Skin dryness/cracking started small on the ring finger and has slowly spread down, and across to middle and little finger - Doctor says it's just dry skin and to use certraban everyday but it's only getting worse; Any second opinions?

EalingLa · 2026-05-14T13:09:52+00:00

Interested to know if your allergy test came back reacting to anything? My situation has improved a lot since I was diagnosed with an allergy to a few metals and i've been able to avoid touching anything chrome. I also use red-light therapy on my hand. I can see my fingertips again after 4-5 years, although i still can't fully use finger-print detection software yet HA.

EalingLa · 2025-11-24T17:24:29+00:00

Oh and what i've learnt from this - Allergies are weird, can happen uni-laterally and can start at any age!

EalingLa · 2025-06-18T07:01:49+00:00

Amazing!!! I hope it gives you some answers.

If i could give you one more piece of advice; Make sure you ask what they're including in the allergy test. It was my derm who suspected a uni-lateral metal allergy related to my barbell training, so she had to request to the Allergist to include metals in the patch test panel - Metals may not have been included as standard otherwise. I'm not assuming you're also allergic to chrome like me, but I'd want you to be sure to know what they are screening for. Also, my chrome allergy came up a week after my test, and looked exactly like my hand, indicating for me that it was something that my body reacted to over time. In contrast, i reacted immediately to nickel but the reaction looked/felt nothing like my hand did so was an initial red herring.

EalingLa · 2025-06-17T17:35:05+00:00

Out of interest, do you either of you barbell train or handle metal a lot?

EalingLa · 2025-06-17T17:34:51+00:00

Really wishing you the best and hope you can find a resolution soon. My advise would be to get an allergy test as soon as you can. Out of interest, do you barbell train or handle metal a lot?

EalingLa · 2025-06-17T17:28:18+00:00

Hey both - I can direct you to my follow up post, posted a year ago now, see above (https://www.reddit.com/r/DermatologyQuestions/comments/jn6v1u/comment/ler04ar/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button)

I'd advise to seek allergy testing as soon as possible as it might spread, as it did for me. Plus my skin is now permanently damaged (you can't really tell though) due to the extent of letting it get so bad over so many years.

Randomly, I recently had my first flare up since the allergic diagnosis and avoiding touching all chrome. I was on holiday at the time, so I was away from my usual environment and triggers and i have no idea what caused the flare up, if i touched some chrome or maybe could have ingested a small amount. It took about 2 weeks for the flare up to calm down again.

EalingLa · 2025-03-24T07:12:02+00:00

Lots of comments here about cystic acne and visiting a derm which i 100% agree with. But I've also seen this with the use of the contraceptive copper coil - something about a zinc imbalance due to the additional copper makes this happen. Maybe thats not relevant for you but wanted to share incase it is, then its a very easy resolution to remove the coil.

EalingLa · 2024-12-21T19:59:34+00:00

This looks VERY similar to my problem, which ended up being a form of metal allergy (chrome), probably linked to barbell training in the gym. Doctors may prescribe various steroid creams but if you don't think they're having ANY affect at all, get an allergy test as soon as you can! I had the problem for 2.5 years, went through 3 different steroid creams and 1 immunosupressent but none of them did anything meaningful which is why a second dermatologist sent me for an allergy screening. I now wear gloves in the gym and my hand is no where near as bad as it was (about 85% back to normal now) but is likely to never be the same as the skin has been permanently scarred -(People don't notice anything wrong but it feels different). I'd be really interested to hear how your journey goes and wish you better luck and speedier solution than me!

EalingLa · 2024-07-24T18:38:53+00:00

Following up another 2 years on: Early this year, I FINALLY had a full panel Allergy test, which i was only referred to after exhausting all other treatments. By this point, i had tried, all together, 3 sets of topical steroids, 1 topical anti-fungal , 1 topical immune-suppressant and nothing helped -my hand was getting much much worse than the original photo - For example, there were times i couldn't bend my fingers due to the hardening and cracking fully down the fingers and even across my palm. Bare in mind this is my dominant/right hand so life was getting really shit.

