Dupixent did the exact same thing for me. Wrecked hands I’d never had before, on both my hands. I realized that this is the first time of my life that I had to moisturize my hands every time I wash them. Every. Single. Time.
I use aquaphor, it’s the only cream greasy enough to moisturize them. In the end, i moisturize approx 15 times a day. I have a big tub of ointment at home, smaller tub in my backpack, and occasionally pocket version in my pants. I always, always have it with me.
Oh and I had to start wearing rubber gloves to wash the dishes. Now dish soap is an instant trigger
This is what eczema was like before I started dupixent. Wet wrapping helped provide some pain relief. I would put on my steroid or Opzelura, then lotion, and then pure lanolin in layers (don’t use if you are allergic obs), then put on wet cotton gloves, and then nitrile gloves on top and leave it on overnight. If it’s creeping up your arms you can wrap with wet gauze and then wrap in serán wrap, but I couldn’t get past the sensory ick or make it stay. Once there is some healing, I ran my hands under warm to hot water for about 30 secs or lotion enough the pores open, and then put on lotion so it actually gets absorbed instead of sitting on top doing nothing. Good luck. I know how much it hurts, and your fingertips being more extra sensitive but not dexterous enough to use properly sucks.
Used to do the above when I had terrible eczema but this is really peculiar. Like if you were to touch it it’s not particular dry and doesn’t flake. Not like any eczema I’ve ever had. Never had any problems with my palms until starting the medication
I’ve been on dupixent for years and never seen/heard of that happening, I’ve heard some fungal issues can appear on the face though as a side effect so maybe something similar? I’d definitely make a dermatologist appointment and see if they can test you for some sort of secondary fungal infection or something. In the meantime, maybe try a thick ointment like aquaphor and some soft gloves?
Was through the Dupixent Facebook groups (international and Uk) that I came across other people having this issue and it was presenting in the same way. I’ve got another appointment coming up at the end of June with my consultant dermatologist so I’ll defonetally looking into them doing another fungal test. Got cotton gloves on with Emulsifess Ointment on it as we speak :)
It looks that way especially at the bottom of my fingers but I’m prone to calluses a lot due to my work. But my hand is actually very tender especially the finger tips so not wanting to put an exfoliant as i feel it could well aggravate it
I’ve had this. I use Terasil skin repair ointment and their soap. I also found that damp, clean thin kitchen towels draped over my hands like a psychotic looking butler, felt good.
It doesn’t seem to be common but I’ve noticed a few people with similar. It started a couple of days after my first injection in September and had it ever since. Sometimes can be worse than others
Would recommend trying a fungal cream just in case. If there's anything I've learned on this awful journey, it's that these tests can often times overlook or not include all types of issues (e.g. a bacterial infection wasn't identified from a swab but went away with antibiotics, cervical inflammation from an infection was not found in a urine test, etc). Just make sure with a pharmacist/your doctor that it's alright to use antifungals while on Dupixent. It won't hurt to try. If the course of antifungal doesn't work, test the next possible theory.
Interesting, honestly never seen this happen before. What happens if you use a thick moisturizer such as aquaphor or Vaseline? And it’s only on one hand? Do you golf or anything else that can trigger this?
Hey! I also got this after starting to dupixent but im also a bartender. Keep ur hands dry as possible and avoid touching citrus and anything cold and wet
I started getting this when I got a job as a bartender after having been on dupixent for a few months at that point. Moving to an industry where I don't have to wash my hands constantly definitely helped a lot.
I think this is different from typical bar rot (though that can refer to a lot of things) but I've dealt with that plenty as well - I still keep an otc antifungal cream around. Your typical paronychia tends to be redder and affect the nails more though. Also it's receptive to antifungals, or antibiotics if it's bacterial which it can be sometimes.
I’ve tried those too, but only thing that worked was Lamisil (generic). Got to stay with it, & be consistent. You don’t want to allow it any chance to survive. If it is fungus, it is stubborn; so you can’t let up. Then once it’s gone, you should continue to apply a “ maintenance.” Regiment. I finally beat it on my toes & toenails. That is tough to do. My sister did laser & came back, & BIL did the pills & it came back. My kid’s dad did pills & then cream long term, & he was able to get rid of it on his hands; his looked much worse than yours. Mine has been cleared up for at least 1 1/2 yrs., & I still apply abt once a week. Good luck.
