Tips for managing hand eczema

There are some things that you can do to help prevent and manage your hand eczema. Some of these are listed below, but please check with your healthcare professional before trying any of them, and remember that what works for one person, may not work for someone else.

Gain control

• Talk to people about your concerns - don’t suffer in silence
• Feel in control by finding out all you can about your condition - download questions to ask your healthcare professional in the ‘Downloads’ section of this website and take them to your next appointment
• Use the treatment your healthcare professional has prescribed
• Avoid using new skin care therapies without your healthcare professional’s advice
• Record the impact that hand eczema is having on you by completing a daily diary and taking this to your GP appointment

Take action to protect yourself

• Protect your hands by moisturising them regularly with emollients (soothing and softening skin products), but use products that are free from fragrances and preservatives - the fewer ingredients, the better
• If you don’t have to sanitise your hands, but still want to clean them, try using a moisturising hand cleanser and blot it off rather than washing with water
• Wear cotton clothes and use cotton bed linen
• Avoid getting very hot and sweaty
• Avoid contact with things you know irritate your skin, such as metal jewellery or washing powder
• Don’t scratch your skin, even if it is itchy - apply emollient cream instead

Protect yourself in the workplace

• Protect your hands at work if you work in a job that is associated with a high risk of hand eczema
  • In catering, use a dishwasher rather than washing up by hand, try not to handle food with your bare hands, wear non-latex gloves when you can, and make sure you dry your hands thoroughly after contact with liquids
  • In the construction industry, eliminate or substitute substances or activities that could cause hand eczema. Wash and dry your hands properly, use pre-work creams and wear protective gloves
  • In hairdressing, wear disposable non-latex gloves when rinsing, shampooing, colouring and bleaching hair, change gloves in between clients and make sure that your gloves are in good condition. Dry your hands thoroughly after contact with liquids
  • In the health services, including dentistry, try to use machinery and tools to clean equipment, rather than your hands. Use hypoallergenic gloves rather than latex gloves and make sure that you have rinsed off all soap and that your hands are thoroughly dry after washing your hands
  • In the metal machining industry, limit your contact with substances that may cause hand eczema, use pre-work creams to help make removing fluids easier and wear appropriate protective gloves
  • In the motor vehicle industry, avoid or minimise contact with irritant substances, clear up spills promptly, keep workrooms and hands clean, but don’t use aggressive cleaners, dry hands thoroughly, use pre-work and after-work creams and wear protective gloves
  • In the printing industry, wear protective gloves and avoid touching chemicals that may cause hand eczema
• Remember that using pre-work creams can help make removing fluids easier, but that these don’t provide a barrier and are no substitute for gloves

Wear Gloves

• Wear cotton gloves to do household chores if your skin is sensitive
• Wear hypoallergenic waterproof gloves to do the washing up, or when you are preparing food
• If your gloves get a hole in them, replace them immediately
• If water leaks through your gloves, take them off and blot your hands immediately
• Take gloves off after 15 or 20 minutes to avoid excessive sweating
• Wear thick cotton or unlined leather gloves to do outdoor work, or during dry, windy or cold weather