Problems with the skin of the hands and feet are very difficult to ignore. If rashes appear in the form of small bubbles or large blisters on the skin, this leads to a lot of unpleasant sensations, including an unpleasant aesthetic appearance.
If a person has blisters on his legs or arms, then the affected areas of the skin will itch, the skin will begin to dry and tighten. This leads to the fact that the simplest movements and even the usual trip to the store will begin to cause severe discomfort. In such situations, it is recommended to consult a dermatologist who will be able to diagnose the cause of the rash and select the appropriate therapy.
What education looks like
As a rule, people suffer from small blisters on their hands. The size of the formations is from 2 to 8 mm. The pimples themselves are round. They can be localized on the skin in the form of a multiple rash or separately. Sometimes the watery blisters on the arms or legs combine. In this case, large red ulcers form, which are very itchy.
Inside the blisters, even with the naked eye you can see a clear, watery liquid. If the contents of the swelling begins to change color and acquires a greenish or yellowish color, then this indicates the development of infection. In some situations, the appearance of blisters with liquid on the arm is accompanied by painful sensations and an increase in body temperature. In this case, we are talking about inflammatory processes that occur in the body.
Formations can be on the skin from 3 hours to 1 week. If you do not timely diagnose the cause of skin vesicles, then new pimples will constantly appear in their place.
Causes of blisters
There are many factors that are responsible for the appearance of blisters on the fingers, toes, and other areas. Conventionally, all these reasons are divided into two groups: external and internal. The first factors include contact with dirt, household cleaning products, and building materials. Also, the cause of the appearance of blisters on the hands of a child and an adult can be a thermal effect on the skin or hypothermia. Often the skin is severely damaged during prolonged exposure to frost or during prolonged sharp temperature changes. If you keep your hands in water for a long time, then the skin is also badly damaged.
Most often, at home, people get blisters from a burn. During cooking or with careless use of heating radiators, there is always a risk of such injuries. This usually does not cause serious complications (if a small area of the body is affected). Blisters from a burn pass rather quickly, but even in this case it is recommended to treat the lesion with specialized agents.
The internal factors responsible for the appearance of formations most often include:
- Chickenpox, rubella, and measles (commonly found in children).
- Fungal diseases.
- Scabies (on the hands of the moves of the scabies mite are especially clearly visible).
- Hepatitis.
- Vitamins.
- Violations of metabolic processes in the body.
- Hormonal malfunctions (most often found in pregnant women).
- An allergy.
Let us consider in more detail the most common causes of blisters on the hands.
Allergic reactions
In this case, small vesicles are localized in the palms and fingers. As a rule, such formations indicate contact or chronic dermatitis. First, single blisters appear on the skin. Gradually, there are more of them, and they are combined into larger formations, under which the skin begins to peel.
Gradually, the blisters on the fingers open up, infection penetrates into the damaged skin areas. This provokes the development of inflammatory processes.
Typically, such allergic reactions occur due to the use of medications, skin contact with chemicals (may be contained in detergents), food (if a person has an individual intolerance to certain components) and cosmetics.
Infectious lesions
In this case, the formations are localized not only on the hands. Blisters may appear on the legs, stomach, and other parts of the body. In this case, the vesicles are of different sizes and often look like a rash. Such infections are often called childhood infections, as babies most often suffer from them.
It is quite simple to independently diagnose the appearance of an infectious lesion. In this case, in addition to the appearance of swelling on the skin, the patient will experience an increase in body temperature and general malaise.
If we are talking about scabies, on the hands such redness appears as a result of bites of scabies mites. Females of the insect lay eggs on the skin of a person. Small blisters form at the place of masonry, which begin to itch strongly. Intolerable itching is usually recorded at night.
Problems with internal organs
The appearance of blisters on the hands may be the first signal indicating a malfunction of some systems. For example, similar symptoms are observed with problems with the kidneys, liver, intestines or stomach. However, there is no relationship between the location of the rash and the organs whose work is worth paying attention to.
Similar symptoms are observed with a metabolic failure. Poisoning and subsequent intoxication can also "make itself felt" with the help of blisters.
Dermatitis
There are three forms of this ailment:
- Chronic The disease occurs with improper nutrition, constant fatigue, stress and fatigue.
- Contact. In this case, the skin is affected due to a chemical burn or injury.
- Allergic In this case, dermatitis appears due to food or due to improper drug treatment.
If formations have caused dermatitis, then in this case blisters will be localized on the palms and hands, as well as between the fingers. Bubbles itch heavily and gradually increase in size.
After a while, they burst and unhealed sores remain in their place. The skin around the inflammation is very dry and peeling. The limbs can swell and hurt.
Neurodermatitis
This ailment is a chronic skin disease. It is a type of allergic reaction that is caused by a strong weakening of the immune system of the human body.
