Itchy Bumps on Elbows, Knuckles, and Feet.... help!!

[abear13]

Hi there. I have developed a number of itchy red bumps on various places on my body. Every once in awhile I develop hard bumpy red skin on my right index finger that is sore to the touch, but usually just goes away after awhile. It almost looks like a callus.  It's annoying an hurts when I touch or bend my finger but eventually the bumps go away and everything is fine. Some of the new bumps kinda feel the same though, it's similar pain when touched. Recently I noticed similar bumps on my heel. I had a big blister on my heel from wearing new work boots and as the blister healed these two red bumps showed up that were both painful and itchy. They only hurt when I touch them. Next there was a red bump on the top of my opposite foot near my big toe. It was very itchy but didn't hurt like the other two. They look the same though, very symmetrical, red, and raised. They look like very perfect bug bites but I am almost certain they are not bug bites. Last night while watching tv my elbow became itchy and I noticed a small bump just like the others. Then my other elbow was itchy and there was a smaller bump not so much like the others but itchy nonetheless. Then right before bed I noticed 3 tiny red itchy bumps on my middle knuckle of my left hand. Now this morning there are two or three of these bumps on my right middle knuckle. This has never happened to me before and I'm very confused. Both of my elbows are now covered in tiny red bumps and they itch very, very much. I went out and bought some hydrocortisone ointment but I think it may have made my elbows worse. They don't seem like bug bites and they don't seem to be going away. I tried to go to the clinic yesterday but they had just closed and now I won't be able to go until Tuesday because Monday is a holiday. Any help or insight here would be great.

[esk50]

Guys i had a similar problem. i tried a lot of cremes and drugs. it was later found to be scabies. treat affected areas wwith Benzyl benzoate. Apply it twice a day or for 24 hrs. in the course of application the the itchy areas will get intense. But continue with the application at least for a week. Apply the creme and make sure your body is dried up before wearing any attire. but mind you...the itchy areas will intensify after any application until it starts to reduce after a week.. Try it. other sex partners must equally treat themselves.
This is only for external use. still searching for good drugs to take in,,as i believe they are normally caused by fungus which lives in the blood. untreated for a while causes severe itching in the palms and feet after treating that of arms, elbows, anus, feet, thighs. I don't know whether or not there are anti-fungal medicines for injections just they have for anti-bacteria.Again, do not treat fungal infections with anti bacteria medicines.

[Cazbo1989]

I have exactly the same experience. Red sore bumps on my hands,knuckles, elbows and near my big toe. I have this every time I am stressed and it goes away without treatment as I just ignore them. They are no harm and nothing to worry about. Do they appear when you are stressed? Maybe you've eaten a certain food or on certain medication. They are just hives. X

[madisonk]

Hello, I've has this my entire life. I have severe allergies and moderate psoriases and they react funny together. Topical steroids(best if prescribed by a doctor and fairly strong) and thick lotions can keep the bumps away for an extended period of time. You will notice these bumps on your joints, feet, hands, and sometimes scalp. UV rays do help, HOWEVER the slightest bit of sunburn or even a slight redness will increase the bumps and itching. If you choose to tan put bandaids over the spots on the back of your heels because they are usually pressed against the tanning bed and will really increase if they are aggravated at all. Your socks play a huge role when dealing with the massive heal bumps, buy thick socks and sometimes wear more than one pair.

[Pthalo]

Wow, had a huge post and hit "answer", then got asked to log in and my post seems to be gone. Whoops.

We figured out I have two problems:

Problem one: I have dermatographism. It is also known as skin-writing and can be read about here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatographic_urticaria
It's not technically an allergy, but it responds very well to over the counter antihistamines, once daily in my case prevents it almost entirely and enables me to do rough physical stock work without being a constant itchy ball.

I had a massive reaction to a hair dye product that appeared two days after use. My face was puffy, red, itchy, and my skin had an almost gritty texture to it that peeled like a mild sunburn. Took a week for it to feel all normal again.

