Hand eczema is a non-infectious, inflammatory change in the skin on the hands. Hand eczema is very common; about 10 percent of the western population suffer from hand eczema. It occurs equally frequently in men and women and can occur at any age.
There are different forms of hand eczema. The allergic hand eczema is caused by contact with certain substances. The cumulative subtoxic hand eczema is the most common form and is also called wear eczema.
The atopic hand eczema occurs mainly in people with neurodermatitis. The disease can lead to severe suffering, as the painful cracks, itching, redness and thick cornea in hand eczema can lead to restrictions in everyday life. People who put a lot of stress on the skin of their hands due to external influences are particularly often affected. In people with sensitive skin on their hands, for example, frequent hand washing, cleaning, rinsing or working with chemicals in certain professions can trigger hand eczema. However, hand eczema can also be caused by special skin diseases such as neurodermatitis (atopic eczema), skin fungi, psoriasis or allergies.
Causes for the development of hand eczema
Hand eczema is caused by an inflammation of the two uppermost skin layers, the dermis and the epidermis. There are various causes for such an inflammatory reaction of the skin. Since the skin on the hands comes into contact with a wide variety of substances and pollutants particularly frequently, it is not surprising that such eczema develops primarily on the hands.
Through contact with harmful substances such as detergents, acids, solvents or other chemicals, the skin is attacked, triggering an inflammatory reaction of the body. Frequent contact with water damages the natural protective barrier of the skin on the hands, which can lead to inflammatory reactions and develop into hand eczema. But allergies are also a frequent cause of hand eczema.
Typical triggers for such contact allergies are substances such as nickel, fragrances or cobalt. Atopic hand eczema is characterized by a particularly sensitive skin that reacts hypersensitively to environmental influences. It is a congenital predisposition (atopy), which is often associated with neurodermatitis.
In people with atopic hand eczema, the skin reacts hypersensitively to substances that do not trigger a skin reaction in people without this predisposition. Smoking has long been suspected of aggravating or even triggering the symptoms of hand eczema. There is obviously a connection, as smokers suffer disproportionately often from hand eczema.
When smoking, nicotine is absorbed through the skin and damages the skin. The natural barrier function of the skin on the hands is usually reduced in smokers, which is why the development of hand eczema is encouraged. The pre-damage of the skin by nicotine plays a role especially if the hands are washed after the damage caused by smoking or come into contact with allergenic substances.
In addition, cigarettes contain a large number of substances that trigger allergies (e.g. nickel), which is why smokers are more frequently sensitized to these substances and can react with an inflammatory reaction and hand eczema when they come into contact with the substances on the skin. In principle, smoking is not healthy and promotes a variety of diseases. In particular, if diseases such as hand eczema exist, smoking should be avoided in the long term in order to allow the disease to heal.
A balanced and healthy diet is important for a healthy skin. On the one hand, healthy nutrition promotes general health, and on the other hand certain ingredients that are ingested with food can trigger or aggravate allergies or diseases such as hand eczema. The diet should be as high quality as possible, little processed, varied, regular and balanced.
When consuming convenience and fast food, especially many ingredients and preservatives are absorbed that are not healthy for the body or skin. The concentrated and “hidden” sugar contained in many drinks and finished products should also be avoided.The extent to which the body reacts to certain environmental influences with an inflammatory reaction of the skin is also determined by the general state of health of the person concerned. In many cases, the inflammatory reaction in hand eczema is controlled not only by contact with allergenic or harmful substances from the outside, but also from the inside (so-called endogenous hand eczema). The less harmful substances are contained in the diet, the less the body reacts with an inflammation and the protective function of the skin is strengthened.
