Skin problems caused by the heat

[Gonsalviz]

Do you know a good doctor who speaks english and has treated many more farangs?

Any of these three would do. Treatment at Bumrungrad would be more expensive than the other two. The third one is located on the Thonburi side of the river, the other two central Bkk. All trained in the US and speak fluent English.

1. Bumrungrad: https://www.bumrungrad.com/doctors/Niyom-Tantikun

2. St Louis Hospital (Sathorn): Dr. Parichart (their website was revised and not yet translated into English so have to call for hours - 02 675 5000 and ask for the dermatology clinic.

3. Thonburi Hospital- http://www.thonburihospital.com/en/finddoctor_resualt.asp?id=1043

It will save $ if you don't buy meds at the hospital pharmacy. Note what they are, say you already have them and buy outside. Exception in the case prednisolone tablets prescribed, these have to come from a hospital.

I have seen prednisolone tablets in small clinics. Yes they have a doctor. I think they are 5 baht apiece.

[sammygood]

hand , foot mouth disease ?

[attrayant]

Dyshidrosis

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyshidrosis/basics/definition/con-20026887

I've had this since my 20s. Nothing makes it go away, but eventually it will subside on its own. The small blisters are usually itchy, but stop being itchy if lanced. Breaking the blisters is not recommended as it opens the skin up for secondary infections. Having said that, I usually lance them because I can't stand the itching, but I'm very careful about cleaning and applying antiseptics afterwards, and keeping the area dry.

At that time, little was known about it. Fungus was ruled out because it didn't respond to standard antifungal treatments and it didn't spread to other people who I had close contact with. Topical steroids didn't seem to have any better effect than just doing nothing. A few years ago I saw some pharmaceutical company put out a drug (a tablet, I think) for it, but I can't find it now. I do remember it being fabulously expensive.

My doctor in the USA told me it would get worse if I moved to Thailand because of the heat and humidity (those factors were thought to encourage the eruptions, but later studies found no such correlation). Regardless, I've been especially careful and try to keep the feet dry by dusting with powder and wearing toe socks if I have to wear closed shoes. I avoid walking into the bathroom unless the floor is dry. If none of the four bathrooms in my house has a dry floor, I'll toss yesterday's bath towel on the floor and stand on that. In short, I've become absolutely fanatical about keeping my feet dry and that seems to have helped quite a lot. Of course my inlaws now think I'm a tad nutty for not wanting to stand in a puddle of dissolved body scum from whomever last took a shower.

[Sheryl]

Allright thanks a lot, i 'll go to Thonburi then and bring my wife...

Call first as sometimes the hours on the schedule aren't current. In particular I don't think she is there any evenings anymore. Got caught on that once bringing my nephew there..a big inconvenience as he had traveled far for it. Once we saw her, no problem and she was quite thorough.

[melovethai]

I use crystal salt straight after a shower morning and night if it raises its ugly head. Stay away from using strong or herbal soaps, washes etc, as they can increase irritation. I find also using a plain soap like dove original to help. If you have had it for a while bateria maybe having fun and even a fungus maybe present so a good pharmacy would be the go.

[hugh2121]

Also use the Snake Brand Prickly Heat Powder or similar, you may find that helps.

I've found the menthol in this product aggravates the condition. Best treatment I've found is cold water but I don't think there's any instant cure.

I've also found avoiding products containing soap help to keep it away. There are soap free wash bars and shampoo available at Boots (Sebamed) and soap free wash lotion available (Eucerin) at most pharmacies. Expensive though.

[hugh2121]

https://www.google.co.th/search?q=acrovesiculeus&es_sm=122&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDEQsARqFQoTCLisstKDuMcCFUwjjgodPWgABw

I found it, this is what i have but not so bad as in the pics.

Eczema. No anti fungal will treat that. I had something similar. A doctor gave me prednesone ? for something else. It went away and never came back but you really don't want to use it. Nasty side effects.

A doctor is the only way to go Skin specialist..

Yes i agree.

It can also be caused by

stress

water with high chlorine or nickel

anti bacterial soap (which i use a lot on my hands)

too much coffee/alcohol

allergic reaction from raw meat (didn't touch that at all lately)

I need corsticosteroids creme but that's easy to buy...prednisone also works i read.

What side-effects does it give? That sounds like heavy duty stuff.

I won't work on the house anymore in this heat and stay in aircon.

Well at least i know what it is now and i shouldn't scratch or touch it. I was so dumb to cut the bubbles open yesterday because i thought that would help..

Thanks for all help guys and girls.

Prednesone weakens your immune system. Last time I took it I spent 8 days in the hospital with heavy duty IV antibiotics for a bacterial infection in my lungs.

Pattaya Memorial Hosp gave me prednisolone for bronchitis. Made me very ill.

[louse1953]

Thanks for the help guys.

