Everyone, look your fingers...do you have these, too? What are they? I get them in hot weather, just inside the fingers and thumb. Then the skin falls off and they disappear. Nice.
My fiance gets them too. It seems to be a reaction to heat, or maybe summer allergies. I'm not sure what the technical term for it is or anything, but it seems normal, you won't die. :)
I used to get this in the summer as a kid when we lived near a creek & woods. I was told they were called 'chiggers' and were tiny bugs under the skin. I had them between my toes too and they itched like mad.
Doctor Soubriquet here, with your correct diagnosis:
You have pompholyx. Dishydrotic eczema. It's usually harmless. Not chiggers, though that did make me laugh. I've had eczema in its various forms all my life, in my case those little blisters are itchy as hell. Sometimes on the soles of my feet too. In my case, exposure to some solvents can be a trigger. Other theories blame contact with nickel, or nickel in the diet, such as canned fish. Me, I'm allergic to fish anyway, so I can discount that cause.
You and your readers might find this site interesting:- http://www.pompholyx.co.uk/
No, I'm not really a doctor. But I guarantee I'm right in this case.
Isaac, I bet you feel left out, everyone else has it.
Soubriquet - that's what it is, Yes!!! Tapioca describes it prefectly. It isn't itchy at all this time. I've been wearing gardening gloves and washing my hands a lot so this is my hands way of objecting. Thanks!
I have them right NOW! Thank you SO much for posting this because I now know what they are! I usually get just a small patch between my fingers. They itch like nobody's business and go away after a couple of days. And now I know what they are! I KNEW there was a reason I subscribed to your blog....
soubriquet - exactly that said a Doctor to me a few years ago too, when I've got them "over night". Only question in room - mine where and are never itching or containing darker spots.
BTW: He told me he only (9x%) knows it from smoking people.
@Joanne. Gardening gloves? Lots of handwashing? Oh my. Well, let's hope the garden looks great anyway. Watch out for handwash ingredients. My experience is that if it says "handwash" and isn't soap, if it claims special antibacterial properties, then avoid it. Most of those punp-action liquids are nasty stuff for your skin. Gloves. They get sweaty inside, and that's not good. You wash your hands, but then you put them in a warm, sweaty, bacterial growing environment.
Now it seems these outbreaks are not an affliction to you, which is good, but you could reduce the outbreaks, perhaps, by using an aqueous cream instead of soaps as a handwash. Ask your doctor or pharmacy about "Dermol 500". It costs about £10.00 per 500 ml, in a pump bottle. Use it instead of soap, shower gel etc. It will, I guarantee, outperform any of those fancy name moisturisers, anti-wrinkle creams etc. Try it. Your skin will thank you. And: go to an industrial safety store, or a farm supplies store, and buy a pack of cotton glove-liners. Wash 'em or chuck 'em. I have no financial interest in Dermol or any of the similar products, by the way, just quite a bit of gratitude for the way it's helped me.
@GuyB:- I've never smoked. Mine don't get darker spots either, jut little blisters or bubbles under the skin.
If I could recommend a lotion ....give Corn Huskers lotion a try... I need to "fix " my hands on occasion from the abuse of living in the desert and common household chemistry.....works wonders for me.
I used to get them years ago between my fingers. Worked out that it was the powdered rubber gloves I was using in work. When I stopped wearing them they disappeared.
Jsahawkwiz, glad I was of some benefit...well the diagnosis was thanks to Doctor Soubriquet :-)
TSTWOTI, you are getting these rubbed on your face next time I see you.
Guy B, really, is there a smoking link? I get the odd wee dark spot amongst it. Mmm tapioca.
Soubriquet, it was a block of handmade soap with natural ingredients (so it said). There's definitely a link to me wearing gloves and these bumps, I agree with the sweaty hands thing? I'll be on the lookout for dermol (if it's not tested on animals, I'm a righteous freak :-))
Mutil8or, Corn Huskers, ya say? Wonder if I can get that here? I have a mental picture of you now, rugged hard-working guy in an apron and marigold gloves.
Erinyes, you are so feckin helpful, it's unreal :-)
Miss Lyd, we should start a group for this - The Bubble Fingered Freaks Helpline.
Mark, yes there's defo a connection there but how do I pull the nettles and thistles out without them? Also, why are feet so easily hurt? I reckon we stop wearing shoes and grow dog pads.
Huh, learned something new. Mine just cleared up a few days ago. I always get them every year but never paid attention to heat being a factor. Then again I live in TX so heat is always a factor except for Nov-March.
@soubriquet - just an opinion & experience of on Doctor at our world. %-) As I mentioned - mine are only blisters too and no other eczema symptom matches.
@Joanne Casey - my Doc said so, majority of his cases.
@Nihilady - as you mention it; usually summertime, yes, mine too. Must be a connection too! :-O
IIRC I've met once a person reacting that way on paperdust & colordust in his office. A more customized skin hand care - and it got normal again!