This prompted a massive allergy patch test to be done on my back for some fifty-odd chemicals, which revealed...

Problem two: Fragrance allergy!
"Fragrance Mix #1" was the only patch I reacted to in the whole test. The components used in the mix can be read about here:
http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/fragrance-allergy.html
as well as the massive number of everyday products they are used in.

We think my hand-elbow-feet hives are due to this, currently. After switching most of my hygiene products to fragrance-free, these hives happen rarely if at all. THANK GOODNESS! It is possible my summertime increase was due to seasonal sunscreen use. These hives do not respond very readily to antihistamines, but they are much more manageable now that Problem One has been controlled. I can't eliminate all fragrance exposure, but I can now get by with minimal exposure and not worry about crossing that tipping point nearly so often.

If any of you here haven't been tested for fragrance/dye/etc allergies, it might be worth bringing up with your dermatologist!

(Bonus: I was also tested for the more typical cats/dogs/dander/trees/mites, and was negative for all of them! I had a penicillin allergy as a kid, and have now been shown to be perfectly fine with it as an adult. Yay! The pin-pricks used for the allergy tests triggered my dermatographism later on as the pokes healed.)

[eao7320]

I have the exact same thing, I thought it was hives or increased anxiety. I am going to try the cream recommended.

[tianine]

One more thing.  I'm pretty sure I know what caused the bumps in my case.  I went on a little sugar binge for the week prior to the bumps showing up on my elbow, and then my knuckles.  I ate several bags of chocolate covered peanuts over a period of about 10 days. Because I already have a candida issue, this apparently pushed my body over the edge.  I ate some more of the darned things the other night, and felt a little itching back at my elbow.  So chocolate covered peanuts, as well as other starches and food for yeast, are no longer on the menu for me.  It just isn't worth it.  

[Yhatty]

Interesting you mentioned this...ive been getting the same thing and i KNEW it wasnt eczima (like the internet said). But i started getting these bumps after drinking repeatedly over the course of a week. It was way too much yeast for my body to handle but i was just reeling to figure out where this alarmingly fast spreading "rash" was coming from. It makes sense tht it was a fungal infection.  

[LaLaBecks]

Interesting...know that I think about it mine might coincide with a couple weekends of heavy drinking. Doesn't happen often but I should think about the correlation.

[tianine]

I apologize, it was clotrimazole 1% cream.

[tianine]

I have found something that has cured the red, itchy bumps on my elbows and knuckles.  I hope this helps someone out there who has this horrible affliction.  I was terrified, because it was spreading and it was miserable.  I tried everything I could find on the internet first, to no avail.  Going on a last-ditch suggestion by a friend, one which I thought was very unlikely, I applied a generic antifungal cream.  The progression and the bumps ceased within 2 days, and after a month, the bumps have dried up and disappeared.  So, rather unbelievably (because I thought they were warts, or ring worm, or a histamine reaction, or anything but yeast), it turns out that it was a fungal infection.  I believe that any antifungal cream will do, but the specific cream I used is a generic “Antifungal Cream” by Safeway Inc., and it is over the counter. (Clotrimazole 2% cream)  I bought it at HEB or Walmart.  It says it cures most athlete’s foot, so athlete’s  foot cream (a fungal cream) may work as well.  

[oxmrw]

i have little red bumps on my hands and one of my elbows they don't itch or anything but they look like bug bites and they are tiny and red some are medium and some are very tiny but i'm not for sure because there is multiple of them  on my hands i would like to know what they are because im getting concerned.

[BD2000]

Hi,
I've had what looks like the same thing for the last few days.  Itchy spots on hands, knees and elbows.  I saw the Dr today, who advised it's probably result of a viral infection, which will clear up by itself after a week or two.  For the itching, she prescribed Telfast antihistamine as my over the counter Clarityn wasn't enough.

I hope this helps others!