I'll try prickly heat, my wife has it. I have had it before and it disappeared as well but i had ugly skin for a while and in slippers it looks bad. I always thought prickly heat is for baby's and thai lady's who want to look white when they go to the market.

I don't trust the Thai doctors because i'm fallang and they don't understand fallang white skin. They even can't speak english in the hospital here.

I also know the bodyshop, my wife loves to go there all the time.

Caneston cream sounds familiar, guess i had that in the past for something. I 'll let my wife get it.

Bugger me,you believe TVF members before a doctor,you need your head examined as well as your skin.As far as Thai skin is concerned,why do you rekon Thais plaster on the prickly heat powder.

[Thian]

Thanks for the help guys.

I'll try prickly heat, my wife has it. I have had it before and it disappeared as well but i had ugly skin for a while and in slippers it looks bad. I always thought prickly heat is for baby's and thai lady's who want to look white when they go to the market.

I don't trust the Thai doctors because i'm fallang and they don't understand fallang white skin. They even can't speak english in the hospital here.

I also know the bodyshop, my wife loves to go there all the time.

Caneston cream sounds familiar, guess i had that in the past for something. I 'll let my wife get it.

Bugger me,you believe TVF members before a doctor,you need your head examined as well as your skin.As far as Thai skin is concerned,why do you rekon Thais plaster on the prickly heat powder.

Why do you think thai doctors can't speak english? Or even can't make an appointment like that one in Thonburi hospital? Or why do they eat raw prawns, always pass an exam, find a cure against ebola while nobody cares at all.....i can go on like this for hours but i won't. Wake up dude. I have several thai familymembers who are doctors in hospitals but i can't even communicate with them.

[zaZa9]

Dyshidrosis

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyshidrosis/basics/definition/con-20026887

I've had this since my 20s. Nothing makes it go away, but eventually it will subside on its own. The small blisters are usually itchy, but stop being itchy if lanced. Breaking the blisters is not recommended as it opens the skin up for secondary infections. Having said that, I usually lance them because I can't stand the itching, but I'm very careful about cleaning and applying antiseptics afterwards, and keeping the area dry.

At that time, little was known about it. Fungus was ruled out because it didn't respond to standard antifungal treatments and it didn't spread to other people who I had close contact with. Topical steroids didn't seem to have any better effect than just doing nothing. A few years ago I saw some pharmaceutical company put out a drug (a tablet, I think) for it, but I can't find it now. I do remember it being fabulously expensive.

My doctor in the USA told me it would get worse if I moved to Thailand because of the heat and humidity (those factors were thought to encourage the eruptions, but later studies found no such correlation). Regardless, I've been especially careful and try to keep the feet dry by dusting with powder and wearing toe socks if I have to wear closed shoes. I avoid walking into the bathroom unless the floor is dry. If none of the four bathrooms in my house has a dry floor, I'll toss yesterday's bath towel on the floor and stand on that. In short, I've become absolutely fanatical about keeping my feet dry and that seems to have helped quite a lot. Of course my inlaws now think I'm a tad nutty for not wanting to stand in a puddle of dissolved body scum from whomever last took a shower.

http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/pompholyx.html

This appears to be another name for the same thing , and has been part of some affliction that hit me about 3 years back after 4 years living in Phuket

My condition started out with severe deep skinned itching particularly on the forearms and thighs , and irritant points that were like perpetual sea lice stings at the front of the shoulder where it joins the arms

I wont bore you with a myriad of other problems that came along , but my ailments eventually settled down to something resembling 'dyshidrosis' , with little blisters mainly on the tips of my fingers and bigger ones , particularly if I kept up my 6km daily walking , on the bottom of my feet

These were the worst part of many things , as the blister would split and split again and eventually leave almost bleeding cracks causing me to hobble

I went to specialists at International Hospital who were pretty much unable to fix my problem

One put me on Prednesone which I knew nothing about and it was awful , I became constantly hungry and lethargic , poured on weight , and retreated to my a/c room

It took months to recover from it - avoid this drug like the plague !

I also tried every antifungal I could find ( like Daktarin, Ninazol , Clotriderm, Tonaf , and Lamisil - both cream and tablet ) all to no avail

I tried numerous topical corticosteroids also without effect ( they also thin your skin !)

