Small Eczema Bumps on My Fingers
Recently I have been getting these small itchy bumps on my hands and fingers. They itch very badly, are red, and look like small raised dots. These bumps would likely be called dis
I know the bumps are diet related for sure. At first I thought, “Do I have Scabies or something?” But it isn’t contagious at all, they don’t really spread (unless I consume a bunch of milk), and dermatitis (eczema) can form small bumps on the fingers and hands like that.
They will go away within a week or two if I eat really organic and avoid major allergens. I actually wish I had scabies because at least they can treat that very easily.
Let me just stop right here and say that if you keep getting itchy red bumps on your fingers, that is your body’s way of telling you that you are coming into contact with something that it is allergic to.
It could be an environmental/contact allergy (such as latex gloves, hand soap, lotions, fabrics, detergent, etc.). Or, it may be from a food source (preservatives, allergy to wheat, fish, dyes, additives, etc.)
Are the Itchy Bumps Eczema?
Doctors would probably classify this as “dermatitis of the hands and fingers,” or they may label it as a specific type of eczema, such as dishydrotic eczema. It really doesn’t matter what you call it, it pretty much has the same source, which is a food or environmental cause (in the majority of cases).
This used to drive me crazy! I would wonder, “What in the crap is going on? Is it gluten? Is it some other chemical or ingredient?”
This is going on 7 years since I first got cholinergic urticaria, and I never developed this until now. It was a sure sign that my body is very hypersensitive to a lot of things for some reason.
I used to NEVER be allergic to anything. I never got eczema. I never got stomach aches before the age of 17. I ate what I want. Then, about 2 years ago (5 years after I first got Cholinergic Urticaria) this stuff started happening with the rashes and everything. When I cut milk out, they got way better, and eventually went away altogether.
I can’t wait to get an allergy test later in the year to see if hopefully that can let me know what is causing this in addition to milk. It is just really weird. Like my body is out of control or something. Hives, eczema, stomach aches. I feel like a 90-year-old man or something! Like my body is falling apart.
How great it would be to be able to figure out what is causing all of this stuff, and hopefully eliminate it forever.
Oh well. I guess I will simply have to cut out the “good” tasting stuff from my diet again for a while and see what happens. I am not going to go on an extreme diet or anything. Just cut back on these foods I think is messing me up.
Here’s a video to recap this article:
What Causes Itchy Bumps On Hands?
As I have mentioned several times before, I just can’t eat or drink dairy products. It messes up my stomach, causes eczema rashes, and makes my hives more reactive. So I have been avoiding milk for several months now. I have completely avoided it. I also have been trying to avoid gluten when possible, just in case.
These past couple of weeks I decided to allow myself some snack foods. All of the foods were 100% milk free according to the labels, but they did contain wheat/gluten, traces of soy, and a few other things. Example of snacks I have occasionally eatenĀ over the past 2 weeks: Apple pie, peanut butter & sugar cookies, skittles, cinnamon rolls with icing, and a few “airhead” candies.
Again, no milk (which I know for a fact causes these same symptoms in me), yet…I have been having some strange reactions as if I had been eating milk.
1. My stomach was really upset for a few days. I was eating cookies and the cinnamon rolls during that time, so it is hard to pinpoint exactly what it was.
2. My hives have been more reactive lately.
3. I am developing eczema rashes in the form of really tiny red itchy “bumps” that are hardly noticeable on my fingers and hands. They are mostly on the lower part of my fingers. Not only that, but I have a small patch on my upper arm that has been there for a while now that is also itchy.
Basically, what causes this to develop in me is eating anything which evokes a reaction. Milk will do it, oats/oatmeal will do it, wheat will do it, and many other random foods (ie, candy with artificial colors).
This ALWAYS goes away within about 1-2 weeks after I remove all offending foods from my diet. If you’re getting this, then it is time to take a look at ALL environmental (contact) products that touch your hands, and also time to look at your diet with a microscope.
Itchy Bumps on Elbow
I also get these bumps on my elbow as well. The bumps usually appear on the external part of the elbow (which is odd since many rashes occur in the fold or “inner” part of the elbow). These are associated with the same bumps that appear on my fingers.
