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Rash on fingers

Janette67 posted:

I have several patches on my fingers on both hands that started out as tiny blisters that itch intensly then dry up and leave the areas scaly and itchy with periodic re-occurance of the blisters. The patches continually itch and frequently crack and bleed and it is spreading to other fingers. I have tried topical cortisone creams as well as benadryl. Sound familiar to anyone?

4 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Rash on fingersI have several patches on my fingers on both hands that started out as tiny blisters that itch intensly then dry up and leave the areas scaly and itchy with periodic re-occurance of the blisters. The patches continually itch and frequently crack and bleed and it is spreading to other fingers. I have tried topical cortisone creams as well as benadryl. Sound familiar to anyone?

melimac17 responded:

This sounds like the same thing I am experiencing but have no idea what it is or how to treat it. I have noticed that it only seems to recurr when the weather starts getting warmer..I don't experience this during the winter months. I've also noticed that the tiny blisters seem to appear to have what looks like a brown spot at the center of them.
Any ideas on what might be causing this?

Report This| Share this:Rash on fingersThis sounds like the same thing I am experiencing but have no idea what it is or how to treat it. I have noticed that it only seems to recurr when the weather starts getting warmer..I don't experience this during the winter months. I've also noticed that the tiny blisters seem to appear to have what looks like a brown spot at the center of them. Any ideas on what might be causing this?

alinwonder responded:

I would have a dermatologist check it out to be sure, but it sounds to me exactly like hand eczema/dishydrotic eczema (two names for the same thing). I have had this almost my whole life, but it does flare up worse than other times sometimes.

I would definitely have it looked at if it is bothering you - your doc can give you a higher strength cortisone cream to use regularly to prevent bad flare-ups.

The main thing you want to do, aside from get your doc to recommend something to treat it, and moisturize it frequently, is keep it very clean! I have had it happen twice now where the skin gets dry and cracks and lets an infection in, and both of my hands swelled up and had big orange blisters on them - like the eczema itself, but over my entire hands and times ten. I have been told by my doc that this is a fairly common complication of hand eczema, and that it can usually be prevented by treating the eczema with stronger cortisone so it doesn't flare up and get so dry.

Good luck - I hope this helps. Unfortunately, if it is the same thing I have, it's not curable and it's very annoying - you can only treat it to keep it from getting aggravated.

Report This| Share this:Rash on fingersI would have a dermatologist check it out to be sure, but it sounds to me exactly like hand eczema/dishydrotic eczema (two names for the same thing). I have had this almost my whole life, but it does flare up worse than other times sometimes. I would definitely have it looked at if it is bothering you - your doc can give you a higher strength cortisone cream to use regularly to prevent bad flare-ups. The main thing you want to do, aside from get your doc to recommend something to treat it, and moisturize it frequently, is keep it very clean! I have had it happen twice now where the skin gets dry and cracks and lets an infection in, and both of my hands swelled up and had big orange blisters on them - like the eczema itself, but over my entire hands and times ten. I have been told by my doc that this is a fairly common complication of hand eczema, and that it can usually be prevented by treating the eczema with stronger cortisone so it doesn't flare up and get so dry. Good luck - I hope this helps. Unfortunately, if it is the same thing I have, it's not curable and it's very annoying - you can only treat it to keep it from getting aggravated.

Mohiba K Tareen, MD replied to alinwonder's response:

Dear alinwonder,

Excellent advice! Thank you for being an interractive member of the community. I would love to hear more tips from you as to what has helped control your hand eczema flared over the years?

Report This| Share this:Rash on fingersDear alinwonder, Excellent advice! Thank you for being an interractive member of the community. I would love to hear more tips from you as to what has helped control your hand eczema flared over the years?

alinwonder replied to Mohiba K Tareen, MD's response:

I'm glad I was helpful

Moisturizing with a fragrance-free lotion (like Curel or Eucerin) first thing in the morning, after every hand washing, and right before bed helps keep it from getting too dry. Almost every time I have a flare-up, it comes after I have been careless about moisturizing.

My doc gave me hydrocortisone 1% cream that I use whenever it is spreading or getting very irritated (usually need to use it about twice a month, less often if I moisturize a lot)

Another thing that really helps was finding out what kinds of skin allergies I have, as allergens definitely cause flare-ups. For me, I noticed that fragranced hand soaps and petting my cats was triggering outbreaks, so I buy fragrance-free skincare products/soaps and wash and moisturize my hands after petting my cats.

I hope this helps someone else that has the same thing... I know how annoying it is!

Report This| Share this:Rash on fingersI'm glad I was helpful <img src="http://img.webmd.com/community/images/smile.gif" align="top" border="0"> Moisturizing with a fragrance-free lotion (like Curel or Eucerin) first thing in the morning, after every hand washing, and right before bed helps keep it from getting too dry. Almost every time I have a flare-up, it comes after I have been careless about moisturizing. My doc gave me hydrocortisone 1% cream that I use whenever it is spreading or getting very irritated (usually need to use it about twice a month, less often if I moisturize a lot) Another thing that really helps was finding out what kinds of skin allergies I have, as allergens definitely cause flare-ups. For me, I noticed that fragranced hand soaps and petting my cats was triggering outbreaks, so I buy fragrance-free skincare products/soaps and wash and moisturize my hands after petting my cats. I hope this helps someone else that has the same thing... I know how annoying it is!

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Mohiba K Tareen, MD

Mohiba K Tareen, MD is a board certified dermatologist who has an innovative practice in Roseville, Minnesota. Tareen Dermatology ( www.TareenDermato...More