Everyone prescribed Betnovate and Canestan cream - didnt work

Eucerin cream didnt cure anything either , but did give some relief from itching as did Zyrtec and other antihistamine tablets , albeit temporarily

I tried changing my shower water , then trying cold only , hot only , special soaps , herbal soaps and NO soaps

I was wormed twice

Because I got ( still do occassionally ) raised itchy lines of bumps maybe 2'' long , a Dr saw that as possible scabies , and 3 times I was covered in cream from head to toe , only to emerge incredibly itchy ALL OVER after it was washed off - my wife never had any problem and with scabies she should have ,,,

I changed eating and drinking habits - nothing really worked , though a healthier body and less weight meant less heat generation/sweating , which did help

In short , there was no cure that I could find - except keeping oneself as cool as possible , and taking on a better ( if you smoke , stop! ) lifestyle

The other factor is time

The small finger blisters ( mine used to sting more than itch ) retreated first ( after the big crazy deep itches went ) and the feet ones became far less acute when I stopped walking and replaced that with a 800 metre a day swim - the blisters ( you call bubbles) under my feet I definitely pr!ck and squeeze as soon as they rise , or they just get bigger and crack deeper

I dont believe that the liquid in them spreads it more , nor have I ever had a secondary infection from doing so , nor has any of my family ever contracted anything resembling this!

BUT , I have recently had some success with Phoebus Cream from the US on these foot blisters that rise , turn brown like a freckle , rise again and blister then crack

It seems to dry them up after the browning stage , then cause them to 'plane' off - but I wont risk a big walk yet until they are all gone , and sometimes that takes months

Ive had the feet all clear before after a month or two rest and wait , then walked 5km , and been back to square one the next day !

I include the post above because I agree that it is neither fungal ( unless its a fungus unknown to the drug companies ) , nor responds to corticosteroids ( which are brutal drugs ) and because it also shows how fanatical and ritualised one can become in the quest to recover , And while I havent fully recovered yet , Im starting to think that pretty much all the treatments I went through made very little difference , if any at all

My last Dr said that it was something within me that was causing it , not something extraneous , and I agree with that ( maybe ! 555) but I think heat exascibates the condition

I would advise keeping as cool as possible , eating more healthy ( drinking/smoking less ) and bursting those bubbles as soon as they appear

They are not contagious , they are just a pain , and they will ( very slowly ) go away

[Thian]

_{Thanks Zaza, that helps a lot and saves me much time visiting doctors and hospitals. I really fear Thai hospitals, last time i went to visit a thai familymember i saw the maggots creeping over the floor in the bedroom, i smelled fungus because the aircon's didn't work and don't dare to touch anything in the building. I saw the black fungus growing on the wall...brrrr. They did have very good (made in Germany) beds there though, which surprised me.}

_{In the patients room were 12 familymembers and the young kids were crawling/sleeping on the floor and under the bed....ouch. Then they opened the brought food and put a mat on the floor so all could eat while sitting on the floor....except me! They had stinky beans for lunch and i almost puked from the smell.}

_{I still think and hope it's cause by heat and stress, the only thing i do now is not sweating like crazy, i stay calm when temps are above 30 celcius (which is almost every day).}

_{Yes the ones under the feet are the worst and can really hurt after a while, if i cut them open there will be a dark red spot which hurts. So i also will not walk anymore and start swimming from now on. I hope it helps.}

_{Also i noticed that if my slippers have been in the sun and become very hot that causes the ones on the footsoles to grow. My slippers will be in the shade from now on.}

_{I think i eat quite healthy allready by cooking myself and eating eating vegy from the Kings Project. Stop smoking i will if i have no other options. Sure i will eat myself fat if i stop.}

[Sheryl]

It is NOT due to heat.

Scabies possible only if it itches like crazy and is mainly between the fingers/toes. But it would be rare to have scabies on both feet and hands and nowhere else. Hands yes, feet not so likely.

Thonburi hospital is a private hospital and bears no resemblance to what you describe having seen in a government hospital. Perfectly clean, well air conditioned.

The doctor recommended studied at Case Western University in the US, speaks English fluently.

I suggest you not generalize from your contact with less educated doctors/poor hospital facilities to the entirety of Thai medical care, and seek specialist care.

[zaZa9]

Heat may not be the cause - but I feel it makes my condition worse/more noticeable

I was also continually asked by specialists if I was stressed - def NOT - if it was caused by stress it should have got me easily before I retired

I dont have a care in the world retired here!

Thai hospitals in the cities are fine

Ive been in Bumrumgrad ( expensive ) , Bangkok Phuket , International Phuket , Mission Phuket and all were clean , so dont worry about that

You will be there for some simple tests , not an operation

I challenge you to give up the smokes for just ONE week and then decide if your skin isnt looking better!

Skin needs good blood flow to be healthy , and smoking shrinks blood capileries , slowing the blood supply to it

I know , I am a smoker , and have gone from over 20 a day to 2 or 3

It isnt just coincidence that my skin has improved , I can assure you of that

More exercise in the cool of the evening , or in an a/c gym/room will usually deliver more blood to the skin

I swim so as to exercise while staying cool , you can always wade laps as well

Sheryl , I had bad itches between the toes , eventually fixed by continuos use of Clotriderm anti fungal cream now - this , and the occasional long red raised thin welts lead the Dr to look at scabies , but scabies treatment did nothing

[mommysboy]

Heat may not be the cause - but I feel it makes my condition worse/more noticeable

I was also continually asked by specialists if I was stressed - def NOT - if it was caused by stress it should have got me easily before I retired

I dont have a care in the world retired here!

