I’ve had skin problems since I was a child. Going to the dermatologist has been the norm for me since the 1980’s. I have been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, ichthyosis vulgaris, pompholyx (dishydrotic eczema), scalp eczema, and intertrigo. I am no stranger to skin problems.

But since I was diagnosed with Covid-19 in January 2022, my skin won’t stop tearing. I have so many new cuts and tears in my hands every day. In this picture, I can see 14 spots where my skin has cracked, torn, bled, or otherwise caused me grief this week. My hands are so inflamed all of the time, and the tissues below the skin are swollen. I wash my hands somewhere between 8-20 times a day, and putting on a good hand cream always follows.

Living in Utah, the air here is very dry and brutal for those with skin conditions. My daughters both have eczema, so we have high-quality creams all over our house. I never go more than a few hours without slathering on some lotion, cream, ointment, salve, or balm.

But since my Covid symptoms began, my poor skin has been splitting, tearing, weeping, oozing, and bleeding all through every day. I have so many different products that I’ve tried – CeraVe Moisturing Cream, O’Keefe’s Working Hands Hand Cream (and Lotion and Skin Repair), Elta MD So Silky Hand Creme, The Body Shop Almond Manicure Cream, Cetaphil Healing Ointment, Aquaphor, and sevral CBD lotions and balms.

But my poor hands just won’t stop cracking and bleeding.

Stupid Covid.