UPDATE: The Eczema on My Skin Is Almost Completely Gone
Just like clock-work, the rash and itchy bumps you see in the picture are now almost gone after removing foods. I cannot stress this enough: If you see lots of tiny itchy red bumps on your fingers and hands, please try to take proactive measures to find out what’s causing it. It is most likely diet or some lotion/soaps you are using.
I want to talk about the diet thing briefly. As I have mentioned numerous times before, I have noticed that when I remove certain foods from my diet, my skin and overall health improves. So far, I have not been able to completely remove CU by diet, but I have been able to clear my skin of any eczema. (UPDATE: My chronic cholinergic urticaria has finally gone away now after countless diet experiments. You can read more on my hives blog.
The rash on my hands above were itchy and developed after eating a lot of wheat and junk food (no milk). So I decided I better back off for a while and eat more healthy. I cut out all wheat/gluten, and basically all junk food & highly processed stuff. As of today, these bumps are 99.9% GONE! I can only see a very small trace, and they are very dry and going away fast. So I expect in a couple of days they will be gone completely. My stomach is also once again much better.
Basically I have been eating a lot of lean chicken, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, gluten free salsa chips, chili w/brown rice, and more. It is all gluten and milk free.
Update on My Keratosis Pilaris Treatment:
I also realized in my last post that I had the “chicken skin” condition called Keratosis Pilaris. Basically, it just causes a few bumps on the back of the arms, sometimes the upper thighs, back, cheeks, etc. I mostly have it on the back of my arms, although I suspect I have it a little on my back & upper thighs as well. Mine is not very noticeable at all unless you really focus your eyes on it and look at it.
In an attempt to treat the small bumps (but mostly to see if it helps the cholinergic urticaria), I decided to start a cycle of intense scrubbing with a sponge in the shower, exfoliating body wash with a loofa, and then adding normal body lotion to help keep the skin moisturized. I have been doing this for a while now, and I thought I would share the results, so here they are:
- First, I still have the Keratosis Pilaris spots. I have scrubbed them quite a bit in the shower with a very stiff sponge thingy that feels kinda like sandpaper. So far, I have not really noticed them getting any smaller. They may look a little better, but it is hard to notice any difference, and they are still there.
- The cholinergic urticaria (heat hives) has not been quite as intense lately, but I still have reactions on occasion. I am not sure if it is from the diet, skin scrubbing, just a coincidence, or what.
- I can say that overall my skin feels better. Now that I have been adding lotion and really scrubbing it, it feels more smooth and comfortable. But again, I still have CU at this point, so I can’t get too excited.
So that is what has been going on recently after finding all of this out and making an attempt to alter my diet and scrub my skin better. Some mixed results, and I still have CU.
According to the thread I started on the cholinergic urticaria forum on this topic, it seems as if many of the CU people on here have also noticed they may have this skin condition. This is very interesting. I am unsure if the two are related, or if they just happen side-by-side as symptoms. I still think there could be a strong possibility of some sort of genetic issue which causes our keratin to be produced to an excessive amount which could clog our pores or something. But I still have no idea.
One factor that I really hope to experiment with is sun exposure. Most articles i read on Kertosis Pilaris said that the sun seems to help this condition, and as most of us know, it also seems to help CU. So perhaps I can kill 2 birds with one stone so to speak (unless of course there is really only 1 “bird” causing 2 symptoms).
Spring & Summer Are Coming Soon
March 21 marks the beginning of Spring here in the U.S., and I can’t wait. I especially can’t wait until June 21 for summer to arrive. I really look forward to getting some sunshine and hopefully sweating again. I feel like a zombie during winter sometimes, as it is so hard to get some sun. Even though it will be Spring here in a few weeks, it really doesn’t get warm until late April/May.
I also have very high hopes about getting a house by the end of this summer. Words can’t express how much it will mean to me to finally get one, and be able to go outside without a neighbor right in front of you every day smoking and being nosy. I will feel like I have freedom again. Plus I can get lots of sun & hopefully try some more experiments in the journey of living CU free.
Well, that is it for now. I just wanted to update everyone on the progress. If you have any results, let us know in the forum.
Update 12/16/14: All of my hives and eczema issues have been resolved through diet and a few other things. You can watch the video above for an update, and look at other videos and articles on this site for more information.