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Dry Cracked Fingers, Exteremely Painful

Hello, I am a 23 year old male, Approximately 4 years ago I started developing a condition on my right hand where my fingers are extremely dry and cracked with skin peeling off constantly. They become extremely painful to the point where I cannot stretch my fingers out all the way at times. It started on my thumb and spread to pointer finger, then to middle finger, then to my ring finger over the course of 4 years and I am afraid its getting ready to spread to pinky finger.

I have been to 3 dermatologists however only one of them (the first one) has named it as in his belief it to be "Hand eczema" however he could never produce a long term fix for the problem. As soon as I get a cortizone shot in the arm..it goes away within 2 weeks and is gone for approximately a month or two

I have been prescribed several steroid creams for the hand to be put on as much as 3 times daily but yielded no results.

attached is a photo of effected hand.

any help or info is appreciated!

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563773 tn?1374246539
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello,
It looks like pompholyx. Pompholyx primarily involves the hands and fingers and then may involve the feet. The first stage is acute and presents as itchy blisters on the hands, fingers and toes. Then the chronic stage shows more peeling, cracking, or crusting. Then the skin heals up, or the blistering may start again. The exact cause is not known and excessive sweating can be one of the reasons.
The exact cause is not known and excessive sweating can be one of the reasons. But some triggers like allergic reaction to soaps, detergents, foods, latex, nickel etc may trigger the symptoms. Apply some calamine lotion on the affected area and keep the area well moisturized. Use only thin applications of moisturizer ointments as excessive amounts of ointment may restrict breathing of the skin and aggravate the condition.

Topical steroids can be applied but they are available under prescription. Moreover to prevent infection, topical antibiotics may be needed. I suggest you to consult a dermatologist and get it evaluated.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

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Avatar universal
It is dry eczema and possibly 'Cumulative insult dermatitis'.Moisturization of skin with Vaseline will help here.Do consult your Doc.
Regards.
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