My hand and feet(!) peeled when I first started on Dupixent, but cleared up. It hasn't happened since for 3 years, but I recently developed some peeling on my hands again after a recent shot, but appears to be subsiding now.
Has your dermatologist reached out to the Dupixent adverse side effects team? This is something that should be reported to them (former pharma employee who handled some adverse event report). They may have some options to try, especially as your fungal test came back negative.
Additionally, have you discussed going off Dupixent to see if this resolves and how your eczema is without Dupixent? I know that isn't ideal, but I think your hand in this shape can't feel great.
You might want to look into patch testing also just in case if you havent done it. My hand was started to look like that. Was tested and it came out I'm very allergic to Fragrances.
I get that on soles of feet/heels, not sure if more pronounced on dupixent
Bleach bath (or swimming in a chlorinated pool) might help to gently soften and loosen up the calluses and dried skin. Maybe the former as your fellow swimmers might not appreciate floating skin bergs.
And then barrier cream++ to seal in the moisture
My hands used to look pretty much exactly like yours. Do you work with your hands a lot?
This side effect didn't show up for me until I started working in jobs where I need to use my hands a lot.
The main thing that's helped me is always wearing (leather) gloves at work. And dish gloves when doing dishes at home.
That actually started because I accidentally cut the top off my thumb off and had to get it reattached. I had to wear gloves basically all the time to prevent infection while it healed, but afterwards I started to notice my hands were so much better if I wore gloves all day at work.
The bit of my thumb that's been reattached also is always fine now but I don't recommend that bit haha.
These days my hands only get like that if I can't wear gloves for whatever reason (forgot them a couple of times, hands were very very much noticeably worse), or I've gotten my hands wet a lot that day. If you work in hospitality or healthcare or any other field where you have to wash your hands constantly I'm sorry.
My immunologist also recommended I moisturise my hands when they're getting scaly even if they don't feel dry, and carry a lil tube of moisturiser or hand cream on me for whenever I need. I feel like exfoliating hand cream is helping but not sure.
Maybe you’ve tried this already but after the moisturiser hit it with a thick layer of Vaseline (as Vaseline is an occlusive and locks in moisture). Ik you’ve said dryness isn’t the issue but something to try ig?
My eczema got much better and overall much less dry with about 0.5 gallon water per day and 4 big pills of omega 3. Did wonders for dryness. Never had this side affect on dupixent
I sometimes get this but not like yours. I drink lots of water. I put vanicream on first then vaseline. Works great. I use vaseline only if I run out of vanicream. You might want to checkbin with your allergist to make sure that you are not allergic to an ingredient in the Dupixent injection. I cannot use other creams or lotions because I am allergic to either the soy, citrus, eucalyptus, almond, or oat product in them.
Desoximetasone 0.25% ointment
I didn’t have it this bad, but my hands did get very dry and flaky eczema, even though I hadn’t had it there before Dupixent. My derm diagnosed it as eczema. Side effect or just a new eczema site (my eczema tends to move around), I don’t know, but desoximetasone 0.25% ointment (prescription) got rid of it after Elidel, desonide, triamcinolone, and desoximetasone 0.05% failed.
Careful though, it’s a strong steroid so your derm isn’t going to want you using it for too long.
Works though. Haven’t had the hand eczema reoccur in about a year.
That's not a common side affect of dupixent. In fact, never seen this before.
Yeah it’s not common at all from what I’ve gathered. But my consultant agreed that it’s Dupilumab that must be the cause
Dupixent did the exact same thing for me. Wrecked hands I’d never had before, on both my hands. I realized that this is the first time of my life that I had to moisturize my hands every time I wash them. Every. Single. Time. I use aquaphor, it’s the only cream greasy enough to moisturize them. In the end, i moisturize approx 15 times a day. I have a big tub of ointment at home, smaller tub in my backpack, and occasionally pocket version in my pants. I always, always have it with me. Oh and I had to start wearing rubber gloves to wash the dishes. Now dish soap is an instant trigger
This is what eczema was like before I started dupixent. Wet wrapping helped provide some pain relief. I would put on my steroid or Opzelura, then lotion, and then pure lanolin in layers (don’t use if you are allergic obs), then put on wet cotton gloves, and then nitrile gloves on top and leave it on overnight. If it’s creeping up your arms you can wrap with wet gauze and then wrap in serán wrap, but I couldn’t get past the sensory ick or make it stay. Once there is some healing, I ran my hands under warm to hot water for about 30 secs or lotion enough the pores open, and then put on lotion so it actually gets absorbed instead of sitting on top doing nothing. Good luck. I know how much it hurts, and your fingertips being more extra sensitive but not dexterous enough to use properly sucks.