[Kate6100]

Hi everyone I have spots exactly like JohnK3 has in his photo. They started a about 1 years ago when I  was around 14. First they appeared on my hands whenever I had been doing a lot of manual work. I assumed they were just friction blisters, then on my elbows where I assumed it was a soap I was using and I was over-exfoliating the area. Then when I was 18, it was a hot summer and they exploded over my entire body, favouring anywhere that skin would naturally fold, knuckles knees, even into my pubic area. I had to take 3 weeks off work it looked like an extreme dose of chicken pocks I was absolutely riddled with them. My doctor never took tests of my skin but asked me to preform a few tests myself. Not showering to see was soap the cause, exposing skin to sun for extended periods of time. In the end we concluded that I was in fact allergic to my own sweat, or a histamine that my body produces naturally and reaches the skins surface when sweating. I have to be very careful taking regular showers at least once every 2 days, mostly I take a quick one every morning. The shower must be as cold as possible because hot showers are generally bad for skin health. I have to be careful not to over exfoliate or use strong soaps or even stay in the shower too long leaving skin weakened for histamine attack. At first I was taking a max amount of anti-histamine, Zirtek. Finally the rash ceased and now I only get it on my elbows or hands when I've been doing strenuous work. I no longer take my anti-histamines daily only when I feel I've been working hard or when my rash appears. I use calamine lotion on areas badly affect when they start to itch. A 200 ml bottle has lasted me years and is still half full, even if you haven't got what I have I highly recommend it for any itch. Hope this helps some of you.

[Georgeb2012]

I've had the same problem for about 5-6 years now. And I've never been to a dermatologist. But I find that if you scratch them they come up redder, more painful and in larger quantites! Whereas if you leave the starting 'spot(s)' then they just tend to go without putting up much of a fight :P and I find a way to stop that seriously frustrating temptation to scratch is to- Put your hands,elbows or feet or wherever your finding the spots in piping hot water. As hot as you can withstand without burning yourself. This really help to stop the irritation and therefore helps to stop progressive symptoms.I hope this can help some people with this nameless skin irritarion :)

[me525]

It looks very similar to a rash I have been getting since I was a kid. I think it started when I was 12 or 13 and I've had it off and on since then (about 20 years). I has gotten better with age. I used to get a ton of red bumps on my fingers (mostly on the knuckles), elbows, toes and rarely a few on my knees. There were times I would have over a hundred on my hands. They were usually not painful unless I bumped them. The ones close to the fingernail or tips of fingers were the worst. The ones on my elbows and toes would itch. I have seen a few dermatologists over the years and have had 2 or 3 skin biopsy's with no real answer. One doctor suggested Granuloma annulare, which sort of fits, but not really. I was also tested for Lupus (discoid) and had somewhat positive results on the first test and negative results on another test. The last doctor gave me a fancy word for "you are getting a rash and we don't know why". It hasn't been as bad over the last few years and I don't know why. I still do get some bumps every month right around my period.
Hope it helps to at least know there are others out there. I hope you get an answer.

[tayla211]

i have these blotches of red
bumps on my knee and my elbow. both on the same side. they go away then they start getting really insanely itchy and pop up again. i have had them for about a year. but they have only started getting worse lately. please please tell me what i have!

[Pthalo]

THESE ARE STILL DRIVING ME CRAZY. But I have a functioning camera again!

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k20/Unrealavatar/ItchyHandsmin0.jpg
Tracked down a picture I took last year in August.

The second it warmed up outside to above freezing, these things returned.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k20/Unrealavatar/ItchyHandsmin1.jpg
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k20/Unrealavatar/ItchyHandsmin2.jpg

min1 is more or less how they look when I manage to leave them alone.
min 0 it is too hot outside for irritation not to occur, hence the redness. 2 I intentionally rubbed gently, the spots immediately become very visible.

Maybe we could get a collection of these pictures together, to help folks online compare more? Since doctors seem to give a wide variety of diagnoses it might be helpful.

[Heather5810]

I have the same thing but I've been tracking them and they are linked to my period. I know my period is coming because I get the bumps a few days before. I usually get them on my knuckles and fingers and then on my elbows. They hurt really bad, especially when I do things like tie my shoes that put pressure or scrape them. I can't find anything about them!