Thai hospitals in the cities are fine

Ive been in Bumrumgrad ( expensive ) , Bangkok Phuket , International Phuket , Mission Phuket and all were clean , so dont worry about that

You will be there for some simple tests , not an operation

I challenge you to give up the smokes for just ONE week and then decide if your skin isnt looking better!

Skin needs good blood flow to be healthy , and smoking shrinks blood capileries , slowing the blood supply to it

I know , I am a smoker , and have gone from over 20 a day to 2 or 3

It isnt just coincidence that my skin has improved , I can assure you of that

More exercise in the cool of the evening , or in an a/c gym/room will usually deliver more blood to the skin

I swim so as to exercise while staying cool , you can always wade laps as well

Sheryl , I had bad itches between the toes , eventually fixed by continuos use of Clotriderm anti fungal cream now - this , and the occasional long red raised thin welts lead the Dr to look at scabies , but scabies treatment did nothing

The infection itself needs to be treated.

Of course, it is advisable to live a wholesome lifestyle and this may lessen symptoms of any illness. But it is not geting to grips with the problem.

[Sheryl]

The thread is getting a bit confusing because we have more than one person's skin problems, past and present, being discussed.

OP's problem is definitely not due to heat and unlikely to be scabies. Dyshidrosis is a possibility as are contact dermatitis (inc. nickel allergy) and fungal infections. He needs to see a good dermatologist.

zaZa's problem, which I gather has resolved, was fungal.

[Thian]

Well i only got my bubbles in Thailand, i think 3 times now in last years only. And always only on hands/feet. Sides of fingers, on top of fingers and sides and soles of feet.

It it isn't the heat then it must be stress or something like nickel/dirt/raw meat or whatever i touch a lot in Thailand.

I still didn't do anything to stop it except not sweating like crazy and no more anti-bacterial handsoap. I think it is disappearing allready like it always did and this time the skin didn't even come off.

Of course there also must be good hospitals in Thailand but even in Europe i hate to go in hospitals or to doctors. But the fact that the doctor in Thonburi doesn't have a secretary to make an appointment.....come on man....and that for a private hospital.....no words for that.

Our friend works in a private hospital besides her normal job as a nurse. Sometimes the doctor she works for (on farang patients) let her work so hard and so many hours that she lost consciousnes she told us. I won't mention what she does because i guess many TV members also go there for treatment and it sure ain't cheap.

Things like that are really dangerous and you don't learn that on a university i guess. Why they don't rent her fulltime so she can quit her other job in another hospital? Also she has a lot of stress and is depressed because she works like 80-90 hours a week and also has children to take care for and cook food for 6 people daily.

She even can't drive home after work because she's exhausted, they have to go get her.

Anyway i hope all other readers here get rid of their skinproblems as well, i consider myself lucky with what i have compared to some.

[Thian]

My skin is really getting better now, i forgot to tell you what i did and might have helped. I sprayed my tree's with neem oil (nahm-sadao) and also sprayed it on my hand/feet and let dry.

http://www.justneem.com/blog/4-ways-neem-oil-will-improve-your-skin/

Nahm sadao isn't an oil though, in Europe i've seen the oil made from it. It's a black fluid and sold in garden shops.

That makes me think of aloe vera which is also very good to put on damaged skin like from burnmarks. You guys can try it if you want, just cut a piece of it and put the slimey liquid on the skin.

[zd1]

I also have started to get these symptoms the last 6 months and nothing I have tried seems to work, though when I was back in Europe they cleared up completely after a few days.

Have been back in Thailand just over a week now and the blisters are back on the hands and this morning I noticed they were starting to come back on my feet.

I went to a doctor in Bangkok back in February and she said to clean them with saline and then apply so steroid cream and they cleared up quite a bit but not completely. She also said that I was probably allergic to something but couldn't tell me what she just suggested changing my diet to see if it clears up. After speaking to some friends about allergic symptoms I decided not to eat tomatoes for a while but no difference then I cut out chilli but no difference, I even tried to cut out chicken but to no avail. I should also note that I don't think it's stress as I was far more stressed in the UK than I am here.

I don't really want to use a steroid cream for a long length of time so I think I will try the aloe vera and see if it clears it up I also swim in the sea for at least 20 minutes a day as I think the salt water can't do it any harm.

It's a bit annoying but I don't think it's serious from research it would appear that it's a form of eczema but I just want to know what causes it so I can cut that out of my diet or stop touching what's causing it.

[Sheryl]

More likely an allergy to something your skin comes into contact with than something you eat.