hi everyone!
I am seeking advice regarding my hands, which have been irritated for around 5-6 months now.
regarding symptoms:
The problem happens only on hands. They are dry, constantly irritated and hurt. Especially at night and in the morning, I can feel itchiness in my hands, and it is very hard to stop myself from rubbing them, which makes it worse. Skin is constantly falling, and the wounds do not heal much. I can also see that redness is consistent between fingers, which is a sweaty point.
context:
I climb (bouldering), and I am sure this is related. Using chalk dries my hands a lot (first picture). Most of the problems started with some kind of skin loss from climbing (see my palm).
what I tried:
initially, I tried an anti fungal cream. when this did not work, I went to a doctor and got prescribed steroid cream, which I used for 2 weeks. before all this, I tried to stop climbing for 2 weeks to no improvement. I also try to wash my hands only when necessary and very delicately. I apply lots of vaseline jelly, nothing else (second picture).
what I’m seeking:
I am not sure if this is a fungal infection. my partner climbs too, but does not have any of my problems. I am open to an advice or direction on what issue this could be.
On another hand, it could also be a side effect of using chalk with my skin type. in that case, I wonder if there is any care or solution for me to continue climbing (as I do now 3 times a week) and not cry over how much it hurts.
first pic: my hands after washing after climbing
second pic: during a better part of the day, after applying vaseline
third pic: typical state