Well I ran my first charter this morning, and was badly reminded how bad my fish allergy is. Even after washing my hands after we got a fish any part of skin that I touched broke out in hives and itched like you wouldn't believe. I have skin problems so a rash quickly developed. I dealt with this all last summer, and don't know how much more I can take it. Is there anybody on this board who has a similar problem, if so there anything to combat it? I know other people who are allergic to fish just none of them fishes. If anybody has any info it would be much appreciated!! Thanks, Chris.

I hate to say that the little bit of information that I found on the net via news, articles, etc is all bad. One article suggested that people can have reactions just based on the smell alone.

So, I suggest seeing a doctor unless you plan to do the other alternative which is don't get anywhere near fish.

Downtime:

I too have a bit of a skin affliction that is fish-related. While it's not a true allergy, prolonged or excessive contact with fish slime causes my hands to exfoliate in sheets. A few days of good fishing will have me peeling away layers of skin for the next several weeks!

Since abstinence is not a choice, I have started wearing latex surgical gloves to limit my exposure. The only time it really sucks is when the weather gets hot.... latex does not breathe.

Give the gloves a try.

FishNphysician, the more I read your posts the more of a mirror image I get of youn and I.
I too have that same problem with my hands, peeling and cracking after fishing, tried creams and gloves, creams have not done any good so far and gloves.....well can't stand to have those on in hot weather either, so I live with it. But, I am telling you sometimes, my hands just plain hurt, and it makes tying up difficult too.

Steve

Especially during Steelhead season when I'm handling Borax'd eggs. The borax dries the hands out on top of what I suspect maybe a fish related problem too. All I do is peel, bleed and crack. It seemed to get worse about 5 to 6 years ago. Latex gloves help.

As a side note last year I thought I'd try and see if vaseline helped when on the salt. It does BUT the downrigger release doesn't like it at all. Don't try this at home -_-


ps... Don't tell the misses! I've got her convinced it's related to my honey-do list LOL

Latex can cause worse problems for some people. I spend lot's of days on the salt water and have never put anything on my hands in the way of lotion or anything which my wife has always said is insane....the fishing and the no lotion. My hands were split to the bone last year, worst it's ever been, so I finally saw the dermo and he referred me to the UW med clinic in Seattle. They prescribed some creams that work wonders and make your hands almost water proof without any greasyness. I've always been paranoid about anything other than smelly jelly on my hands....hmmm maybe it was a reaction to smelly jelly? but it hasn't reduced my catch rate.

She prescribed a couple creams to restore the hands, I guess the dead skin is what makes the problem worsen, but the one that works as a waterproofer of sorts is PROTOPIC (tacrolimus ointment) 60g.

I used to use bagbalm to help with the dryness part when I was deckhanding. They use it alot on the udders of cows, you can get it at feed/animal supply stores, I think most dept. stores carry it now too.

As the Doc above can probably confirm, not everyone is affected by allergies the same way. I have tons of allergies, I was almost a case study as a young child. Funny thing, most of my allergies are "internal", meaning I have to ingest the substance to bother me. Just touching the skin has no reaction. Worse of all, I get constriction of the throat/lungs as my main reaction to an allergin.

But my girlfriend has a fish allergy. She can hold/touch them all she wants. But once she ingests the substance is when she has problems. She actually gets ill. Really sad. She had a chance to try what I touted as "my Dad's famous salmon patties". She loved them. Only problem, halfway through eating one, she starts getting ill. But has no reactions to the touch.

Hey guys, if you're having problems with the peeling from handling fish/boraxed eggs/etc. Try bringing some bag balm AND cornhuskers lotion with you. Is the stuff they use on udders of cows for chaffing, and works really good for fishing hands. The cornhuskers is just some stuff given to me for dry hands years ago. The key is to put some on at the end of day everytime you go fishing. Have a yearly trip with my Dad that is about 7-9 days long. By the end of that week, our hands were terrible. But after using the mixture, our hands were in pretty good shape at the end of the week. Bag balm at night, and the cornhuskers in the morning and right after fishing.

I have the same skin peeling condition as "The Doctor". After a week of vacation lipping assorted bottom fish, my thumb usually looks like hamburger. Throw in a weeks worth of line cuts and salt water exposure- you (insert expletive) have the hands of an eighty year old farm laborer.

My doctor suggested an over the counter product called Thermashield. It is a clear, fast drying, non-greasy sealant for your hands.
I am still in the testing phase- I am not very disciplined when it comes to breaking away from fishing to apply a preventative measure (who uses sunscreen anyways?).

I'll definitely second Corn Husker's lotion though. When it comes to healing damaged hands, that is the answer for me.

Gonna try the glove thing first, and that thermasheild sounds interesting. Trouble really hits me when I'm cleaning fish, or when I'm trying to un-hook a fish and its going nuts. You guys sound like me when you are fishing about 24/7 my hands are so taped up with water proof tape they look like little mummy's. You can just feel the pain each time you bend a finger. The problem wouldn't be so bad but I scratch at night for no reason and get little rashes which in turn as soon as some fish slime hits it the welts start spreading like crazy. Another funny thing is for some reason Kings and Coho's affect me the most, trout especially steelhead sometimes doesn't affect me at all.

Ya if I don't get out fishing once a week I get all jittery

I wonder if washing your hands with soap between fish would make a difference?
(not to imply anything)

Probably more important than washing in between is DRYING in between fish or dunkings into the water.

Constantly wet hands make the exfoliation/sloughing problem a lot worse. The same can be said for trapping a bunch of sweat in latex gloves on a hot day. Too much skin hydration softens and weakens the already damaged skin, enhancing the de-lamination of the layers.... as we eye surgeons like to say, hydrodissection.

Get the gloves off if you are sweating. Dry your hands after they get wet. That prevents overhydration of the skin. Apply some sort of barrier (bag balm, lotion, or gloves if it's not too hot) to maintain normal skin hydration. That strategy has helped me the most.