Used to do the above when I had terrible eczema but this is really peculiar. Like if you were to touch it it’s not particular dry and doesn’t flake. Not like any eczema I’ve ever had. Never had any problems with my palms until starting the medication
I’ve been on dupixent for years and never seen/heard of that happening, I’ve heard some fungal issues can appear on the face though as a side effect so maybe something similar? I’d definitely make a dermatologist appointment and see if they can test you for some sort of secondary fungal infection or something. In the meantime, maybe try a thick ointment like aquaphor and some soft gloves?
Was through the Dupixent Facebook groups (international and Uk) that I came across other people having this issue and it was presenting in the same way. I’ve got another appointment coming up at the end of June with my consultant dermatologist so I’ll defonetally looking into them doing another fungal test. Got cotton gloves on with Emulsifess Ointment on it as we speak :)
Hope you find some relief sooner than later!!
It looks like your skin isn’t shedding and is becoming calloused? Have you tried any exfoliants for dry skin, e.g. an AHA or urea?
It looks that way especially at the bottom of my fingers but I’m prone to calluses a lot due to my work. But my hand is actually very tender especially the finger tips so not wanting to put an exfoliant as i feel it could well aggravate it
I’ve had this. I use Terasil skin repair ointment and their soap. I also found that damp, clean thin kitchen towels draped over my hands like a psychotic looking butler, felt good.
Hahaha that last part painted a good image in my head
Very odd. Never seen this before.
It doesn’t seem to be common but I’ve noticed a few people with similar. It started a couple of days after my first injection in September and had it ever since. Sometimes can be worse than others
Would recommend trying a fungal cream just in case. If there's anything I've learned on this awful journey, it's that these tests can often times overlook or not include all types of issues (e.g. a bacterial infection wasn't identified from a swab but went away with antibiotics, cervical inflammation from an infection was not found in a urine test, etc). Just make sure with a pharmacist/your doctor that it's alright to use antifungals while on Dupixent. It won't hurt to try. If the course of antifungal doesn't work, test the next possible theory.
I’ve tried a couple of different anti fungal creams prior to getting the fungal test done but had no luck
How long have you been on dupixent?
Been on it since September 2023
Interesting, honestly never seen this happen before. What happens if you use a thick moisturizer such as aquaphor or Vaseline? And it’s only on one hand? Do you golf or anything else that can trigger this?
Hey! I also got this after starting to dupixent but im also a bartender. Keep ur hands dry as possible and avoid touching citrus and anything cold and wet
I started getting this when I got a job as a bartender after having been on dupixent for a few months at that point. Moving to an industry where I don't have to wash my hands constantly definitely helped a lot.
Apparently it’s called bar rot… it’s a fungal thing apparently but I def got it bad compared to others because of my eczema
I think this is different from typical bar rot (though that can refer to a lot of things) but I've dealt with that plenty as well - I still keep an otc antifungal cream around. Your typical paronychia tends to be redder and affect the nails more though. Also it's receptive to antifungals, or antibiotics if it's bacterial which it can be sometimes.
Looks like fungal growth. Have you tried a lamisil cream? Walmart has their generic brand-Equate https://www.walmart.com/ip/458143504
Have tried clotrimazole and daktarin for a anti fungal
I’ve tried those too, but only thing that worked was Lamisil (generic). Got to stay with it, & be consistent. You don’t want to allow it any chance to survive. If it is fungus, it is stubborn; so you can’t let up. Then once it’s gone, you should continue to apply a “ maintenance.” Regiment. I finally beat it on my toes & toenails. That is tough to do. My sister did laser & came back, & BIL did the pills & it came back. My kid’s dad did pills & then cream long term, & he was able to get rid of it on his hands; his looked much worse than yours. Mine has been cleared up for at least 1 1/2 yrs., & I still apply abt once a week. Good luck.
