Could it be Pomphlox

About 2 years ago (I was 19) I developed a wierd blister on the bottom of my foot. I popped it and it the developedtons of little blisters clustered together in a ring around the original blister.  The whole area was extremely itchy and once the blisters healed my skin started scaling in that area.  Now I get several of them twice a year on my foot.  Also I get clusters of small blisters on my hands and fingers that spread outward to form rings with peeling skin in the middle.  I also get red rings (no blisters)on my wrists, calves, tops of my feet and the underneath of my forearms, these also move outward getting bigger and leave dead peeling skin in the middle. I went to my dermatologist who looked at it for like 10 seconds, said it was eczema and perscribed me ultravate wich worked temporarily to help heal the scaling.  Right now I look so gross, I am having the worst breakout ever!!  It's been going on for at least 2 months so as I am sure you can imagine my skin is quite covered with red rings, blisters, and dead skin. Please Help!!!

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

The condition your description most closely resembles is called either dyshidrotic eczema or pompholyx (and old-fashoned term no one uses much anymore.)  Whatever you call it, this is a blistery rash affecting the palms and soles.  Cause: unknown.  Not contagious or systemic.  Responds to eczema treatments like steroids (Ultravate is on) or the newer non-steroid creams like tacrolimus.  Creams like these help heal the skin but don't prevent recurrence.

I suggest you ask your dermatologist (or another one, if you like) to re-examine you and if possible confirm this diagnosis or suggest another.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[cvcc97]

I have Pomphylx (my dermatologist said so). I get it on my hands only. When I break out it usually starts at the tips of my fingers and the centers of my palms. As it gets worse it "rashes" out from my palms and along the sides of my fingers. What is first noticed in the center of my palms has no sprouted up in patches all over my hands. Also the flabby areas (webs) between my fingers get hit hard. This all stops at the backside of my hands.

The rash starts out sweaty, red, and itchy. It looks like blemishes. If you look closer you'll see tiny bisters under the skin (about 1mm in dia.). These grow and the skin gets more irritated. Eventually (if I dont use any creams) those little blisters (can seem like hundreds) join together under the skin to form larger blisters. I compare my hands to inflated latex gloves. Eventually the blisters break leaking yellow fluid which dries very quickly. Before the hands heal they become very dry(especially where the blisters where) causing cracking and bleeding sometimes.

One thing that accompanies this eczema is the uncontrollable urge to scratch, tear, rub, squeeze (anything to stop the unbelievable irritation momentarily) the skin.

One thing I cannot say I have ever experienced with this is the ring like patterns you described.

Hope this helps.

[crtvak]

Hello.
I have been suffering from this for years. Ive seen doctors and specialists over here in England and not one has ever mentioned this Dyshidrotic Eczema ever! Over the years they have just kept giving me different creams to use, none that I can actually say help with maybe the exception, Eumovate.
To make matters worse, I am a Chef!!! so my hands and very important to me and some times they get so bad it drives me mad with the itching and eventually the pain from haveing itched and burst the blisters. Some times after ive scratched in my sleep, I wake up with hands that look and feel like they have been through a mincer. They then start getting infected and very sore. I am coming to the US in a couple of days and will be looking for the creams mentioned in this and other forums. Thank you everyone, I honestly was starting to think I was the only person in the world that suffered from this thing that NO british doctor has ever managed to diagnose.
Chris