Persistent rash, one year, moderate-severe itchiness

[lewisnat]

Imgur playlist with all photos: https://imgur.com/a/UVF8T

Male, 20, Caucasian. I have always had sensitive skin.

Infection timeline:

Athlete’s foot-like dermatitis flare-up between toe webbings on right foot after 2 months washing vegetables on farm wearing absorbent shoes/socks. After scratching with left foot, dermatitis spreads to both feet. Symptoms moderate to severe. Vigorously rub pinky-toe webbing with fatty edge of right hand with saw-like motion. I believe this is when the infection set in to hand.
Soaked feet in apple cider vinegar once. All foot symptoms subsided.
Penny-sized ring-like rash formed on fatty edge of right hand. Moderate application of topical Hydrocortisone OTC vanishes symptoms for a few days. Rash returns, ring-shape obscured. Rash began spreading and symptoms become moderate to severe. Tried moderate application of topical anti-fungal OTC. Rash “toughened.” Symptoms spread to fingers.
College campus GP thought it to be eczema and prescribed topical steroid cream. Applied steroid cream and symptoms vanished for a few days. Symptoms came back. One month later, dermatitis spread to both hands after vigorous scratching with left hand.
Soaking hands in apple cider vinegar helps itchiness/swelling subside. During soaking, hands are uncomfortable and lots of white bumps crop up, which are easily scraped off. (Pictured: https://i.imgur.com/2FUu8ts.jpg, https://i.imgur.com/70yX9A8.jpg)
I am interlocking the fingers of both hands and vigorously rubbing them together, applying lots of pressure, about once a day as an aggressive itching technique. It is a bad habit. It has been 4 months since symptoms began on right foot, 3 months since symptoms began on hands.
3 more months of toleration and worsening. Dermatitis flares up in webbing of right pinky-toe again and subsides again after soaking in apple cider vinegar.
Wearing gloves overnight causes hands to dry out and symptoms to worsen for three days, followed by a decrease in swelling and itchiness. Dermatitis on back of hands vanishes through this treatment, though will return later. (Perhaps this is because spores remained, if this is a fungal infection.) Symptoms remain on fingers. This is the best treatment so far. Perhaps it is the smothering or lack of oxygen. Stopped using glove treatment one month later.
One year after symptoms first appeared on hands, visited a dermatologist. After scratching off a sample from my hands and viewing under the microscope she says she saw “lots of yeast.” Recommends Lotrimin OTC (Clotrimazole) for one month.
After one week of strict topical Clotrimazole application twice a day: Every area on hands that was ever showing symptoms begins to swell and show redness. (Pictured: https://i.imgur.com/Eb49vaQ.jpg) After two weeks: All swollen red areas begin to peel skin. Weeping on application of Clotrimazole cream. At this point I’m hoping the healing process is “worse before better.” Three weeks: Hands look quite bad. Weeping and severe itchiness on application. Four weeks: Hands look terrible. Soaking in apple cider vinegar causes small white bumps to crop up but now they are not easily scraped off. (Pictured: https://i.imgur.com/FgXRa5s.jpg)
Visit same dermatologist again. Says yeast found under microscope was “probably an anomaly.” Prescribes a strong steroid cream. (Was hoping for an oral anti-fungal.)
One week after cessation of Clotrimazole treatment: I often wake up with hands “scaled over” with dry skin. After removing dry skin is shiny, rubbery skin. (Pictured: https://i.imgur.com/wNdE2Q6.jpg)
A few possible diagnoses I have wondered about: Tinea incognito, eczema. I lean toward tinea incognito due to time correlation with foot infection. If this is a fungal infection, the infection feels/appears quite “deep rooted.” Since fungal infection can be worsened by topical steroids, I would first like to rule out yeast infection, or at least try an oral medication, although I know those are bad for the liver. Should I ask for a culture? Any ideas? Thank you for reading.

Additional pictures:

Textured skin: https://i.imgur.com/TgxwJdR.jpg, https://i.imgur.com/T23c3JG.jpg
After soaking in vinegar: https://i.imgur.com/I2iOSi4.jpg
Redness: https://imgur.com/14S1kss.jpg
Original site of infection: https://i.imgur.com/IZk8yqE.jpg
Right index finger mostly unaffected: https://i.imgur.com/oyMCguF.jpg