Athletes foot on finger?

[mrsxllifts]

One for the PH docs, I have had a patch on one finger for about 3 months which is about an inch square and is made up of lots of little puss bubbles that choose to weep whenever they feel like. This patch is extremely itchy and I have made it bleed on numerous occasions.

I have been to the nurse at the local docs who gave me steriod cream, this made little or bugger all difference and as I don't like using steriod cream for too long, I gave up with it after 10 days. For a while, Sudacrem dried it out and started to heal it but then that stopped working and it got worse again, I then found that anti fungal cream nearly cleared it up, hence me thinking its an athletes foot type thing, but now that has stopped working and it has flared up again.

Its not a change of soap, washing liquid etc cos they all ahve to stay the same as I am allergic to most things, it even continued whilst I was away at Le Mans so its not work related.

Any help would be more than welcome, preferably before Mr X L kicks me out of bed for being 'cooty!'

Thanks

[sawman]

try something like lamisil, its a good antifungal, you may have nearly cleared it once, but fungal spores can lie on the skin and "awaken" once you stop treating,

You may want to get your gp to take a scraping and send it for culture+sensitivity, but these tests can be inconclusive

be careful where you put your finger until its better!

[whitechief]

Tea tree oil might help.

[rlw]

I am intrigued as to how you get kittens in your skin which then pop out................................pus

Sorry.

[mrsxllifts]

I knew what I meant!

[Podie]

How long did you treat it for, once the infection seemed to have gone..?

[Lemmonie]

Where abouts on the finger is it? Anywhere near your nail?

[mrsxllifts]

It hadn't gone completely so I was still treating it when it flairs up again. Have had to start covering it with a dressing to stop me scratching it!

[road_rager]

I've had the same thing for years, started on my feet, I then did some 'home surgery' and spread it all over my hands! Let me know if you figure out how to get rid of it!

[mrsxllifts]

Lemmonie said:

Where abouts on the finger is it? Anywhere near your nail?

Nope, its down the bottom of my finger, between 1st and 2nd knuckle.
Road Rager: I think I will go mad if I have it that long! Hopefully we can both get it sorted.

[Lemmonie]

Is it like a circle of infection?

[HRG.]

Small water blisters almost like a nettle rash? Sounds like a form of eczma.

[Lemmonie]

Im going to guess tinea manuum otherwise known as Ringworm

A fungal infection, very contagious treated with anti-fungal cream/oinment etc and needs to have the treatment continued for a week if not longer after infection appears to have gone.

[mrsxllifts]

If its ringworm would I not spread it round my body with scratching? It seems to be localised to the one spot.

[Lemmonie]

mrsxllifts said:

If its ringworm would I not spread it round my body with scratching? It seems to be localised to the one spot.

Pass! Im a Nail Tech not a doc but the the ringworm infection can affect different parts of the body seperatly and tends to prefer moist areas like feet/groin/scalp etc. You are more prone to the infection taking hold if you had an injury even a scratch etc which is why it might be on your finger.

Of course i could be miles off but it would explain why the anti-fungal treatment worked initially but then came back. You need to keep the treatment up well past the visable infection

[mrsxllifts]

Thanks. I'm an engineer so my hands take a bit of a battering during the day. I have also been in some very rank hovels over the last few months so I could have picked up the fungus from one of them. Think I might try some of that super strength lamisil stuff. Either that or a razor blade is looking appealling!

[Odie]

Try soaking your hand in erm,

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

http://dermnetnz.org/treatments/permanganate.html

Be aware that this chemical is VERY dangerous, but can be got as a powder/crytals very cheap (I soak my feet in it once in a while if i get a fungus infection) this was recommended too me by my doctor about 15 years ago, they are reluctant to recommend it now due to its nature (it can be a volatile chemical if you mix it with some other household ingredients). First try your local chemist (boots is really expensive tho), then your local fishy pet shop (its used to disinfect Koi Carp etc) if you cant find it at any of them, try online pet shops, i bought a small pot of it for about 50p a few months ago.

Expect to have a purple hand for a couple of days after you have soaked it.

Keep us informed how you get on.

Edited by Odie on Wednesday 29th July 10:54

[Dupont666]

Im guess it is Pompholyx.... or at least sounds like it.

does your hand look like any of these (not posting pics but look at linky).

HTH

http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/pompholyx.html

[mrsxllifts]

Dupont666 said:

Im guess it is Pompholyx.... or at least sounds like it. does your hand look like any of these (not posting pics but look at linky). HTH http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/pompholyx.html

That's how it looks before I scrape it with wet and dry! If it is, how do I get rid of it? Thanks!

[Dupont666]

mrsxllifts said:

Dupont666 said:

Im guess it is Pompholyx.... or at least sounds like it. does your hand look like any of these (not posting pics but look at linky). HTH http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/pompholyx.html

That's how it looks before I scrape it with wet and dry! If it is, how do I get rid of it? Thanks!

website says:

Treatment
Treatment varies with the stage of the disease.

Cool compresses
Soaks or compresses using weak solutions of Condy's crystals (potassium permanganate), aluminium acetate, or vinegar in water, are applied for 15 minutes four times a day. This will dry up blisters. Compresses are not suitable for dry eczema.

Emollients
Emollients or hand creams, eg. dimeticone barrier cream, should be applied liberally and frequently to keep the skin soft.

Topical steroid
Potent topical steroids should be applied to the affected areas nightly. They help reduce inflammation and itching. The more potent products should not be used for more than two weeks unless your doctor advises otherwise. Steroid creams are used when the skin is blistered or weeping. Steroid ointments are used for the chronic dry stage.

Antibiotics
Antibiotics such as flucloxacillin should be prescribed by your doctor for secondary infection.

Systemic steroids
Sometimes cortisone preparations are prescribed by tablet or injection for severe cases. The condition clears dramatically but may recur just as severely after the medication is stopped. Long term treatment with these systemic steroids is rarely advisable because of undesirable side effects.

PUVA therapy
PUVA therapy can be useful in selected cases. This is a special kind of ultraviolet (UV) treatment. Several times weekly the affected areas are soaked in a special solution (psoralen), before exposure to long wave UV light. Treatment is usually continued for several months. Usually the measures described result in satisfactory control. Sooner or later the eruption subsides and disappears.