Clear Bumps on Fingers and Forearm

I recently went to the beach on Sunday (May 2nd 2010) and that night I noticed a cluster of clear bumps on my forearm, after feeling them it began to get itchy. The next morning I had a clear bump on the side of my right index finger, a clear bump on the opposite side of  my middle finger on the right hand, and one clear bump on the side of the middle finger on the left hand. Tuesday I had one on my right wrist, wednesday the bump on my right middle finger turned into a cluster of tiny bumps, and on thursday I started getting itchy on my neck, stomach, waistline, there were a few more bumps on my right and left hands and then the right index finger started, I then popped the bumps on my forearm, right index and left middle and they oozed a clear liquid. Now friday I notice I have 4 on my right ring finger. They kind of itch, but nothing severe. Any ideas?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

From the symptoms it sounds like pompholyx. It is characterized by a sudden onset of many deep-seated pruritic, clear vesicles on the fingers and hands which itch and then peel off. As a result the skin may also fissure.

Wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites. You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate symptoms a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid.But they are available under prescription and should be taken only after consulting a dermatologist. Symptoms  can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep us posted on how you are doing. Kind regards.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

From the symptoms it sounds like pompholyx. It is characterized by a sudden onset of many deep-seated pruritic, clear vesicles on the fingers and hands which itch and then peel off. As a result the skin may also fissure.

Wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites. You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate symptoms a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid.But they are available under prescription and should be taken only after consulting a dermatologist. Symptoms  can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep us posted on how you are doing. Kind regards.

[julianyoung]

Thank you so much for your reply! I'm going to start washing them tonight! How long will it continue to spread? It's been a week now and I'm still having new bumps arrive.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Other than washing, it is important to keep the hands moisturized.  If they prove unsucvessful, then Light treatment: UVA-1, PUVA, Grenz rays, Low Level Light Therapy using a Red + NIR (LED) combination can be used. For recalcitrant cases, corticosteroids combined with immunosuppressants may be used. In addition, you can apply aloe vera to the hands. It will help.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.