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red bumps on fingers

For the last 20 years I have gotten small red bumps on the sides of my fingers.  They don't blister.  They start out as one or two and then I might get a few more and they seem to cluster up on only the sides of my fingers.  They are not itchy but they are sore to the touch when you run your finger over them.  It feels like you have a splinter.  They are slightly raised and red in color.  They will stay for varying lengths of time and then dry up and go away.  Usually not for more than a couple of weeks.  I may go for months and months and not get them and then all of a sudden they show up.  I have been to various dermatologists over the years and they seem puzzled and never seem to know what they are.
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I also have had this off and on. I get them on the sides of my fingers and sometimes on the insides of my hands in the joints which is pretty painful. I also sometimes get them on the pads of my toes. It's a form of eczema called pompholyx. I don't know if there's a cure, but using a combination of Benedryl cream and an anti fungal and making sure my feet are completely dry before putting on socks usually helps clear things up quicker than waiting it out.
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Hi, my name is Emma and I am from Enfield in London and I have found all of these posts really helpful and reassuring. I have been getting these little red bumps for years now, since my teen years and now I am 31. Exactly what everyone says, small reddish bumps at the sides of my top knuckle on my fingers, nothing in them just red bumps and they arrive stay a few weeks and new skin forms and they dry up and go away, they are tender to press like when holding a pen to write so the pressure hurts a little. When they first appeared I was working in clothing retail in my first job and my colleagues said they are an allergy to nickel as we we hold a lot of hangers. But I work in an office now and don't believe I touch a lot of nickel or even metal items. Anyway I have them at the moment and they are quite bad this time and have appeared on my right hand middle.  finger at the side and on my pad plus my left hand middle and third finger are getting them but on my top creases of the knuckles which is unusual and first time its happened. I am going to my GP this week so will update this post with any news. Emma
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I as well have these annoying red bumps on just one of my fingers.. They come and go periodically on the same finger! i also used cortizone cream and it works for a bit, but they do end up coming back?/Help any1
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I have the exact same problem they don't really bother me I'm just curious to find out what causes them I have noticed the last couple of times they appeared I was stressed or sick with a cold
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I'm adding my two cents to this list, in case it may help some people. I may or may not have Exfoliative Keratolysis (see related discussion list on this site), but I also get red lumps like those described here.

I'm surprised no one has suggested Pompholyx, which is my self-diagnosis - I get a stinging/burning feeling, and the lumps are tender if I knock them. I usually get them on the sides of my hands. This website is helpful: http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/pompholyx.html. The photos are a little browner than my red lumps, but the top photo of the hands is a dead-ringer for what I get (fortunately I don't get as many as this poor person).  Some may find this helps them get a diagnosis, anyway.
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I have little bumps on the tips of my fingers they come and go mainly show In the spring and summer my nana gets them as well I wake up with them in the mornings and they itch but hurt by touch! They tend to last only a few days till more pop up! Iv had them all my life and don't know what they are.....
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