Skin Help - May Be Dh, May Not, Not Sure

[Syracusegirl1999]

I know that others have posted pictures in here, and I'm just looking for some help.

 

I've had these intensely itchy spots on my hands for about 18 years (I'm 36 now). Whenever I get them, I can wash my hands, use hand cream, cortisone ointment, hand sanitizer - nothing will stop the itch. The itch is stopped only by scratching, and it's a conscious thing - to scratch so much that the topmost layer of skin comes off. Once that happens, the spot goes numb. Day 2 is the most painful. Day 3 on, the wound is scabbed and healing.

 

The bad part (you know, other than tearing my skin off) is that it looks like a burn.

 

Here's a pic of my hand 3 days after the itchiness started: Open Original Shared Link

 

My "doctor" today told me it was "eczema" and "ringworm" and prescribed me a steroid cream from looking at my hand from 5 feet away. 

 

Has anyone else ever had something like this? I know it doesn't look like the typical DH and I realize it might not be DH (if not, mods feel free to delete). I'm just looking for some help because I've also had these spots on my ankles, wrists, arms and legs.

[kareng]

I don't know a lot about Dh but I think the question would be - what do they look like before you scratch them?

Also, I do know about ringworm and that is nothing like ringworm!

[Syracusegirl1999]

I don't know a lot about Dh but I think the question would be - what do they look like before you scratch them?

Also, I do know about ringworm and that is nothing like ringworm!

Before I scratch, they get really red and inflamed. As I scratch the skin acts like it's blistering - it seems to get "loose" and I can pull the top layer away. Once the "blister pop" there is clear fluid, the skin turn whitish and red around it.

 

I also have 2 little spots on my left palm, here's a small example of what they look like before it get scratched:

Open Original Shared Link

[Syracusegirl1999]

Additional spots on my left inside wrist and left index . . . so frustrating

[ItchyAbby]

I cannot say for sure if it is Dh, but I will say this: don't get too hung up on what "typical" Dh looks like. If you look at the photo bank here you will see a fair amount of variation in rashes and locations. Mine is considered "atypical" according to common medical knowledge and that was enough to make multiple derms and docs decide it wasn't Dh. (Common medical knowledge says that Dh occurs mostly in males and on the elbows, knees and back of the neck. I am female and have it all over the front and sides of my torso and across my lower back.)

 

You may need to be "pushy" with you docs and ask to see a dermatologist. Then you may need to be pushy with them to get them to test for Dh (and then you need to make sure that they know how to properly take a biopsy for Dh) It's frustrating, I know.