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Bumps on Palms

My hands look completely normal but when they get wet for a long period of time (doing dishes, going swimming, or taking a shower), thick, tender bumps form on my hands.  The bumps cover my entire palm and are on both hands, I actually think they may be on my fingers too, but if so, they are very small. The bumps vary in size. The bumps stay on my palms and slowly fade away as my hands dry out (This takes about 20 minutes at the most).  The bumbs are hard, almost callous like, slightly itchy, and mildly painful, especially in the creases of my hands when I try to bend my hands.  Once my hands have dried out my palms look slightly dried out, with some flaking present.  Please help me figure out what's wrong, its very embarrasing and I'm curious to know if it is contagious.  
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563773 tn?1374246539
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
From the symptoms , it looks like dyshidrotic eczema or pompholyx.  Pompholyx primarily involves the hands and fingers and then may involve the feet. The first stage is acute and presents as itchy blisters on the hands, fingers and toes. Then the chronic stage shows more peeling, cracking, or crusting. Then the skin heals up, or the blistering may start again. The exact cause is not known and excessive sweating can be one of the reasons.
Apply some calamine lotion on the affected area and keep the area well moisturized. Use only thin applications of moisturizer ointments as excessive amounts of ointment may restrict breathing of the skin and aggravate the condition.

Topical steroids can be applied but they are available under prescription. Moreover to prevent infection, topical antibiotics may be needed. I suggest you to consult a dermatologist and get it evaluated.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.




Helpful - 0
681148 tn?1437661591
I'm not sure, but it sounds like eczema.  Did you know that eczema is exasperated by both what you eat and what you expose your skin to?  I used to get giant blisters about an inch in diameter myself.  It was a combination of two things affecting the eczema:  gluten intolerance that might or might not be Celiac.  I was also reacting to the kind of dish detergent I was using.  I stopped gluten and switched to Seventh Generation fragrance free dish liquid.  There is a definite difference between what is called dish detergent and dish liquid.  I no longer get these giant blisters, and my dishes are just as clean as before.  And, I no longer get so nauseous just from washing dishes.  

I definitely know the embarrassment factor.  People who saw my hands thought I had something contagious and would keep their distance from me.  Right, like I wanted them getting near my obviously raw and open skin myself.

Other evidence for myself that proves that gluten aggravates eczema is every time I'm an idiot and eat gluten again, I feel the warnings of deep untouchable itching in the palms and heels of my hands.

Heavy moisturizers that are fragrance free and those cotton gloves you sometimes see at the drug stores worn over your hands while you sleep at night should help some.  Even if it's not eczema, the heavy moisturizer that is also fragrance free should help with the dryness and irritation.
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