dry and cracked thumb and pointer finger!

[CrazyNet]

My right thumb and pointer finger have been extremely dry and cracked for over a month. I have tried every lotion including Vaseline to try to cure it. I recently showed my mom and sister, and they said that it looks like it might be a finger fungus since it is only covering 2 fingers. What would this be? It is sore, but only when it catches on fabric. What does it sound like it could be?
Thank you,
Nanette

[toot4546]

Hello every one I have the same problem both thumbs and pointer fingers dry out and crack then bleed. i went to two dermatologist no answer. they gave me steroid creams that did not work. I HAVE TIRED EVERY CREaM OVER THE COUNTER FOR Eczema and vaseline also fugus cream. The last derm doc said its dyshidrotic eczema which i dont agree with because i had no blister or red pimps. I just did a patch study test and im not allergic to any thing according to the test. So the derm. doc said i need to find out my self what it is causing it, I f any one has help please let me know. I am Alisha

[Mary19640]

I have blister like on my heel and hand and feet have no feeling in my balm of my hand

[retailwiz]

My pointer finger tip had what I thought was just rough skin. I work in retail and touch a lot of fabrics and boxes so my skin is always dry. I tried all kind of lotions with no help. Then it started to spread past the crease In my finger. It became flakey and would crack sometimes and swell a bit. I tried Neosporin and Lotramin with no help. This has been going on for over a year. One of my customers saw it and we started talking and she said it could possibly be ringworm and to try clear nail polish and if it is a fungus this will suffocate it. Well its been a week now and I finally can see the ridges in my fingerprint, no swelling so my finger bends all the way now, the flakeyness is gone. My finger tip feels right if that makes sense before it just felt weird.  I am going to do for another week but it seems to be doing the trick. After my shower at night I apply a few coats of polish, I think with a few coats its easier to peel off. In the morning I peel it off and wash really well and apply a few coats. I repeat at night. The coats of polish also helps from snagging on fabric. Hope this helps.

[suri234]

I have dry skin on the top of my hands around the knuckles - its from the cold and painful red lines where the skin's gone raw. I have ben using the Made from Earth Aloe Jojoba Lotion for two weeks (once a day, before I went to sleep) has completely healed my skin. It's smooth to the touch and not the rough red mess it used to be.

[ljr331]

Okay.. I had the same thing for 2 months. I tried everything; Cortisone cream, Neosporin, fungus cream, vitamin E oil, intensive dry skin lotion.. and, finally found what made it go away..
It was driving me crazy at work.. and the only thing I had handy was medicated LIP BALM! It immediately 'calmed down' and softened.. I used it for a few days, and it's almost entirely cleared up.
Weird, I know.. but it works.

[Bob_B]

Hello, I have come to similar conclusions re the Atheletes foot diagnosis and as a fungal infection, I have used Canestan both between my toes and on my thumbs and for me this keeps the cracking at bay. After cleaning your objects thoroughly, keep your digits moisturised and hopefully the problem will remain controlled.  hope this helps you, kind regards Bob

[TONY_G]

EVERYBODY PLEASE READ-I believe it is Athletes Foot related and can then be transferred to other individuals through repeated touch and or repeated use of daily used handheld devices PERIOD.I have had this problem for years. It started from playing football in highschool I got athletes foot from the showers when I was a teenager. Then one night a few years later I itched the burning between my toes for quite a while till I had a little relieve with one index finger and days later I noticed the same index finger sweating or weeping spores of sweat lots. It later eventually hardened and now 22 years later it still has index finger, thumb and middle finger on both hands-*****!!! It travels through contact and things used daily-iPhone ,video game controllers , steering wheel, Mac book keys or CPU keys. It's nasty and I'm sure has been around for ages being passed through touch (hot moisture-sweat-heat) and it doesn't die! I had an NES controller I hadn't used in YEARS and when I used it you could still feel the sticky crap on it and the controller started to sweat again with my touch. Does anyone happen to know the correct term for it? I know it's athletes foot related for sure-but is it contact dermatitis ? Even more does anyone know a cure for it? I understand I would have to throw away daily used things or stop using them for a while (and or buy new covers for a while-phone-keypad-steering wheel covers) if there is a cure touching things that are already infected will only bring it back. A friend recommended lamasil pills but I understand it could be dangerous and even fatal-damages some peoples internal organs. Good luck everyone I have been wanting to talk about this for years but it's kinda hard ya know? Please feel free to respond-

[CAS19900106]

I suffered with the same condition on my fingertips, and also in the folds of my toes. My dermatologist prescribed 1% crude coal tar in white soft parafin (per 50g). I applied it religiously every evening before bed (wear cotton socks to keep it off the bedding) and it cleared up completely. It returns now and again, but this compound always gets rid of it within a few days.

