Dry Hands Explained: Eczema, Hidden Allergies, Over-washing & The Best Treatments

Dry hands are not just a winter problem and if your skin is cracking, stinging or constantly flaring, there is usually more going on than “just dryness.”

In this episode of the After Hours Skin Clinic, Dr Emma Craythorne and Dr Ellie Rashid unpack the different types of hand dermatitis, why some people are genetically prone to eczema, and how everyday habits like over-washing, wet work and even handling receipts can quietly damage the skin barrier.

They explain the difference between atopic eczema, irritant dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis and pompholyx eczema, including the hidden allergens that can keep hand eczema going for years without people realising it.

They explore:

• Who is especially vulnerable to hand eczema
• The role of filaggrin and skin barrier dysfunction
• Why soap can make eczema dramatically worse
• How patch testing works and why it can completely change treatment outcomes
• The surprising reason some steroid creams can worsen eczema
• The best soap substitutes and moisturisers for dry, damaged hands
• How to protect hands properly with gloves and overnight treatments
• New prescription treatments for chronic hand eczema now available through specialist dermatology clinics

There are also practical recommendations throughout the episode, including favourite dermatologist-approved hand creams, cleansers and barrier repair strategies that can genuinely improve painful fissures and chronic dryness.

Products mentioned include:

• Dermol 500
• Aveeno Hand Ointment
• CeraVe Healing Ointment
• La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Hands
• O’Keeffe’s Working Hands

If your hands are persistently dry, cracked, itchy or inflamed - especially if treatments never seem to fully work - this episode explains what might be missing.

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YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@AfterHoursSkinClinic 

Instagram: ⁠@afterhoursskinclinic⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Producer: Ella Blaxill

Exec: Eve Streeter

Music by Simon Elms.

This is a Raconteur Studios Production.

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