URGENT: Redness on just two fingertips! Need help!

For the last two weeks, I’ve had this really noticeable redness, but it's ONLY on the tips of my last two fingers on my right hand. At first, I figured it was an allergy because it was itching like crazy. I honestly thought I was just reacting to my dog, since my hands tend to get itchy whenever I pet him.

But here's the thing... it isn't going away. The itching stopped, but my fingers are still red and swollen. It almost looks like a circulation issue. Then I wondered if those two fingers were just getting "stunted" or worn down because I constantly have my right hand resting on my computer mouse.

Has anyone else dealt with something like this? Any idea what it could be? Should I just go see my doctor? I've tried everything—rubbing on some ointment, using Deep Freeze... I even soaked my hands in hot water with table salt. I'm at a loss.

Here are some photos.

http://www.turboimagehost.com/p/1518..._1016.jpg.html

I did a little digging online and found something called a "felon"—you know, that infection under the nail bed—but nothing actually hurts. At least, nothing majorly painful.

This is just... awful.

Honestly, you're better off having someone explain this to you face-to-face rather than reading it here all by yourself. Trust me on that one.

Wait, you actually know what's going on here, don't you? I don't want to say it out loud if I don't have to, because honestly, it doesn't feel like anything serious.

Fine, I guess I'll just head to the doctor then... I've been sitting here wondering if this will just clear up on its own, but clearly, it isn't. I really hope it's nothing major since it doesn't actually hurt. My primary care physician is kind of a klutz, though; I honestly doubt she'd have any idea what's happening either. Maybe I should just go straight to a dermatologist instead?

hmmm I’m leaning towards psoriatic arthritis

Just go see your doctor and get a referral for a dermatologist. And honestly, don't pay too much mind to what Steven Sanchez35 is saying—he likely just phrased things poorly. From what I can tell, this doesn't look like anything major. It could be psoriasis, but we're really just guessing until you get a proper exam and potentially some biopsy or allergy testing done.

You seriously need to go see a dermatologist...

I finally made it to my doctor today. I’ve had a referral for a dermatologist sitting on my desk for ages because of some other issues, but I just kept putting it off. I’m heading out of town tomorrow, so the earliest I can get into the specialist is after 6:00 PM. My doctor told me this isn't arthritis at all. She thinks it's most likely an inflammation of the finger sheath, probably caused by some bacteria from washing my hands. She told me to pick up some Triderm, which I did. She also gave me a reality check: I absolutely cannot be soaking my hands in hot water like I have been. For now, I just applied some Bepanthen to see if that helps soothe things.

It actually happened!