[Pthalo]

My apologies for posting twice, it would appear I have been amply frustrated with this more than once. At least I've had more time to observe it.

[Pthalo]

Same thing, near identical to your photo. Spots heavily resemble mosquito bites minus any actual bite in the centre. Raised, skintone or pinkish if itched, itchy, similar in size to aforementioned bugbites. Becomes sore if fussed with too much. Spots frequently appear in small clusters.

Appears on outside of elbows, knuckles and tops of fingers, along the sides of fingers especially near the fingernails. Similarly distributes itself across toes. I would like to point out specifically that there is NO signs of this on webbing between digits. It's all appearing on hard joints.

There is likewise NO scaling, flaking, or texture changes to the skin beyond feeling warm and a bit swollen. Sometimes presents itself on only one hand/elbow/etc at a time, sometimes other areas soon follow after a delay of a day or two. If it does appear on both sides simultaneously, symmetry is not a distinguishable trait.

It only becomes blisterlike if I itch it repeatedly, I assume due to friction. But it's itchy as heck! It happens once or twice in the winter and very notably in early summer and on especially hot days it goes bonkers.
Initially mistook it for a mild solar allergy.

I have not been able to have this diagnosed in any useful way since the lag between its appearance and making it to an appointment is usually enough for the symptoms to resolve, leaving me with no live example to show. Two or three days to a week seems to do it.

Longer healing times is entirely due to blistering I may have caused. Best bet is to not touch the things once I notice them, so as to keep them from getting warm, itchy, and therefor more annoying.

Thank you for the plausible causes guys. Thought I would add my experience to the symptoms list at least.

[karinagonz11]

Hello. I know it has been years but I am currently living the same exact scenario. Did you ever get this diagnose? Or did it go away?

[JohnK3]

I have the EXACT same thing right now. I posted a few days ago with a picture and have gotten no response. The bumps started as a few on my hands and have exploded all over both ands, my elbows, knees, and are starting to show up on my feet. I've had them for a little over a week now. I tried soaking my hands and elbows in hot water and Epson salt and that seemed to help the itching for awhile at least.

I'm not sure why, but it seems like the pros on this site pick and choose who they want to answer. Hopefully they'll choose your post since mine was completely looked over. Here is my post if you want to see the pi of my hand. BTW, it's much worse now.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/I-dont-know-what-these-bumps-are-and-theyre-getting-worse/show/1400956?personal_page_id=1896413#post_6389924

[LaLaBecks]

I have small "nodules" that pop up on the joints of my fingers, on my elbows and joint of my toes. They come from out of the blue. I realize they are there because they start to feel like a fresh fire ant bite that lasts for a week or 2 depending on how large they expand. They became extremely painful when touched or when bending joints. Not filled with fluid, it's just like a hard mass that forms. It's itchy and burns like ant bite when you scratch them. Not symmetrical and very random occurrences. I don't have RA, gout or skin rash problems. I feel like this sounds similar to many of you on this post. Not one doctor has been able to tell me what they are. It's very frustrating. BUT I will say that a prescribed ointment called Voltaren, that's similar to topical Advil, works well to lessen the pain for a few hours. Has anyone found a name for this?

[Pthalo]

I get itchy patchy spots on my fingers, knuckles, occasionally my elbows and my toes in the same fashion as on my fingers. They do look like bugbites a little bit, and itching them does nothing but turn them into sore blisters due to the friction of repeated itching.

I notice I got them most in mid spring and early summer, especially while at the cottage. Given my brother used to get itchy red blisters along the rims of his ears from going out in the sun very similar to this, we think it's actually some kind of solar sensitivity. Taking an antihistamine helped a little with the itching.

[marticru]

Hello, i have also been getting random red bumps all over my body, although mine are not painful. Right now i have bumps on my elbows too. My doctor told me it could be hives, or possibly a viral infection and he suggested taking Claratin or Zrytec.  It could also be some type of dermatitis. I would look around online and see what you can find.