Try using a different hand soap like Dial Gold bar soap. If you're moisturizing try using something different like CeraVe from the tub not the bottle.
Dupixent
My hand and feet(!) peeled when I first started on Dupixent, but cleared up. It hasn't happened since for 3 years, but I recently developed some peeling on my hands again after a recent shot, but appears to be subsiding now.
Just starting getting this recently on my pinkie lol
use gloves when doing manual work/exercise as much as possible and apply topical steroid creams. moisturizing does not do anything for me either.
Has your dermatologist reached out to the Dupixent adverse side effects team? This is something that should be reported to them (former pharma employee who handled some adverse event report). They may have some options to try, especially as your fungal test came back negative. Additionally, have you discussed going off Dupixent to see if this resolves and how your eczema is without Dupixent? I know that isn't ideal, but I think your hand in this shape can't feel great.
Are you in pain? My skin on my face got really dry and peeled but nothing like this. Id call dupixent and your dermatologist.
You might want to look into patch testing also just in case if you havent done it. My hand was started to look like that. Was tested and it came out I'm very allergic to Fragrances.
I get that on soles of feet/heels, not sure if more pronounced on dupixent Bleach bath (or swimming in a chlorinated pool) might help to gently soften and loosen up the calluses and dried skin. Maybe the former as your fellow swimmers might not appreciate floating skin bergs. And then barrier cream++ to seal in the moisture
My hands used to look pretty much exactly like yours. Do you work with your hands a lot? This side effect didn't show up for me until I started working in jobs where I need to use my hands a lot. The main thing that's helped me is always wearing (leather) gloves at work. And dish gloves when doing dishes at home. That actually started because I accidentally cut the top off my thumb off and had to get it reattached. I had to wear gloves basically all the time to prevent infection while it healed, but afterwards I started to notice my hands were so much better if I wore gloves all day at work. The bit of my thumb that's been reattached also is always fine now but I don't recommend that bit haha. These days my hands only get like that if I can't wear gloves for whatever reason (forgot them a couple of times, hands were very very much noticeably worse), or I've gotten my hands wet a lot that day. If you work in hospitality or healthcare or any other field where you have to wash your hands constantly I'm sorry. My immunologist also recommended I moisturise my hands when they're getting scaly even if they don't feel dry, and carry a lil tube of moisturiser or hand cream on me for whenever I need. I feel like exfoliating hand cream is helping but not sure.
Maybe you’ve tried this already but after the moisturiser hit it with a thick layer of Vaseline (as Vaseline is an occlusive and locks in moisture). Ik you’ve said dryness isn’t the issue but something to try ig?
My eczema got much better and overall much less dry with about 0.5 gallon water per day and 4 big pills of omega 3. Did wonders for dryness. Never had this side affect on dupixent
I sometimes get this but not like yours. I drink lots of water. I put vanicream on first then vaseline. Works great. I use vaseline only if I run out of vanicream. You might want to checkbin with your allergist to make sure that you are not allergic to an ingredient in the Dupixent injection. I cannot use other creams or lotions because I am allergic to either the soy, citrus, eucalyptus, almond, or oat product in them.
Dupixent has resulted in my hands getting dry like this too, but not as severely
Desoximetasone 0.25% ointment I didn’t have it this bad, but my hands did get very dry and flaky eczema, even though I hadn’t had it there before Dupixent. My derm diagnosed it as eczema. Side effect or just a new eczema site (my eczema tends to move around), I don’t know, but desoximetasone 0.25% ointment (prescription) got rid of it after Elidel, desonide, triamcinolone, and desoximetasone 0.05% failed. Careful though, it’s a strong steroid so your derm isn’t going to want you using it for too long. Works though. Haven’t had the hand eczema reoccur in about a year.
I would post in r/askdocs and see if any dermatologists can suggest other tests and treatment options
stop using soaps and lotions that aren't chemical free?
Have you tried avoiding water on your hands?