red bumps on fingers

[rnhd123]

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.

[Karinia]

Hi,

My name is Sarah and I'm 17. I have exactly what you say. Little reddish bumps on the sides of my fingers then on my joints of my fingers. They are really red but they give off a little pinkish tint that you can tell that they are there. It never itches but if you push on them it feels like little needles. They can get so badly around my joints that it hurts to bend my finger, open any bottle of any sort, grip a pencil, etc... we looked everything up but cant figure out what it is. It will go away then come back. I have gotten them before but not as bad as i have them now. Last time i have gotten them was over the summer. now i have them again and its about mid-march. At first i thought i was getting them because i touched something (like the lockers at my school), but I have never been sure. Im starting to get really desperate to find out what they are so i can get rid of them. I hate going to school then have to sit through the pain of holding a pencil. I love to draw and its my passion to go on with drawing. This just makes it hard to do so...


Sarah

[VBallGuy]

I read the first post by "rnhd123" and I have the EXACT same issue with my right hand.  I noticed it back in November and thought it was a splinter so I dug around in my finger with needle trying to get whatever it was out...but eventually realized nothing was in there.  I went to the dermatologist and at first he thought it could be eczema and he prescribed me some ointment.  However that did not seem to help...then he thought it could be perniois (Chilblains) because it is currently cold here in Ohio and I wasn't always wearing gloves outside.  I am supposed to go back in the summer time to see how it is doing.  

I really don't think it is either of those two things.  It is only on my right hand on my fingers (not my thumb).  I mostly have them appear on my ringer finger and my middle finger, and they mostly appear above the knuckle on the sides of the fingers.  They feel like splinters.  I am really surprised that my dermatologist couldn't diagnose it and I'm feeling pretty desperate at this point too!  I am a 32 year old male and don't want to deal with this annoying thing for the rest of my life.  

I will add, the degree of stress I have been under for the last few years has gone up...not sure how that would impact it, but from what I've read, I guess it can sometimes factor in.

Jeff

[zoe_a]

I too have noticed these little red bumps on my fingers as you describe.  I could go for months or even years without them, and then they appear again, seemingly out of nowhere.  I've seen my doctor about this and they didn't really know what could be causing it.  I also saw a naturopath and he says they are due to an overgrowth of yeast/bad bacteria in my intestines (from eating too much refined wheat and sugar mostly).  He put me on a program to help clean out my intestines and then replace the good bacteria.  I've done this a couple times now, and both times it seemed to clear up the problem, and I then I wouldn't notice them again (for years) until I start eating too much wheat and sugar.  I'm not 100% positive this is the cause, but I'm willing to cut back on wheat and sugar as it really seems to help.

[steph71421]

I have just recently begun suffering from the same ailment.  These small red bumps/sores come so quickly that I will wake up in the morning with as many as 4 new ones on my hand.  I only ever get them on my right hand and they persist for weeks at a time until finally they fade away.  They cluster at the joints of my knuckles, mostly on the inside of my hand and between my fingers.  Its so painful for me to bend my fingers and move my hand.  I work in a laboratory and wearing tight fitting gloves for long hours and pipetting is becoming increasingly more difficult.  
At first I thought they were from something that I had touched, like a newly flowered bush outside my apartment, but even after I started avoiding it they continue to appear.  
I have not yet been to see a doctor about this because I don't know if when I get there they will still be present.  
What could I do to make the pain subside? - any ideas?

~Stephanie~

[csedgar]

For the last few years I have had these little bumps show up for a little while and then go away.  Similar to all of you, they show up on the same fingers/hands near the joints.  Up until this episode, I only got them one at a time, but this time I have three clustered together and it's a lot more irritating.  I have had a lot of stress lately and just increased my exercise program a lot, so maybe it has to do with that?  Anyway, if anyone finds out more info on this, I would love to know how to avoid/get rid of it.

Thanks!

[Curiouslemon]

I too have these bumps.  I've been trying to find something that would explain why I get them.  But it certainly seems like it is stress.  I don't think the wheat causes them b/c I am gluten intolerant and have not had any wheat in three months and I have just recently gotten a new bout of bumps.  Mine also only show up on the index and middle fingers on my right hand.  It's really strange.  It's even more strange that no one has found a dermatologist who has any idea what it could be.  I do have a wart that is on the same hand that I've had for 8 years...it will NOT go away...very annoying.  I wonder if this has to do with HPV?  Do any of you all get warts on or around your hands/fingers?