[Xrayqueen]

I have the splitting on fingers and big toe..

I rubbed my toe with garlic and then put a sock and toe was better overnight.

I believe it's all connected to something in the water in my case.

I washed dishes and took a shower. I than woke up with 4 fingers split and in pain.

i took a clove of garlic rubbed the nails and put some under each fingernail.

It burns at first but the burning  eventually gives way to sweet relief.

I hope this helps someone...

Blessed Day...
Angela X;D*

[MeHeartie]

My thumbs and fingers split every now and then. the skin gets hard, and it is painful to use my fingers for the simplest things. I cant say what is causing this every so often, but I have been diagnosed with lupus, and perhaps it causes it. maybe you all should look into lupus and other autoimmune disorders.

[JasonRussell]

to jessemeister, Just a quick note to say hi! Hydrogen peroxide you used means you have an infection. Since your wounds is so deep. You can't use hydrocortisone treatment yet, till the skin is not deep. You have mild case of eczema, if it coming and going. Your doctor would check your back and chest. If not present it means you have nothing to worry about. See your doctor for an allergy skin test, any skin contact touch with laundry detergent, etc. can make your skin dry and cracked. Wrapped the finger with band-aid with hydrocortisone ointment. You have keep putting hydrogen peroxide with large wounds. It will go away. Your doctor will prescribe a stronger cream that you can get from a pharmacist. If you still have it. Keep applying the solution till your skin is better. Leave it on for 8 hours, till it gets into your skin. Then put moisturizer next, your skin will harden, the moisturizer will remove the dead skin as it makes it soft. A plant from aloe Vera or Shea butter from Karite tree cures eczema. Apply the natural juice onto your skin and leave it on for 15 minutes, if a deep cut appears on your finger. Apply it to inside the deep cut. Don't shake hands with anyone, cause it spreads from persons to person. Good luck!

[LaydiM]

For me, about 3-4 yrs ago, I had this small dry patch appear just to the side/below the nail of my ring finger on one hand. Eventually, it would move from that finger, to either my index or my thumb. Kind of rotates between fingers. It never happened on the other hand. About a year ago, I was in a push-up like position but used my fists vs. open palm on a yoga mat in the sun. This caused the dry patch to happen on the knuckles of my ring and little fingers of the one hand and btwn the ring-middle knuckle of the other hand. It's been a year- the one hand has healed but the problem hand still has the patches that sometimes look like I socked a wall incorrectly.. but the tips of my thumb and index have been dry and cracked to the point of being raw, the entire time. It has now added a patch on the inner knuckle-crease of my thumb, close to the palm. I get no blisters, bumps or itching. Just sore, painful, raw, dry, cracked skin!

Over the years I have tried Neutrogena's Norwegian hand cream; Aveno skin relief healing ointment; Shikai Borage therapy hand cream; Aquaphor; Neosporin and hydrogen peroxide. The Neosporin worked the best with a bandaid but after it appeared to be healed, within a week it was back. Still.. all only on one hand.

I've moved from San Diego, CA to Berlin, DE to Los Angeles, CA.

I've been pretty religious until about a few weeks ago in taking a multi-vitamin daily. Didn't seem to matter.

I have changed my diet numerous times, eating very little in carbs and that doesn't seem to matter.

I was told a few yrs ago it looked like I had a mild case of Raynaud's (no discoloration) - hands and feet are always cold.
I am also borderline anemic and have asthma. All relating to getting proper oxygen and blood to my extremities.
I have taken pictures throughout to document the issue.

When I exercise and get blood flowing - it does seem to help my fingers. I'm starting to believe it's lack of blood flow and maybe dehydration is the cause. That's not to say it can't be anything else.. allergy, bacteria, fungi, nutrient deficiency, autoimmune... I have my 1st Dr appointment in a few weeks which I'm sure I will need to be referred. But going in with all this data might help eliminate some possibilities.

If anything comes out of it.. I will be sure to pass it on!

[AriSanki]

Callus-type patches began to appeared and got much worse particularly when the weather turned cold.  3 doctors diagnosed them simply as calluses and prescribed steroids which had no effect.  I began taking Omega 3 and flax oil religiously and they are slowly going away. The fact that I got them in the same areas on both hands suggested to me that they were of a systemic origin.