As long as mine isn't really regulary - I'll ignore it. So I'll just leave them alone and sometimes popping/scratching them unknowingly. Heals off without a trace.
The Bubble Fingered Freaks Helpline. - like it! ]%-> Guy "Where to join?" B.
hello. I have eczema on my hands as well. Mine looks like tapioca under the skin and mine is much worse than what you are desscribing. Mine sticks around all year long and it turns my fingers red, they itch like crazy and when I itch them they pop and it hurts. My skin is constantly peeling off layers from it and it hurts. It's especially embarassing :( I feel like I have to wear bandaids all the time cuz it grosses people out. Any suggestions for me? I used to go a doctor for it but then I lost my insurance and can't afford all the steroid cremes and shots to keep it under control :( Could really use some advice on this.
Anon, I know mine is related to handwashing, gloves and heat, but not as extreme as yours and only appears 2 or 3 times a year. There were a few lotions mentioned in the comments.
OMG! People...this is HERPES! You can get herpes on your fingers and it's really contagious. It's called Herpes Whitlow. Don't itch, don't touch, hide it from everything and everyone. You can get genital herpes by just touching yourself downstairs! Get som Aciklovir from your doctor to get rid of it faster! But other than that, it's just time that can cure it!
I get them too.
ReplyDeleteI get them, too! No idea what they are, though.
ReplyDeleteMy fiance gets them too. It seems to be a reaction to heat, or maybe summer allergies. I'm not sure what the technical term for it is or anything, but it seems normal, you won't die. :)
ReplyDeleteNo one on the planet knows what they are...they could hold the cure for cancer for all we know!
ReplyDeleteI got those too but a couple of summers ago my bumps stopped visiting me.
ReplyDeleteI used to get this in the summer as a kid when we lived near a creek & woods. I was told they were called 'chiggers' and were tiny bugs under the skin. I had them between my toes too and they itched like mad.
ReplyDeleteAnon, not sure if I want them to stop visiting, they're like an old friend.
ReplyDeleteChiggers, huh? At least they have a name now. Also if you bite them, they pop! Ha ha :-)
If they were chiggers, you'd know it. I get that too from time to time. NOT chiggers.
ReplyDeleteThese are chigger bites:
http://www.helptionary.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Chigger-bites.jpg
UUGH! NOT CHIGGERS, NOT CHIGGERS!
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't have it. Specially because it's winter here in the South.
ReplyDeleteDoctor Soubriquet here, with your correct diagnosis:
ReplyDeleteYou have pompholyx. Dishydrotic eczema. It's usually harmless. Not chiggers, though that did make me laugh.
I've had eczema in its various forms all my life, in my case those little blisters are itchy as hell. Sometimes on the soles of my feet too.
In my case, exposure to some solvents can be a trigger. Other theories blame contact with nickel, or nickel in the diet, such as canned fish. Me, I'm allergic to fish anyway, so I can discount that cause.
You and your readers might find this site interesting:-
http://www.pompholyx.co.uk/
No, I'm not really a doctor. But I guarantee I'm right in this case.
Isaac, I bet you feel left out, everyone else has it.
ReplyDeleteSoubriquet - that's what it is, Yes!!! Tapioca describes it prefectly. It isn't itchy at all this time. I've been wearing gardening gloves and washing my hands a lot so this is my hands way of objecting. Thanks!
I have them right NOW! Thank you SO much for posting this because I now know what they are! I usually get just a small patch between my fingers. They itch like nobody's business and go away after a couple of days. And now I know what they are! I KNEW there was a reason I subscribed to your blog....
ReplyDeleteStinkers
ReplyDeletesoubriquet - exactly that said a Doctor to me a few years ago too, when I've got them "over night". Only question in room - mine where and are never itching or containing darker spots.
ReplyDeleteBTW: He told me he only (9x%) knows it from smoking people.
Guy B.
@Joanne. Gardening gloves? Lots of handwashing?
ReplyDeleteOh my. Well, let's hope the garden looks great anyway.
Watch out for handwash ingredients. My experience is that if it says "handwash" and isn't soap, if it claims special antibacterial properties, then avoid it. Most of those punp-action liquids are nasty stuff for your skin. Gloves. They get sweaty inside, and that's not good. You wash your hands, but then you put them in a warm, sweaty, bacterial growing environment.
Now it seems these outbreaks are not an affliction to you, which is good, but you could reduce the outbreaks, perhaps, by using an aqueous cream instead of soaps as a handwash. Ask your doctor or pharmacy about "Dermol 500".
It costs about £10.00 per 500 ml, in a pump bottle.
Use it instead of soap, shower gel etc. It will, I guarantee, outperform any of those fancy name moisturisers, anti-wrinkle creams etc. Try it. Your skin will thank you. And: go to an industrial safety store, or a farm supplies store, and buy a pack of cotton glove-liners. Wash 'em or chuck 'em.
