Steroids, Coal Tar Shampoo for Severe hand Eczema
Dear NEA Scratch Pad:
A few months ago, my hands were so bad that I was practically disabled. There aren’t many things in life that you can do without using your hands. So I went to a dermatologist again (my fifth one since getting severe eczema seven years ago), and this time the results were different. This is what my doctor told me to do:
I soaked my hands in one quart of water mixed with four capfuls of a coal tar shampoo for a half hour EVERY night for six weeks. After soaking, I would rinse and pat my hands dry, and then I would apply a steroid ointment and cover my hands with white cotton gloves. I also used a steroid cream twice a day.
At first I was discouraged. I had tried steroids before, and my hands would get better for a couple days and then get worse again. This time they got worse for the first few days and then they gradually got better. It has been almost two months since I finished my treatment and my hands are still perfect! Now the only thing I use is an OTC cream a couple times a day.
I feel so blessed to have gone to this doctor! I thought that I would pass this information on to you so that maybe others can get some relief from this treatment.
D.U.
Montana
