u/Kat0318

Guys, I’m at my wits end and am really struggling because I can’t figure it why I can’t get my hand eczema under control. I’ve been dealing with it consistently for the last 2 years, and it is breaking me down physically, emotionally, and mentally.

It started December 2024. I guess I should preface and say that I’ve dealt with eczema my whole life, but never this bad. Anyways, I started developing spots on my hands around then and figured maybe it was just the fact that it was winter time and I’m a healthcare worker, so I was washing my hands a lot. I thought maybe it was something new I’d come in contact with, so my husband and I tried to weed things out. We had just moved and I thought maybe the water where we lived was too hard, so I would wear gloves in the shower. Nothing changed, so we started analyzing everything and I hadn’t changed any of my products at that point that would explain the change in my skin so we were at a loss. It eventually got worse so I went to a dermatologist and they gave me a steroid shot and prescribed me Opzelura cream. The steroid shot worked really well and I was able to keep things calmed down for a while with the Opzelura cream as well as occasional applications of strong steroid topicals (clobetasol/beclomethasone).

Come October of last year, I found out I was pregnant and was told to get off the Opzelura cream and use the steroids for a flare ups. I was able yup manage it with the steroids…until the 3rd trimester. A couple weeks into the 3rd trimester, my eczema flared up SO bad. I was coming home from work everyday crying because my hands would flare up so bad and cause so much pain. Mundane tasks like cooking, cleaning, and even showering were becoming more painful. I went to another dermatologist, and they gave me another steroid cream (it was a little tricky to find something safe with pregnancy). Then, after crying to an allergist I work with, he thought maybe it could be related to the nitrile gloves at work. After that, I did everything in my power to stay away from nitrile gloves up until my maternity leave, which was a month after this discussion. I even used nitrile free gloves and even still, it didn’t change much. I got so desperate that, at 38 weeks, I ultimately decided to try Dupixent and get a biopsy taken of the skin on my hand. The testing came back saying it was an eczema type reaction but it could not identify if it was contact or just atopic dermatitis. My dermatologist said that the Dupixent should work and 2 weeks later I had my baby.

Initially, it seemed that the Dupixent was working well but, about a month in, then I started to develop extremely red, burning, and irritated palms that seemed to get worse with each Dupixent injection. It got so bad, especially with having a newborn, that I desperately went back to my dermatologist and she decided that we should try Nemluvio. It’s been almost 2 weeks since my first injection/loading dose, and although my hands feel slightly better, I still am struggling to do anything because even with just the slightest use, my hands seem to flare. Even feeding my daughter it challenging because when I hold her head, if makes my palms red and hot. I’ve skipped out on a lot of stuff lately because they’ve been causing me so much discomfort and pain. I can’t even begin to explain how many times I’ve cried to my husband about how uncomfortable I am. My steroid creams don’t seem to be cutting it any more and I’m stressed as I will be heading back to work next week after being on maternity leave since mid July. At this point, I’m at a loss and don’t know what to do. I have an appointment scheduled with an allergist at the end of this month to see if it really could be something that I’m frequently in contact with and that’s why it won’t go away, but I’m losing hope on finding a solution.

Guess I’m just here hoping that I’m not the only one or that someone can tell me that it gets better. Thanks for reading 💕

It’s officially been 12 days since I last used any sort of nitrile. They still get irritated, itchy, and red, but today feels like I’m going in the opposite direction. I woke up with them feeling extremely itchy and irritated; so much so that I ended up having to use my prescription corticosteroid cream and lots of ice just to make them feel “normal.” I even took an antihistamine just to help with the reaction. I know that after having used nitrile for years, my symptoms may take a while to subside, but I’m starting to lose hope because none of them have started to decrease. Anyone been in a similar situation?

*The first two pictures are from yesterday (still itchy and irritated)
*The second picture is from today (after ice and prescription corticosteroid)

I’ve had eczema since I was little and it’s been very manageable, but I started developing some issues with my hands about a year and a half ago. I’ve been put on so many cortisone creams (clobetosol with CeraVe, ARON method (mupirocin, betametamethasone, and vanicream), and betamethasone ointment) which have worked temporarily and then it comes right back. I was was even put on opzelura (a jak inhibitor cream) which worked really well…until I found out I was pregnant. After that I was told I shouldn’t be using it because there’s not enough research on it in pregnancy. I was able to manage it pretty well in the 1st and 2nd trimesters but the 3rd has been AWFUL! I also should mention that I’m a nurse and wear nitrile gloves almost every day. I’ve been to several dermatologists and actually had an appointment with an allergist today and he thinks it actually could be contact dermatitis to the nitrile gloves due to how the rash is spread; the derm said it was probably just atopic.

I’ve been working as a nurse for almost 2 years, but even prior to that I worked a job that required nitrile gloves use so I’ve been exposed to them for a long time (like 10 years total). Since I work full time, the longest amount of time I go without nitrile gloves exposure is 3 days and then I’m exposed again. I’ve just never had my hands be this uncomfortable, itchy, painful, red, or raw before. Doing normal mundane tasks are challenging. It hurts to load the dishwasher, cook, clean, and shower. I even have to wear gloves over the top of cotton ones in order to take a shower because prolonged water exposure hurts them tremendously. Has anyone who has definitively found that they had a nitrile allergy have hands that look like this? I’ve used lotions and creams to prior to wearing the gloves and I feel like it makes it worse. I also have to ice hands pretty frequently just to get rid of some of the redness and irritation. I’ve had a couple nights recently where they’ve been so irritated that it made it extremely difficult to fall/stay asleep. I’m starting to lose faith honestly.

I’m desperate to find relief, but it’s really difficult being 35 weeks pregnant. I also can’t imagine doing this with a newborn. advice is appreciated! I’ll attach some pics.

I’ve had eczema since I was little and it’s been very manageable, but I started developing some issues with my hands about a year and a half ago. I’ve been put on so many cortisone creams and was even put on opzelura (a jak inhibitor cream) which worked really well…until I found out I was pregnant. After that I was told I shouldn’t be using it because there’s not enough research on it in pregnancy. I was able to manage it pretty well in the 1st and 2nd trimesters but the 3rd has been AWFUL! I also should mention that I’m a nurse and wear nitrile gloves almost every day. I’ve been to several dermatologists and actually just got in with an allergist today and he thinks it actually could be contact dermatitis to the nitrile gloves due to how the rash is spread; the derm said it was probably just atopic.

I’ve been working as a nurse for almost 2 years, but even prior to that I worked a job that required nitrile gloves use so I’ve been exposed to them for a long time (like 10 years total). Since I work full time, the longest amount of time I go without nitrile gloves exposure is 3 days and then I’m exposed again. I’ve just never had my hands be this uncomfortable, itchy, painful, red, or raw before. Has anyone who has definitively found that they had a nitrile allergy have hands that look like this?

I’m desperate to find relief, but it’s really difficult being 35 weeks pregnant. Any advice is appreciated! I’ll attach some pics.