Dry skin on finger won't go away

[justwondering932]

I've had this dry spot on my finger for a long time that just doesn't seem to want to go away. I've tried numerous lotions (Eucerin hand lotion and Aquaphor and some others) and I even tried some wart remover because I thought it could be that but nothing seems to work. It's right next to my knuckle. Does anyone have any idea of good lotions to use or whether this is some type of condition that I need to see a doctor for? The skin isn't just dry, it has become very thick and leathery and is somewhat gross to the touch if i want to hold hands with a girl so it is somewhat embarassing. I'd like to get rid of it somehow but just don't know.

Thanks for the help...

[MasonMayE]

I have a feeling I have somewhat the same sort of issue. I have a patch of hard white skin on my middle finger near the cuticle that has tiny little dots over the surface and is a few millimetres raised, and I've had it for around a year now. I've tried heavy moisturiser, nail files, trimming the skin off for new skin to grow etc. I used to work with meat and fish, so I was constantly washing my hands and being near to citrus. I want it to go away!!!

[Greysanatomy124]

I have the exact same thing on the exact same finger. Can anyone help?

[kristasu]

i have the same issue on my pointer finger on my left hand...i use a nail file to "get rid" of it, but it comes right back...I too thought maybe it was a planters wart...but nothing gets rid of it...now i am thinking....cancer?  oh dear...I always think the worst but what in the world could it be...it is NOT eczema, i know this for sure i too have no allergies do not wear a ring on the finger....very curious...

[BetaDuck]

I have the same thing going on on my thumb. I have tried everything.  Recently, I had a cold and decided to take Sudafed (the kind with pseudoephedrine that you have to purchase behind the pharmacy counter and show ID) because I am allergic to Nyquil and Dayquil. It relieved my cold symptoms and then I noticed a bonus.... my thumb was clearing up too. So now I have to assume the patch on my thumb was due to some kind of allergy. My cold is gone, my thumb is about 85% better, so I am going to continue to take the Sudafed PE in the hope it will clear up completely.

[purple1234567]

Wow, that's awesome that it helped to clear that up!  Thanks for sharing- do be sure to check with your doctor before taking the Sudafed PE long term, over the counter medications can have side effects if used longer then intended.  Keep us updated on how you are doing!

[Domin0000]

Gluten.  Try going gluten free for a couple of weeks.

[Ebanuttie]

It is some sort of fungus, you should have a Mother Fungi somewhere on your hands and it sends out these dry patches in other areas of your hands. It goes away within days if you first apply rubbing alcohol (to soften upper layer) and as soon as it dries, put a few drops of vinegar (yes, regular cooking vinegar) and when it still dump, seal it all with liquid bandaid to block the air to the fungus. Mother fungi should be gone in a week of the daily application, the dry patches require single time only. Well, that's how it works for me - hope it'll help y'all. And please, don't ever share a towel after showering with someone. :)

[LeftyonRight]

My issue started when I regularly washed dishes with very hot water and added too much Clorox to the water. I then began to have arthritis symptoms like robot fingers in the night and early morning only.  I think it is an extreme case of eczema due to arthritis and dehydration exasterbaited by chemical burn irritation from the bleach and not allowing it to heal.  Mom said very hot water can cause arthritis I will start wearing gloves today for a week during dish washing and apply Aloe and Vaseline at night. Drink lots of fluids. Will get back with you. One finger - Middle- below knuckle- right hand

[annlove]

Hi did you get or found a cure? I have the exact same problem on middle finger, right and also just below or above knuckle of towards the nail. I also suspect that it was caused by washing dishes with hot water and liquid dishwashing detergent. But I also clean our house and use bleach for bathrooms. Please let me know if you have found a cure as my doc just keeps prescribing different creams each time it is getting expensive none has helped and I have lot of half empty tubes of creams now. Feeling really worried.

[dcballer2016]

I'm also having issues with skin thickening and cracking on my fingers.  It appears to be slowly spreading to other fingers.  I recently went to a dermatologist and received a prescription for Umecta crème.  My medical insurance didn't cover so I had to pay $190.00 out of pocket.  I have noticed a big improvement.  This med comes in the form of a cream and a mousse.   Be sure to get the cream.  I will update at a later date.

[adaw12000]

I agree with you, I think this is a fungus.  I can tell by the way it spreads on my finger.  There is a definite "starting" and "stopping" point".  Almost like ring worm in which you can feel a raised area around the dry patches.  I also agree that salt water helps, tremendously!  I just got back from a week at the beach and it almost all went away and then when I came home it came back.  I wonder if just making my own salt water mixture and soaking it for 30 min. a day will help.  I'm going to try that!

[spudsiegrl]

did this work?

[johnny_hodm]

ok, three things.

[johnny_hodm]

Has anyone cured this yet? I live in DC and I travel a lot, and I've noticed two things:

1. It seems to occur more often when I'm here in DC. In fact, it clears up almost immediately when I travel to other locations -- even drier locations.

2. Salt water (the ocean) and sunlight seems to kill it dead. Multiple days of sunlight and saltwater and it goes away completely.

3. It gets worse when I drink alcohol. One would think this is due to dehydration, and while that does come into play, I've had it occur when not drinking and well-hydrated.

Please help. The diagnosis "Eczema" is ********, and I'm tired of hearing it. It's not Eczema, it's some sort of fungus.

[PMDER1]

nice, im am allegra too, however its not doing anything for me, i already tried, zyrtec and claritan generic versions.

[Dakoda_Is_Metalhead]

I don't take Allegra or any other allergy medication, but I have something similar. It started out as a simple wart years ago, but now it is much bigger and really thick skin. Plus, I can poke it with a thumb tack (not to cause harm) and I don't even feel the tip of the needle. What is wrong with me?

