Food related to hand eczema

 Eczema can occur anywhere on the body. A very common eczema is 'housewife's eczema'. It is widely seen. Although it is named so because it is more common on women's hands, it can also occur on men's hands in some cases.

Reason: The main reason behind this eczema is hereditary predisposition. However, it has been seen that using soaps and detergents does not cure it even after hundreds of treatments; it comes back again and again or gradually increases. When the patient completely stops using them as per the doctor's instructions, it often increases even after appropriate treatment. Then the patient says that it increases after eating so-called allergic foods like brinjal, shrimp, hilsa, boal fish etc.

 

In fact, when eczema appears on the hands, only then can some foods not be handled with the hands. Be it for eating or for chopping, peeling, washing or cooking. The same applies to many other foods, such as eggplant, beef, hilsa, shrimp, etc. That is, if eczema on the hands is present, the patient will not be able to handle many things with his hands.

 

Foods contain ingredients that stimulate or excite the skin tissue of the hands (especially the fingers), causing changes there, which in turn causes redness, itching, and the formation of small bumps on the skin, and the disease eventually manifests itself with its full characteristics.

 

What to do: Eat with a spoon. Apart from washing and cleaning utensils and cups, one should refrain from most of the hand work; for example, cutting vegetables, especially ginger, garlic, onions, etc., by holding them with hands, eczema on his hands increases. Therefore, washing, cutting, picking or moving them with hands is prohibited for him. Apart from this, the disease definitely increases when oil and spices are rubbed with hands. Even if spicy, oil and spice-rich foods are rubbed with hands after cooking, the disease increases. Foods that are identified as allergic are eaten, but eczema does not increase, it increases due to direct contact of those foods with the affected hands. If the patient avoids contact with hands and eats these foods, then the disease will never increase due to these foods. Even after the disease is completely cured, these choices will remain in place forever.

 

Suggested by: Dr. Zakia Mahfuza Zakaria, Senior Consultant, Dermatology, Uttara Skin Care and Laser, Former Consultant Dermatologist, Dhaka Children's Hospital.