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Description
I have recently been diagnosed with dyshidrotic eczema, also called dyshidrosis or pompholyx.

It's a rare, acute form of eczema in which severe skin inflammation creates openings underneath the skin that fill with clear fluid. While these little blisters can occur with other types of eczema, dyshidrosis is composed almost entirely of these itchy, oozy things that, once they dry up, leave deep fissures in the skin which ache and bleed... and still itch. Dyshidrosis is also weird because it tends to actually get better in winter and worsen in the heat and humidity of summer. The exact opposite of other eczemas.(And I live in Florida. Half the year is summer here. Lucy me.) Before starting treatment, my fingers were so swollen and thickly covered in these blisters that I couldn't bend my fingers at all.

I took this set of pictures some time after the start of my treatment. When my hands were at their worst, the idea of taking pictures of felt too cruel. However now that I've experienced improvement, I kind of wish I had them. When I show people these pictures here, and they cringe at them, saying they can't imagine how it must have been. I laugh at them, and tell them that is is nothing like the way my hands were before and people think I'm exaggerating. If only.

Description
I have recently been diagnosed with dyshidrotic eczema, also called dyshidrosis or pompholyx.

It's a rare, acute form of eczema in which severe skin inflammation creates openings underneath the skin that fill with clear fluid. While these little blisters can occur with other types of eczema, dyshidrosis is composed almost entirely of these itchy, oozy things that, once they dry up, leave deep fissures in the skin which ache and bleed... and still itch. Dyshidrosis is also weird because it tends to actually get better in winter and worsen in the heat and humidity of summer. The exact opposite of other eczemas.(And I live in Florida. Half the year is summer here. Lucy me.) Before starting treatment, my fingers were so swollen and thickly covered in these blisters that I couldn't bend my fingers at all.

I took this set of pictures some time after the start of my treatment. When my hands were at their worst, the idea of taking pictures of felt too cruel. However now that I've experienced improvement, I kind of wish I had them. When I show people these pictures here, and they cringe at them, saying they can't imagine how it must have been. I laugh at them, and tell them that is is nothing like the way my hands were before and people think I'm exaggerating. If only.