By John Carney
THE RECENT rise in Covid cases shows the need for people to remain vigilant, but its lesser-known side effects remain a mystery to dermatologists.
Examples of “Covid fingers”, “Covid toes”, and even “Covid tongue” are now becoming more common. Recent dermatological studies have argued that these post-Covid complications arise as the body’s immune system responds to the virus or virus-damaged skin cells, but cures have proved elusive.
An Enniskillen man, who preferred not to be identified, has been suffering from “Covid fingers” since catching the virus in March and described the ordeal he has been through since then.
“Two weeks after I got Covid I got blisters on my knuckles and from here it got progressively worse,” he explained.
“They started as a red blotch. Then the skin started to open and they bled for a couple of days. They are like really sore blisters and can be very irritating. It’s been months and nothing has helped clear them up.”
Currently, he has six of these lesions on his knuckles and because they are on his knuckles, they continually reopen when he does anything with his hands.
“My (hand) movement is restricted because the blisters are on my knuckles. I was advised to wear cotton gloves all the time, but they were not of much help,” he explained.
Doctors are treating the post-Covid ailment with steroid tablets and cream as well as using an antibiotic cream, while the lesions need to be dressed regularly and kept from getting wet. But so far there is no definite cure-all for it.
“It’s trial and error at the minute. What works for one person may not work for another. They are still not sure what the right treatment for it is,” he said. “If your immune system is a bit low or weak after (having) Covid, other side effects are hair loss and vertigo. The symptoms vary from person-to-person.”
Long Covid was the first real unknown reaction to the virus, but an array of skin conditions are now appearing, with these lesions – which typically develop after repeated exposure to cold and damp conditions and can also affect fingers, heels, ears, and nose – usually appearing between one and four weeks after a positive Covid test.
Bad skin conditions post-Covid may be a side effect of the immune system’s response to fighting off the virus, but not knowing exactly how to treat it is more worrying.
“There has been gradual improvement (in my condition), but there is still a long way to go yet,” the man said.
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