blisters on palms and in between fingers

[chocolate_cutie]

for the past 6 months I have been getting small liquid filled blisters, some filled with clear liquid, so filled with pus. The blisters are located on the palm of my hands and in between my fingers, and once in awhile on my finger tips. They are painful, preventing me from doing daily life activities. I have tried eczema creams, cortizone, and oral antibiotics.  When the blisters pop, they turn into scabs and then thick layers of skin can be peeled off. I don't even have a palm print because of this

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it sounds like herpetic whitlow. Herpetic whitlow is a painful viral infection occurring on the fingers or around the fingernails. It is caused by infection with the herpes simplex virus (HSV).  I would suggest an examination by a dermatologist/physician and rule out this possibility. Lab investigations may be needed to support the confirmatory diagnosis.

Hope it helps .Take care and please do keep us posted in case you have any additional queries. Kind regards.

[chocolate_cutie]

is this something that can be cured. will they take sample of the hand or blood work? how does on get this?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Diagnosis of herpetic whitlow is made by physical examination but confirmation can be done by Tzanck test, viral cultures, serum antibody titers, fluorescent antibody testing or DNA hybridization. Herpetic whitlow is spread by exposure of the person to infected body fluids via a break in the skin or by autoinoculation in case there is genital herpes.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries. Kind regards.