At the initial stage, a small amount of water bubbles appears on the skin, which can be on both the arms and legs. In this case, the patient suffers from severe itching. If a person combs areas of irritation, then this provokes the appearance of larger red blisters on the arms and legs without clearly defined boundaries. After this, the lesion passes to the skin in the bend of the elbows and knees.
Sweat Gland Problems
As a rule, this ailment is called prickly heat, but officially it is called dyshidrosis. In this case, very unattractive rashes in the form of bubbles appear on the hands and fingers.
There is no cure for sweating, as this disease is chronic. Exacerbations are observed in spring and autumn.
Skin diseases
Fungus is one of the most common causes of blisters on the hands. In this case, in addition to unattractive vesicles, redness appears on the skin, the skin becomes very dry, peeling and cracking.
Such problems usually arise due to the fact that a person has been in contact with a patient or has not given proper attention to personal hygiene. It is impossible to get rid of such irritation on your own, so you need to consult a dermatologist.
Diagnostics
During a visit to a doctor, a specialist will first of all clarify with the patient whether his family has chronic diseases that could cause similar symptoms. For example, if the patient's parents suffer from allergies, then first of all a dermatologist will consider the possibility of an allergic reaction.
As a rule, a specialist is able to determine the nature of the disease, based on visual examination and on the patient’s medical history. If we are talking about allergies, then it is necessary to undergo research to identify the active allergen.
If the doctor finds it difficult to explain the causes of blisters on his hands, then a biopsy will be required. To do this, you will have to take a small piece of the skin and send it for laboratory tests. In this case, the diagnostic result will be the most accurate.
Treatment recommendations
To get rid of unpleasant irritation, complex therapy will be required. As a rule, doctors recommend:
- Exclude the main factors that affect the appearance of skin rashes. The patient should avoid stress, lack of sleep, malnutrition and spend more time in the fresh air.
- If the patient suffers from chronic ailments, then during periods of exacerbation it is recommended to adhere to a special diet. This means that allergens must be excluded from the diet. Most often, these include citrus fruits, smoked, spicy, pickled and salty foods. It is worth drinking as much water as possible and start taking vitamins A, B and E.
- Hormonal ointments such as Elidel, Aurobin and Exoderil are effective anti-blistering agents.
- In case of a seasonal allergic reaction, it is recommended to take antihistamines (Zyrtec, Claritin, Suprastin or other means).
- To quickly get rid of unpleasant symptoms and not to "infect" in open sores, it is recommended to wash your hands with antibacterial soap.
Features of the treatment of different types of blisters
The type of treatment is selected based on the causes of blisters. Therapy is prescribed by a doctor:
- If the patient suffers from scabies, then most often the doctor prescribes the use of external drugs for a period of 5 to 7 days. The affected area of the body must be lubricated with specialized ointments (for example, sulfuric) 1-2 times a day.
- If blisters itch on the child’s hands, it’s easy to determine. As a rule, the doctor diagnoses chickenpox, which requires the hospitalization of a small patient. After this, it is necessary to give the child immunostimulating agents and smear the places of swelling with green to dry the vesicles faster.
- If fungal diseases occur, the dermatologist prescribes ointments and creams. You cannot pick them yourself, as you can provoke a sharp exacerbation of irritation if one of the components of the drug is too aggressive.
- If the bubbles appeared due to the fact that the patient was in contact with aggressive household chemicals or acquired poor-quality cosmetics, then it is worth abandoning the use of irritants.
What you should not do
In no case should you independently open the blisters with improvised means. In this case, there is a big risk of introducing an infection into the body and getting serious complications. Only large blisters should be punctured. However, this should be done exclusively by a doctor, since such a procedure requires sterile conditions. Initially, the area around the bubble is treated with alcohol, after which the edge of the blister is carefully pierced. After this, a liquid is removed from the vial with a syringe, and the affected area is thoroughly washed and wiped with gauze.
It is also not recommended to seal the affected area with a band-aid. Only if inflamed skin rubs on clothing can you use a bandage. It should not be too tight, as this can provoke numbness of the limb. If after applying the bandage a person experiences severe tingling or pain, then it is better to remove it.
Do not touch affected skin with dirty hands. Before any manipulations with the skin, one must not forget about hygiene measures.
Prevention
To avoid the appearance of such unpleasant symptoms, it is enough to adhere to the following preventive recommendations:
- Do not use harsh chemicals to clean an apartment without rubber gloves.
- Do not self-medicate and do not take medications without first consulting a doctor.
- In case of chronic allergic reactions or with a tendency to them, it is worthwhile to wear clothes made from natural fabrics and avoid eating certain foods.
- Wash hands daily with antibacterial soap.
- Use only proven and quality cosmetic products.
- When in public transport do not touch your face with your hands.
- Take vitamins and minerals that will help improve the body's defenses.
Of course, it is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of blisters. Therefore, at the first unpleasant symptoms, you should consult a dermatologist and undergo the necessary studies. Only an accurate determination of the cause of irritation will help you choose the right method of treatment.