[aditya_v_singh]

Okay I got it resolved finally by going to a doctor. It is allergy related issue and I had to had allergy tablets called alegra 180 for ten continuous days. The patch thinned down and is almost disappeared now.

Aditya

[aditya_v_singh]

Update,

I was happy for a week seeing the new skin come up on the finger, but it too became hard after a week. The problem is internal, I believe I need to go to a doctor for a check-up to see if it is allergic. I will update again.

[aditya_v_singh]

My dear friends, someone in one of these posts informed me of garlic, and garlic is the winner.

Applied a crushed paste of garlic in the night. That night after a few hours my skin started burning because garlic is considered very hot. I thought that the patch did not go away but 3rd-4th day the dry patch started peeling out and I see brand new natural skin again.

Its awesome and I want to thank to the guy who wrote garlic as a cure for my rough dry itchy patch of skin on my finger.

Regards,
Aditya

[spudsiegrl]

is this garlic clove? or garlic mixed with anything?

[YessiG]

I have it too, on my thumb, been a little over a year. The spots about half an inch in diameter and sometimes it itches like crazy and has little bumps, but most of the time it is dry, somewhat hardened/thickened and has tiny paper-cut looking cracks running through it. I worked in restaurants for years and got this when I was a bartender, I believe it is what we affectionately refer to as "Bar Rot." Apparently it is either a bacterial or fungal type infection caused by washing hands too much, drying hands out, cutting or touching citrus fruits, soaps, cleaning detergents, etc. (Obviously you don't have to be a bartender to get it, we just have to wash our hands a lot, which are exposed to many dif harsh substances and citrus and everything else under the sun...) Randomly, I found a cure (I think). My next step was to purchase the cream for onchy-whatever it is called nail infections, but this stuff worked and it was by accident. I want to tell you what exactly it is but I am not sure. It is a large blue container with a white screw top. The cream is a "all natural medicated lotion" and I bought it online when my friend talked me into doing a parasite cleanse about 8 months ago. Just googled it, pretty sure it was "HumaWorm" but they have other natural products and such and  anyways, I got the medicated cream after reading the reviews and I never really used it, until my stupid thumb was itching like crazy one day and I put that on it and noticed almost an immediate "better" feeling. It wasn't like a miracle, but it felt much better. So I kept putting it on and now my thumb feels almost normal and the cracks are nearly gone. Hopefully it stays this way! Wasn't too expensive, def worth a try rather than going to a doctor or waiting and having the fungus or bacteria spread to other places or get under your nail to where you have to insert a needle to drain the purulent discharge...yummy. Sorry, best of luck!

[arydant]

This is a snake oil product that is marketed to people who have delusional parasitism - a psychological  obsessive disorder where the subject believes they have parasites under the skin.

[Meemers3]

At least I got a good laugh out of this! Laughing always helps!

[caro945]

I have the same issue, I've had this spot of dryness that feels leathery and cracked on my index finger. It's been there for at least 2 years and no lotion helps. I also do get eczema which is why I'm pretty sure this isn't eczema. The only thing I could come up with is it could be as a result of some chemical from my general or organic chemistry labs. Is there anything else this could be other than eczema?
Thanks.

[Ronnie_Johnson]

I believe I have the same thing on my right middle and ring inner finger at the knuckle closest to the hand. It is dry and flakey and will not go away sometime it seems to get worse with lotion other times it seems to get better but always eventually cracks. I am a helicopter mechanic in the united states army and have use POL products frequently and to my ignorance and stupidity did not use gloves. But those are the only 2 areas affected and seeing these other testomonies it doesn't sound like that is the issue but what do i know. Anyways looking for some kind of answer. Thanks

[jstuff81]

Hello I am just wondering if this was ever cured and how you managed it.  I have the same problem on the pad of my right thumb and the side of the middle joint of my right index finger.  it started as only the thumb but then it appeared to spread to the index finger and now it's worse there.  It does not itch though; just very dry, hard, and flaky, and eventually cracks.  no matter what lotions I use it does not go away.  

[abbtan]

I am having the exact same problem, seem to be no cure.

[spudsiegrl]

I too have the same issue.. what is this? and how can u get rid of it..

[justwondering932]

Thank you for your reply.

I noticed the dry skin almost 2 years ago but back then it was not bad and seemed to come and go but recently it has begun to get much worse (about 6 months ago).  I don't recall if there was any trauma to the region and I don't wear a ring and am not exposed to any harsh chemicals.  I also have good hygiene although some would say that I probably wash my hands more than the average "clean freak."

I am also not aware that I have any allergies.  I have normally oily skin elsewhere on my body (very acne prone skin) so using lotion is not part of my normal routine.

I will try your suggestions and see how it works. I think cortizone will help me because I tend to scratch the spot quite often which makes it much worse.  Hopefully if I can moisturize it and leave it alone it will work itself out.

I will try to update you on it in awhile.

Thanks again...

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

Since when have you noticed the lesions? Is there any history of trauma or injury to the site? Are you exposed to any chemicals at work? Do you wear a ring in that particular finger?

It could be eczema, sweat dermatitis, allergic reactions or eczema.

You need to wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites.

Apply calamine lotion at the site of the lesions and see if it helps. You could take some oral antihistamine medications like cetrizine or loratadine. You need to maintain a good personal hygiene .

Anti-itch drugs, often antihistamine, may reduce the itch during a flare up of eczema, and the reduced scratching in turn reduces damage and irritation to the skin.

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

Eczema can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Moisturizing is one of the most important self-care treatments for sufferers of eczema. Keeping the affected area moistened can promote skin healing and relief of symptoms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eczema

Let us know if you need any further information.

It would be advisable to consult a skin specialist for your symptoms and a proper clinical examination.

Let us know if you need any other information and post us on how you are doing.

Regards.