My sympathies with you all! Please read, as I have been dealing with all sorts of skin issues going on 3 years, including the tiny itching bumps.... Around May 2008, I noticed large reddish-blue spots on my inner thighs, which then spread to my stomach. I notice a patch of bumps between my shoulder blades, and these bumps were larger than the tiny bumps and did itch some. Then I noticed bumps on my elbows. The only itching I experienced was on my back and my thighs and I figured this was from friction with my bra and I walked. The dermatologist said it was Granuloma Annulare and gave me a Clebetasol (steroid) cream to use. It soothed the areas but did not stop the inflammation from spreading. I started getting spots on my calves, and the tops of my feet. The doc. didn't know the cause; said it could be bug bite, stress, or onset of diabetes. He said it could go into remission after a couple of years but would possibly return. I noticed around Jan. 2011 that my elbow were smoother and the places on my back, stomach, thighs, ankles, and calves were lighter, not as red or raised and were smoother. That was great for a couple of months, then bam! Sometime in March I got a patch of tiny bumps on the top of my right hand. If I could have counted them, there probably were at least 100! They itched like crazy and it seemed once I scratched them (it seemed to open the bumps) they spread and itched worse. Just this morning I woke with both my hands itching like crazy; so now it appears to be popping up on my left hand. Also, the bumps on my elbows (which are larger than the ones on my hand) on my right arm are starting to come back, however, these never have itched like my hand so I'm thinking these are two very different issues.

I too, also wondered about detergents. I have never liked Gain so I used powered Tide. I switched to "unscented" powered Tide a couple years ago. When my hand broke out, I switched to liquid unscented Tide. I only use Ivory liquid dish soap, but my hand soap is antibacterial, I plan to switch this out. I can't say this is contagious, because several mornings I have awoke to find my hand resting against my face and so far (praise the Lord) it is not on my face. It has got to be something surface or from the inside of my body. I have noticed if I drink two glasses of alcohol, (more than my usual one glass of wine a day) it appears to be worse the next morning. I plan to cut out all alcohol, and I'm starting a wheat free diet to see if I am gluten intolerance. I also suspect I am lactose intolerance because I can't handle ice cream any longer. I have gone on a yeast free diet (which is extremely hard!) but I didn't have this hand issue then, so I may even try this diet again. I am making another appointment with my dermatologist, to see what is going on with my hands. I will keep you all posted.

Best of luck with this itchy situation! I will pray for a cure for all of us! It's a scary thing to know so many people have this and the "well" trained doctors don't even know what it is.