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Peeling skin handling fish?


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I have been fishing for over 50 years and all of a sudden I have developed a reaction to handling fish. Whiting and squid when I handle them the next day the palms on my had go very red and sore. Then around 7 to 10 days later all the skin on my fingers and palms just peels of like sunburn? I have googled it and found that I am not alone, and by and large most people who have this problem have no solution. They have visited countless dermatologists and doctors ETC.... But no solutions that I know of. I don't want to waste my time visiting doctors after countless others have done the same with no luck. Went out fishing Monday and tried using surgical latex gloves but was pain in the arse. Kept getting hooks in the gloves baiting up, fish slipped out of my hands like a Popsicle and they got hot and sweaty, and I used about 10 pairs!! Does anyone else here suffer from the same problem and how have you learned to cope with it? I don't want to stop what I love doing, catching fish, but it's driving me bonkers and getting worse each time. When the skin peels your hands get caught on all sorts of things and looks unsightly as well. Help??

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Hi Brutus

 

I admit that this is the first time I have heard of this sort of reaction, but a quick Google appears to confirm it is a relatively common occurrence.

Hopefully someone on this site may be able to help you with a solution - I'll ask around and let you know if I hear of anything.

Good luck in your quest for relief from this problem.

 

Cheers

af

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Very weird Brutus and have never heard of such a condition.

As I was reading I thought what about latex gloves, but then reading on you had tried them without much luck.

Could there be better/strong types of 'fishing' gloves that may help in the meantime - maybe a good tackle or camping store could help with that.

Otherwise one first step is as af mentions to contact via the link - it's at least somewhere you may get additional info.

Good luck.

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I used to get this from contacting hydraulic oil and concrete, suspect it was sensitisation after working in both industries and had it for the last 10 years.

 

Same as you mentioned, you can tell it's coming as hands get a bit drier feeling and tingly with a bit of inflammation. A week or so later you look like a diseased mutant, nothing worse than having to hand over or receive money at the shops!

 

I've found hitting it hard with QV cream, Alpha Keri or similar relieves it a bit but a barrier cream before would be beneficial. Also found that changing the moisturising creams as my skin would get used to the same cream and it didn't work as well. 

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Thanks for the responses never thought of barrier cream and might try that but one concern is it may leave some undesirable taste/smell putting the fish off?

 

The gloves were that slippery with the fish that I actually lost two good sized KG when trying to put in my esky they just shot out of my hand back into the drink 😩😀😩

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Agree Zorgs, Barrier cream before contact & QV cream afterwards.

 

I use regularly Jungle Brolly Hand Shield (barrier cream) for all sorts of work. Prior fishing & fish cleaning, gardening  and especially anything involving oils/grease/solvent/WD40 etc (plus nitrile gloves) . I use QV cream every night as i go to bid, this way it doesn't get rubbed/washed off.

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Contact dermatitis? Might be worth trying the strongest oral antihistamines you can get over the counter. You must take it well before contact tho! I use Fexotabs 180mg for contact dermatitis & insect allergy. 

 

Also worth considering a soap free hand wash too, something like QV wash.

 

I hope something works.

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It soaks in and forms an exterior barrier that is quite good wearing. Just as long as you don't use too much and leave it for a few minutes to work. I dont really know its there even when rinsing or washing my hands, doesn't go slimey like it does with moisteriser etc.

 

I dont do a lot of bait fishing but have had no discernible problem with lures. I cant imagine a problem with bait, as the barrier stays on the hands.

 

Certainly makes it easier to clean stuff off your hands as it doesnt really contact the skin.

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I have a mate who is a Pro Fisher and suffers the same condition as you describe. He has been putting up with it for years and tells that it gets quite pain full. He has had heaps of tests and they have shown that he suffers an allergic reaction to a particular bait.

What he had to do to work out what was causing the reaction was to see what had changed as he always used this particular bait. Hand cleaners (as has been mentioned) medications etc all need to be evaluated. He even had to get rid of his bait board.

 

There is a product that you put in a hand basin and smells like biteumen that you get from a chemist, possibly need prescription.Works well in some cases.

 

There is a very good Dermatoligist , Specialist called Ivan Simmons that should be able to assist, however in my mates case you have to make a choice listen to the expert or make a living.

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