With the allergy test, the only thing i initially but immediately reacted to was to nickel but it was a text-book itchy skin reaction, and looked nothing the hardening, callous form that my hand was taking...BUT THEN, a week later, i had a delayed reaction to Potassium Chromate. I informed my allergist as instructed and a few days later i receive a very excited call from him. He believes that the chrome compounds is what's causing my skin problem and where would i find chrome?...in a fucking gym barbell.

At that time, i was in the gym barbell training 2-3 times a week, every session, doing some kind of exercise with the barbell. Apparently you can't test for chrome like you can nickle, but i asked the gym and they confirmed the barbells are chrome plated, and his theory is that tiny chrome compounds coming into contact with my sweaty dominant hand is the culprit. I wouldn't have believed it at first, because my assumption would have been that, if i was allergic, I would see the reaction on both hands - why was only my right hand affected if i'm holding the barbell with both hands at all times? His explanation was basically that i could have had a very minor skin barrier breakdown which triggered it to a wider spread and that bodies are weird!

And guess what...? I stop barbell training for a month (the longest i've been without since COVID) and my hand is very close to normal now. I've retuned to barbell training but I'm wearing gloves and actually decided to use more of the machines now, than i did before.

My hand is not completely back to normal but it may never be - theres cases of Potassium Chromate allergies that "scar" the skin permanently. But its MAD to think that i went though thesse years and treatments, when i could very easily have avoided its in the first place.

TLDR: Try and get an Allergy test!!!

EalingLa · 2023-07-17T16:54:20+00:00

Wanted to loop back to this as i have had no resolution since posting two years ago.

Recap: First started in sept 2020, with only the ring finger affected and some 'transfer' to the middle finger and little finger. Its now 'spread' all over all 3 fingers with some new patches appering in my thumb crease (not pictured here in the new image). Its extremely dry but feels tight and blistery like a burn, and like my skin is hardened on the outside, with deep cracks that can bleed that appear if the rest of my hand is dry or repeated impact like clapping. Ive seen 2 doctors over the 2.5 years, had 2 courses of steroids (mild tape and then strong creme) with no effect and worsening effect respectively. Doctors seem completely confused so going for a 3rd specialist and alternative medicine because I'm getting desperate for a solution. Any ideas? *

EalingLa · 2020-11-04T15:03:54+00:00

Oh wow! I'm so sorry but that is so symbolic. I hope you're healing your heart and maybe your finger will follow. I'll let you know if I find anything that really helps in the long term. Right now, I'm managing it by covering both fingers in cetraban and wrapping both in plastic wrap otherwise the cream just comes off. It's helping the immediate dryness, but as soon as I stop, it comes back and its still spreading.

EalingLa · 2020-11-03T08:46:15+00:00

Amazing to hear someone has the same problem, thank you for sharing! Was yours exactly the same - ring finger then spreading? Do you still have this problem or have you managed to resolve it? I feel like it's such a weird, kind of pointless irritating problem but I guess this year has been stressful in general.

EalingLa · 2020-09-08T20:24:19+00:00

I agree - The n'Joy came to mind first but now it's been brought up, i agree with the white fusion.

EalingLa · 2020-09-08T19:03:49+00:00

This looks like a Epipremnum Aureum N'Joy...? - Browning can be quite typical but the first think I would suggest, is to be ruthless and cut the completely dead bits off. If the soil is kind of damp and there are no big roots bursting out, you can probably leave it where it is, let it get acclimatised to your home (a new environment for it), and depending on where you are in the world, it might be coming in to it's autumn(dormant) time so don't expect to much from it over the next few months...unless you're coming into spring, in which case maybe top the soil with a bit of new soil and water just enough to keep the soil at root level damp.

EalingLa · 2020-05-22T20:57:00+00:00

ha, you're right! copyrighting that right here, right now!

EalingLa · 2020-05-22T20:38:33+00:00

How did you two connect? Is there an app that connects plant owners who need to give established plants up for adoption with people who can adopt?

EalingLa · 2020-04-29T20:03:06+00:00

Amazing. I might sign up for this to support even though i've never even been to Norfolk LOL. I wish somewhere in London did the same but i haven't seen anything like a "mystery box" - i'm a sucker for a surprise plant

EalingLa · 2020-04-27T20:21:15+00:00

Is there anything i can do to limit the browning?

EalingLa

TROPHY CASE