Eczema on hands?

[SassyTachyRN]

I've had several students come down complaining about their hands itching, burning and hurting and they have what appears to be eczema on their hands. Besides educating, what else can I do in the clinic to help them? I had a teacher ask this morning if I could put Vaseline on them but I wasn't sure.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Are these students possibly wearing latex gloves during a class like biology? Kind of strange that it's their hands.

[HarleyGrandma, RN, EMT-B]

Has your school recently changed the soap in the bathrooms? Some of the cheaper liquid soaps have a lot of alcohol and perfume in them, and that destroys my hands. I carry my own little bottle of gentle hand wash in my purse. I also carry a little bottle of Aveeno hand lotion, it is made with oatmeal and treats mild eczema quite effectively.

[Wave Watcher]

Not sure part of the country you are from but cold weather, and washing hands or hand sanitizer often can result in dry, cracked, and itchy skin. There have been times where if I knew that was the case....I put a little Vaseline on them.

[SassyTachyRN]

Are these students possibly wearing latex gloves during a class like biology? Kind of strange that it's their hands.

No latex gloves. It's mostly my Pre-K kids.

[SassyTachyRN]

Not sure part of the country you are from but cold weather, and washing hands or hand sanitizer often can result in dry, cracked, and itchy skin. There have been times where if I knew that was the case....I put a little Vaseline on them.

We are in Indiana where it's pretty cold, and we have a lot of bitter cold winds. We've also had a lot of cold/flu/stomach virus outbreaks and the teachers are on high alert and making the kids wash/sanitize their hands a lot. Thanks for the advice!

[Loo17]

Has the school changed soap in the bathrooms or hand sanitizers? My kids are very sensitive to the hand soaps with antibacterial properties especially in the winter when hand washing encouragement seems to increase at school s/t runny noses and colds.

[loveschoolnursing]

I'm having this same issue...I am also in Indiana. I have been using Vaseline

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

let them have some vaseline, the cause could be from a variety of things - irritated from soap and not rinsing well enough, dry from change in season, beat up from playing in snow with sopping gloves if you have that type of climate, etc...

I let the kids have the vaseline. I also go through my house from time to time and collect the old bottles of lotion that have accumulated that i know i won't use and put some in the teachers room in a box with a note saying that teachers may take them for students to use on their dry skin so they don't have to disrupt lessons to come and see me.

[kidzcare]

I also go through my house from time to time and collect the old bottles of lotion that have accumulated that i know i won't use and put some in the teachers room in a box with a note saying that teachers may take them for students to use on their dry skin so they don't have to disrupt lessons to come and see me.

Good idea!

[OldDude]

Not sure part of the country you are from but cold weather, and washing hands or hand sanitizer often can result in dry, cracked, and itchy skin. There have been times where if I knew that was the case....I put a little Vaseline on them.

I would go with this first.

[Undone]

Have they possibly discovered the fun of peeling dried glue off of their hands? I ask because, I'm not a school nurse, but several little kids all having the same hand rash would make me want to find the cause.