Can gel gloves help heal hand eczema?

I’ve always had hand eczema which has bothered me throughout my life, but during Topical Steroid Withdrawal, my hands are one of the areas worst affected by symptoms. So when I saw fellow TSW and eczema friend Amara sharing her experience of using these gloves I was really interested. It looked like a very natural, simple and promising treatment for my hands.

The skin on my hands was and is often red, swollen, with open wounds, oozing, scabbing, leathery, and just so dry and itchy. Alcohol sprays and extra hand washing during the Covid-19 outbreak didn’t do them any favours either. Thankfully they are slowly healing through the TSW process but it’s a slow journey.

I contacted Silipos to find out more and see if they would be suitable and was offered the chance to try these vitamin mineral gel gloves to see if they worked – I leapt at the chance.

A bit about Silipos gel gloves

“Silipos gels release moisture-rich medical grade mineral oil that gently hydrates, softens, and conditions the skin. Our gloves and socks are beneficial for treating skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis while giving the patient a pampered feeling. Our gel forms protect the post-surgical area while releasing medical grade mineral oils that help to reduce scarring while moisturizing the skin.

“Our Gel-Care® Advanced product line offers a revolutionary new scar management system using the clinically proven SymRepair® Technology. The gel sheeting can be cut to desired size and the body wraps offer flexibility for hard to reach, bendable areas of the body. Gel-Care® Advanced is an excellent alternative to silicone for the prevention and reduction of scars.

Silipos gels are washable and reusable, and with proper care will continue to release skin beneficial mineral oils throughout the life of the product.“

Have my hands healed?

I started using these gel gloves at the end of April. You should wear them for about 30-40 days in a row but I did have some breaks when my hands flared up.

It’s so hard to capture the true picture of my hands, and the photographs never quite show the real truth. The problem with TSW skin is that it heals and then it gets worse again, as you flare, itch, scratch and damage them again and again. What’s frustrating is that one day they will seem so much better and then something or nothing at all will trigger an itching episode and I’ll feel like I’m back to square one. But they do heal, slowly and by tiny degrees and despite these continuous flares, there is healing progress. I am always aware that nothing is a complete cure but I love finding products that can support me on my healing journey.

I definitely think my hands have improved while using these gel gloves. Here’s how:

• They FEEL so much softer – When I stroke the skin on the backs of my hands the skin is smoother, and less like sandpaper. I rub my face with the backs of my hands and I’ve noticed that my hands are becoming a less satisfying itching tool as they are not so dry and rough… true TSW hack, we scratch with the dry skin on the backs of our hands.

• Fingers are healing – My fingers would be split and cut and often bleeding. This picture shows less of the deep red lines, or grooves, no cuts or splits and calmer looking skin. You can definitely see improvement here. They’re not perfect but as I’ve healed I’ve begun to do more too. I can spend an hour gardening now which was a real struggle before as my hands were just so sore. It still irritates my hands, even wearing gloves, so by doing this I’m probably causing minor flares but I want to be in my garden so I’ll take that.
• They are also less itchy at night – I can’t remember the last time I lay in bed scratching my hands… This used to be a regular nightly ritual!
• Less moisturising required – I am moisturising less, although they do still need emollient applied in the mornings and throughout the day, I think they’re holding up better.
• Less redness – my hands look calmer, less red and inflamed.
• The treatment is lovely – after a treatment my hands feel softer and calmer. I think it also helps me not to scratch, pick or rub when I’m doing a treatment as the gloves remind me to stop.
• Helped me relax – I used the time wearing the gloves to meditate, slow my breathing, read or relax in front of the TV. You can’t do much while you’re wearing them anyway as they are quite bulky.

How do they work?

They last for about a month of daily wear and you put them on and wear them for about 30-45 minutes and just let the oils and minerals do their stuff.

There is a slight smell to them, but it’s faint. There is a very light perfume to them. Silipos Nourishing Gel is a green tea scented soft gel that provides moisture, cushioning and comfort to the skin.

They contain the following ingredients:

• Olive oil, Canola oil, jojoba oil, grape seed oil
• Soyabean extract
• Avocado oil and Vitamin E

They seem massive when they first arrive and quite chunky and cumbersome to wear, but once you’ve had them on for a session they are often really hard to remove so they do need to be this size!

My routine was to wear them in the evenings while I read my book; often a challenge to turn the page 😉

I think if you didn’t have TSW going on, and just had dry skin on your hands, these would be really beneficial. They’ve helped me but my hands have just been in constant flaring, swelling, flaking and healing so some days I’ve not been able to wear them.

I also LOVED the colour!

NB: You should not wear them on bleeding, broken or damaged open wounds so there were many days when I’d destroyed my hands again and I couldn’t wear them. But they heal, and once they are healed enough I was able to try again and these gel gloves really do soothe my skin.

How did they work with TSW skin?

I didn’t manage to trial these for 30 days straight due to scratching and damaging my hands. This was due to the cycles of TSW healing and in no way related to the gloves. It’s frustrating as my hands are getting better all the time and I can’t wait for a time when healing may be long lasting.

I have to keep reminding myself that I must wear gloves, even to cut vegetables, peel them, wash up and do gardening. I often forget and that’s what can often trigger a flare. It’s probably not wise to continue gardening but I’m determined to enjoy my outdoor space and find weeding and tending my garden very calming and therapeutic. I wear gardening gloves with cotton ones inside and have tried washing up gloves too but I still get really itchy. Possibly as they got hot, I’m not sure but everyone has heard the term ‘gardeners hands’, meaning dry and chapped.

I kept making this mistake. Starting the day with much calmer healed hands and then triggering a scratch fest with lots of flaking and skin shedding typical with TSW.

With TSW sometimes it’s just a waiting game, it heals when it’s ready. And when my hands healed enough, typically a couple of days, I would be able to get these lovely gloves back on. I didn’t try using them on open, cracked skin as it advises against this on the packaging.

I would recommend these gloves for anyone with eczema and dry skin on their hands. It’s natural and soothing and while you’re wearing them, you can’t scratch at all for a whole 30-45 minutes!

If you have TSW ongoing these gloves are not a miracle cure, time is the healer that will see you through topical steroid withdrawal. But anything you can do to smooth your journey has to be beneficial.

How long do they last?

The shelf life of the gel is actually three years, however it is recommended that the gloves be replaced after one year due to fabric, dirt accumulation, etc. Washing the gloves helps to clean of excess skin cells that accumulate through regular use and freshen the fabric. I’m just about to wash mine for the first time – to do this, use a mild detergent to hand wash and dry flat – obviously you’ll need to wear gloves to wash these gloves… LOLS

As well as gloves, they make booties and sleeves as well as other products. Check out their website at https://www.silipos.com

This is a sponsored post. I was gifted these gloves to test #SPONSORED #AD #GIFTED