw 2y ago

It wasn't the cold air itself so much as the fact that I had to handle metal doors and racks to get to the cardboard boxes holding the sample vials. I didn't touch any one thing for longer than a few seconds but I guess even if you only spend a couple minutes doing that, cumulatively it added up. Since I'm off microbe duty for the weekend I started to play science with the rest of the fingers on my right hand, comparing what does better healing - antibiotic ointment, petroleum jelly, or "liquid bandage".

CatWChainsaw 2y ago
Updating/elaborating here before the comment window closes on the off chance that an obscure log on HN helps in the future. The situation with my fingertips matches most with Pompholyx/dyshidrotic eczema in the sense that the first thing to happen was very tiny pinprick blisters called vesicles appearing on my fingertips before they developed a callus-like texture which has generally given way to skin peeling, in that one case enough to make me think I had a second-degree burn. I've never had ezcema before, so no wonder I wasn't thinking about it. But that itself is bizarre, because a 30-year streak comes to an end with no conclusive reason. Triggers can include metals (not around any unusual ones AFAIK), allergies or weather (?!?), foods (never a problem before!), stress (okay, great), sweaty palms (biologists wear gloves all the time and it's never been a problem before), potential fungal infections, chemical irritants, and more. And as I said originally, this showed up a couple of weeks after what I thought was the most likely trigger, so it probably isn't actually the trigger. It can be chronic, or happen once in your life and never again! The symptoms are supposed to fade after "a few weeks", so hopefully 2 down now. Treatments include keeping hands hydrated, stress management, antihistamines, moisturizing creams with dimethicone, calcineurin, or steroids, and even UV light treatment. Hygiene is important for preventing bacterial infection. Still hoping it clears up soon.
- CatWChainsaw 2y ago
  Last update, had an e-visit with a NP who said it sounded like dishydrotic ezcema, hooray guessing skills. Got prescribed a steroid cream which insurance refuses to cover, and a dermatologist appointment next week. I wash my hands, pat them dry, cover them in lotion or petroleum jelly, and cover the fingertips in bandages, and honestly it's just slowly getting worse. Cotton gloves dried my hands out in minutes. US health insurance is BS.
  - cloverich 2y ago
    My wife actually developed this in her late twenties (now 39). She hasn't had much luck keeping it from slowly progressing, but it comes and goes in waves. Lotion / steroid helps a little but nobody has a good solution for it, yet. She works w/ her hands and it hasn't limited her, but is frustrating. I don't have anything helpful really but feel free to reach out (email in bio) if you want me to put you in contact w/ my partner just to have someone to chat with about it. Best of luck in managing it.