[isthisnotadream]

I have had this problem chronically for a couple years now, ever since I was working at a call center where I would use multiple disinfectant wipes every day. I have not worked there in like 2 years, and I never use disinfectant products anymore, I have tried hydrocortizone, and neosporin, as well as bag balm and other creams. Sometimes the skin does not itch or hurt but it has a cycle it goes through. First it gets dry and then it gets thicker and thicker and starts to itch, and then it cracks open and hurts really bad. Nothing I put on it seems to stop it from cracking. I end up having to peel off the hard skin and put band aids on my fingers until it starts to "heal". Also the hard skin patches are sort of darker than the rest of my skin. I also have a couple spots on my palm but those don't crack open but sometimes they itch. It also seems to be worse when I am very stressed out. PS - The hydrocortizone actually seemed to make my skin take longer to reach the "healed" stage in this never ending cycle.

[robinliles612]

I have the same problem every year on all of my fingers and I found that if you use NEOSPORIN  it will deaden the pain, I put a dab on each finger one at a time covering each finger is I dab it. This works wonders, hope that this helps, I know that it worked for me, the ointment has a pain reliever in it.

Robin

[Serenitytaustintexas]

I think i have the same thing you do Kristi..
when you mentioned the clear liquid bumps and i have very thick dry skin on tips of some of my fingers and some times around cuticles and sometimes the cuticles peel..and tips of my fingers snag everything ..i have little bleeding..that happens only if i pick at it ..which i do not after i found out how thick the skin is and how deep it peels and it hurts really bad when i did that ..so no more..
nothing seems to really help me..my thumbs are always the most affected..i really hope for a cure..ugh
last time i had it i noticed it really started to mess with my fingernails...they just crack and not grow and some even looked like it went under the bed of the nail a little bit...this time it has not done that..its odd...it changes its M.O. a little sometimes but still basically the same..
if you or anyone can help plz let me know

[maryblue75]

guys girls try putting on  
DEER TALLOW or
HIRSCHTALG
there is this stick called
ASKINA  dr.BRAUN HIRSCHTALG
and this helps my husband
and is amazing for everything else skinrelated dry.chapped etc etc  great for also skiing trecking new shoes you wont get blisters with it.
my hubby has the same problem now on 3 fingers

[LindaDrozar]

I sound almost exactly like you,but it'all 10 digits.  After trying everything the derm drs had to offer and after trying everthing I've read at this web site, I'm sure your and my fingertip disorder is  either an autoimmune disorder but not contact dermititis or we're missing some elements in certain pathways needed for breaking down our food and vitamins and minerals down to the bioavailable forms that our body doesn't need our missing hormones or enzymes or whatever it is that we don't have.

[LindaDrozar]

I sound almost exactly like you,but it'all 10 digits.  After trying everything the derm drs had to offer and after trying everthing I've read at this web site, I'm sure your and my fingertip disorder is  either an autoimmune disorder but not contact dermititis or we're missing some elements in certain pathways needed for breaking down our food and vitamins and minerals down to the bioavailable form that our bodies need. O88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

[inkang]

I believe this symptom is due to eating chicken as I have this problem only after eating chicken and never when I stop eating chicken. They are feeding chicken with so much antibiotics these days and the metabolized byproduct of the drug can't be good for human.

[IBELPHABA]

I completely agree this is autoimmun.  I have mixed connective tissue disease (heniz 57) and lups.  My blood test ANA was high in a pattern associated with skin disorders last few years.  I actually feel insulted when numerous drs said ezema and use more lotion.  WHAT.  Give me my $25 co-pay back.  I had the first 3 finger tips on both hands torn and bleeding.  I cant put my socks on much less that care of bathroom duties.  I am considering checking into a homopath physican and explore the deeper autoimmunie connection.  The skin under the nail tip appears to be dying and just rips off.  I hope you found answers you can share.  

[joejetpilot]

I had the exact same problem for 20 years: tried everything but could not find a solution until...........
I stopped eating EGGS. Problem went away within a day or two, and stayed away!! I've rediscovered what it feels like to have dexterity.

[Tuyasha21]

I've had this peeling cracking dry skin on my thumbs and index fingers of both hands for about a year. It was an endless cycle of healing and cracking again over and over. It is finally healed now. I used thin layer of mometasone cream at night for about 10 days. During the day Vaseline and A&D vitamins cream. I also started taking orally Vitamins D, C, and minerals combo of Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium. I excluded gluten from my diet and GMO food, trying to eat more organic food.

[Ewamoo]

I am 14 on the tip of my thumb i have thick hard skin it is very dry and saw it has not bled but there ar patches with lots off skin missing, i did have it on my index finger but that has vleared up! I have had this for a month now ehat is it?