I have no financial interest in Dermol or any of the similar products, by the way, just quite a bit of gratitude for the way it's helped me.
@GuyB:- I've never smoked. Mine don't get darker spots either, jut little blisters or bubbles under the skin.
@
If I could recommend a lotion ....give Corn Huskers lotion a try...
ReplyDeleteI need to "fix " my hands on occasion from the abuse of living in the desert and common household chemistry.....works wonders for me.
Cutting off your fingers works well, too.
ReplyDelete:oP
I thought it was just me and my weird body! I am not alone!!!
ReplyDeleteI used to get them years ago between my fingers. Worked out that it was the powdered rubber gloves I was using in work. When I stopped wearing them they disappeared.
ReplyDeleteherpes.
ReplyDeleteJsahawkwiz, glad I was of some benefit...well the diagnosis was thanks to Doctor Soubriquet :-)
ReplyDeleteTSTWOTI, you are getting these rubbed on your face next time I see you.
Guy B, really, is there a smoking link? I get the odd wee dark spot amongst it. Mmm tapioca.
Soubriquet, it was a block of handmade soap with natural ingredients (so it said). There's definitely a link to me wearing gloves and these bumps, I agree with the sweaty hands thing? I'll be on the lookout for dermol (if it's not tested on animals, I'm a righteous freak :-))
Mutil8or, Corn Huskers, ya say? Wonder if I can get that here? I have a mental picture of you now, rugged hard-working guy in an apron and marigold gloves.
Erinyes, you are so feckin helpful, it's unreal :-)
Miss Lyd, we should start a group for this - The Bubble Fingered Freaks Helpline.
Mark, yes there's defo a connection there but how do I pull the nettles and thistles out without them? Also, why are feet so easily hurt? I reckon we stop wearing shoes and grow dog pads.
Senorglory, yes but only on my hands. This time.
'you are getting these rubbed on your face next time I see you'
ReplyDeleteAnd your hands?
WTF? I would never rub those on you in front of Smout.
ReplyDeletethere now arent you glad its not leprosy lol
ReplyDeleteforgetful, and the lepers are glad I'm not joining their colony.
ReplyDeleteChiggers plays pop!
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there.
ReplyDeleteRugged hard-working guy in an apron and marigold gloves?
ReplyDeleteHere's a slightly different mental picture for ya.....
http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee321/Mutil8or/5aff1889.jpg
Mutil8or, holy shit, come down from there, you'll rip your apron!;-)
ReplyDeleteHuh, learned something new. Mine just cleared up a few days ago. I always get them every year but never paid attention to heat being a factor. Then again I live in TX so heat is always a factor except for Nov-March.
ReplyDeleteNihilady, next time you have them, you can call them by their rightful name :-)
ReplyDelete@soubriquet - just an opinion & experience of on Doctor at our world. %-) As I mentioned - mine are only blisters too and no other eczema symptom matches.
ReplyDelete@Joanne Casey - my Doc said so, majority of his cases.
@Nihilady - as you mention it; usually summertime, yes, mine too. Must be a connection too! :-O
IIRC I've met once a person reacting that way on paperdust & colordust in his office. A more customized skin hand care - and it got normal again!
As long as mine isn't really regulary - I'll ignore it. So I'll just leave them alone and sometimes popping/scratching them unknowingly. Heals off without a trace.
The Bubble Fingered Freaks Helpline. - like it! ]%->
Guy "Where to join?" B.
Guy, I still like to think they're highly mysterious, the secrets of the universe are held in their centres.
ReplyDeleteI get them, but it's because I'm allergic to chrome and nickle, 2 main ingredients in guitar strings
ReplyDeleteYou can get stainless steel strings, it seems.
ReplyDeletei get them and treat them with Apricot Scrub... store brands will work,
ReplyDelete*uses apricot scrub and a blowtorch*
ReplyDeletehello. I have eczema on my hands as well. Mine looks like tapioca under the skin and mine is much worse than what you are desscribing. Mine sticks around all year long and it turns my fingers red, they itch like crazy and when I itch them they pop and it hurts. My skin is constantly peeling off layers from it and it hurts. It's especially embarassing :( I feel like I have to wear bandaids all the time cuz it grosses people out. Any suggestions for me? I used to go a doctor for it but then I lost my insurance and can't afford all the steroid cremes and shots to keep it under control :( Could really use some advice on this.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I know mine is related to handwashing, gloves and heat, but not as extreme as yours and only appears 2 or 3 times a year. There were a few lotions mentioned in the comments.
ReplyDeleteOMG!
ReplyDeletePeople...this is HERPES! You can get herpes on your fingers and it's really contagious. It's called Herpes Whitlow.
Don't itch, don't touch, hide it from everything and everyone. You can get genital herpes by just touching yourself downstairs!
Get som Aciklovir from your doctor to get rid of it faster!
But other than that, it's just time that can cure it!
/ Swedish girl
I don't think that's what it was...thanks anyway :)
ReplyDelete