hurting hands

I have had problems with my hands for a few years now. It doesnt seem to follow a true pattern so i am at a loss in figuring out this uncomfortable problem. my fingers will actually split usually on my fingertips, its like my fingerprint will actually split open. it will also occur on the knuckles of my hands, these tend to hurt more and can become very deep. right now i have a large split on my left thumb knuckle and it is extremely deep. a few days ago a random blister, about the size of a pencil eraser, appeared on my left middle finger on the top side. this had never happened before so i just let it pass, then yesterday i had another one appear on my right forefinger (tops side) about the same size. i have tried aquafore, neutrogena, neosporin, sheabutters, etc. nothing works. i really dont think that it is eczema, and im actually thinking that it may be fungal of some sort. the cracks take weeks to heal. right now i have five fingers with cracks and two fingers with blisters. i really want this problem taken care of and i have never had the blisters before, so im actually quite worried. please help!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Various possibilities for such cracks on fingertips are trauma and allergic or irritant contact dermatitis, contact with harsh detergents, soaps and lotions that contain perfume can cause hands and fingertips to become irritated and peel. Sometimes cold, dry air can cause peeling and dermatitis or fungal infections can also cause peeling. What concrens me is the appearance of blisters on the fingers. The two possibilities that need evaluation are myxoid cyst and herpetic whitlow.

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. For mild-moderate symptoms a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide).

Symptoms can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin. If still the symptoms do not improve then please get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.

I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.