Best Moisturizers for Hand Eczema: 3 Dermatologist-Recommended Creams for Dry, Cracked Hands

Hand eczema is more than dry skin. Scaling, redness, itching, burning, painful cracks and, in some cases, small fluid-filled blisters are all common symptoms of hand eczema.

Why does hand eczema happen?

The commonest problem is repeated exposure to drying agents/irritants/allergens.

• Frequent hand washing

• Hand sanitizers

• Soaps and detergents

• Cleaning products

• Repeated wet work

• Friction

• Gloves and sweating

• Hair dyes and nail products

• Fragrances

• Cold, dry weather

Dyshidrotic eczema (pompholyx), irrItant contact dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis and atopic eczema are all variants of hand eczema.

Treatment ladder for hand eczema

The treatment starts with reducing exposure to suspected allergen.

Moisturizer comes next.

And then there are prescription treatments.

Best moisturizers for hand eczema

1. Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume

Best for: Dry, itchy, eczema-prone hands.

This is my first choice for overall hand eczema when the skin is dry and irritated.

It is fragrance-free and contains ceramides, cholesterol, lipids and humectants.

Use after hand washing and at bedtime.

2. Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS 5% Urea Hand Cream

Best for: Rough, thick, very dry hands.

Urea helps hydrate and soften thickened skin.

This formula also contains ceramide and other natural moisturizing factors.

I would choose this when roughness and scaling are the main problem.

But skin urea over raw, cracked or actively inflamed skin. It often stings.

3. Vaseline petroleum jelly

Best for: Cracked, fissured hands.

No fancy ingredients. No fragrance. Excellent occlusion.

Apply a thick layer at night, especially over painful fissures.

For severely dry, cracked hands, this is often more useful than another complicated moisturizer.

Medical treatment of hand eczema

Moisturizers and trigger avoidance are the foundation. If your eczema is inflamed, recurrent or severe, you might need prescription treatment.

For mild to moderate hand eczema, treatment options include short-term topical corticosteroids along with regular emollient therapy.

For atopic or recurrent hand eczema, treatment options include tacrolimus 0.1% ointment as a steroid-sparing therapy.

Thick, hyperkeratotic eczema and fissures are treated with keratolytic preparations such as urea or salicylic acid, alongside anti-inflammatory therapy.

Moderate to severe chronic hand eczema has topical delgocitinib as a treatment option where approved.

Persistent moderate to severe disease despite topical treatment is treated with phototherapy, including PUVA, narrow-band UVB or UVA1.

Severe or refractory chronic hand eczema has systemic treatment options including alitretinoin where approved, ciclosporin, methotrexate or azathioprine in selected cases.

And finally, severe acute flares are sometimes treated with a short course of oral corticosteroids.

While, secondary bacterial infection is treated with antibiotics when clinical infection is present.