What should you know about hands and feet red and itchy?

Athlete's foot commonly affects the spaces between toes or the soles and may cause scaling, cracking, or burning. Contact dermatitis can appear where soap, gloves, footwear, adhesives, or cleaning products touch the skin. Dyshidrotic eczema may cause very itchy small blisters on the sides of fingers, palms, or soles. Swelling, warmth, pain, discharge, and rapid spread suggest a need for clinical review.

Rinse away new products, pat the skin dry, and use a bland moisturiser on cracked areas. Keep feet dry, change damp socks, and avoid sharing towels or footwear. Do not scratch blisters or apply steroid cream to a suspected fungal rash without guidance, because the appearance can become less clear. A clinician may inspect the skin or test scale before choosing treatment.

Arrange medical advice if symptoms persist, recur, affect sleep, or involve deep cracks. Seek prompt care for rapidly spreading redness, increasing warmth, pus, fever, severe pain, or swelling of the face or lips. People with diabetes, poor circulation, or reduced immunity should have new foot inflammation assessed early.

Ask whether the pattern fits eczema, contact dermatitis, or fungal infection, which products to stop, and whether a topical antifungal treatment is appropriate for the affected area.