Little, itchy blisters on your palms and along the sides of your fingers, hands and feet might be signs of dyshidrotic eczema. This skin problem can also make blisters pop up on the soles of your feet or on your toes. Your doctor may call it by another name, including dyshidrosis or foot-and-hand eczema.
These blisters will come and go over time since there is no treatment. But you can handle them with medicine, moisturizers, and great hygiene. They might begin to taper off when you enter middle age. And if you have a moderate case, it might ultimately disappear by itself.
Dyshidrotic eczema primarily affects adults ages 20 to 40, and it’s two times as common in women as males. You’re more likely to get it if you have allergies like hay fever, a family history of dyshidrotic eczema, or other types of eczema.
The small, itchy blisters are the most obvious sign. These usually appear in clusters, and you may itch or feel a burning pain prior to they appear. The skin around the blisters might sweat more than normal, and your nails may thicken and alter colors, too.
The blisters frequently go away in 2 to 3 weeks. However the skin underneath can be red and tender for a while.
Dyshidrotic eczema can be mild or extreme. If you have a severe case that impacts your feet, the blisters can make it difficult to stroll. Blisters on your hands can make it difficult to do things like cook, type, or wash dishes.
In some cases the blisters can get contaminated, specifically if you scratch them a lot. Indications that you have an infection include:
- Pus in the blisters
Causes of Watery and Itchy Blisters
Several things can set off the issue, including:
- Contact with metals like nickel, cobalt, or chromium salts on your job or from things like wearing outfit jewelry
- Sweaty or damp hands and feet
- Warm, damp weather
- HIV infection
- Specific treatments for a weak immune system (immunoglobulin).
This condition isn’t really contagious. You cannot capture it from touching someone who has it.
If you discover blisters on your hands and feet, see a skin specialist (a physician who concentrates on your skin). He’ll look at your hands and feet, as well as your nails.
You likewise might need to see an allergic reaction doctor (allergist). Spot tests can reveal if you have an allergic reaction to nickel or another metal. During these tests, your medical professional will put spots with a small amount of various metals or other things on your skin to see if you respond to them.
What You Can Do with Watery and Itchy Blisters on Hands and Feet?
Your physician can prescribe an ointment or cream with a steroid in it to bring down swelling and help eliminate the blisters. Your skin will take in the medicine much better if you put a wet compress on it after you utilize the cream. If you have a serious flare-up, you may need to take a steroid drug, like prednisone, in a pill.
An antihistamine like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or loratadine (Alavert, Claritin) can aid with the itch, too. Or you may hold a cold, wet compress on the blisters for 15 minutes at a time a number of times a day.
If these treatments do not work well for you, you might try among these:
- Light therapy: This utilizes ultraviolet (UV) light to clear up your skin. You might get a medicine first to assist your skin respond better to the light.
- Botulinum contaminant: These shots stop your hands and feet from sweating, which can trigger the blisters.
- Medicines that decrease your body immune system: Tacrolimus (Protopic) ointment or pimecrolimus (Elidel) cream can calm the swelling and inflammation. These drugs can be options if you don’t want to take steroids.
- Draining the blisters: Your dermatologist can drain fluid from the blisters. Do not attempt to do this yourself. You might make the eczema worse.
To control the blisters at home:
- Wash your hands and feet every day. Usage lukewarm water and a mild, scent-free soap. Afterward, gently pat your skin dry.
- Take your rings off before you wash your hands. Wetness can get trapped under your rings and cause more blisters.
- Wear gloves with cotton liners whenever your hands remain in water, like when you wash dishes.
- Put a thick moisturizer on your hands and feet every time you shower or wash. Rub it on while your skin is still damp to seal in water. You likewise might use a cream that has actually dimethicone to safeguard your skin.
- Switch on a humidifier in dry weather to keep your skin from splitting.
- If allergies triggered your eczema, try to keep away from things that trigger them.
- Don’t scratch the blisters — you’ll make them even worse.
If you’re delicate to nickel or cobalt, your skin specialist might tell you not to eat foods that are high in these metals. Nickel is in foods like chocolate, broccoli, beans, and nuts. Cobalt remains in shellfish, liver, nuts, beets, cabbage, and chocolate.