I noticed a while ago that at the base of both my middle fingers, slightly below where the finger meets the palm, the skin is hard and slightly raised. However, it only applies to these two fingers. I’m not sure when they became like that, because they’ve been that way for a while, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t always like that.
Anyone know how the callouses could have developed there speifically?
Have you used any sort of hand tools recently?
Do you lift weights or do pull-ups?
It sounds like you may be describing the beginning of so-called Dupuytren’s contractures. These are thickenings in the tissues below the skin. See picture #3 in this site (which seems generally quite good). Take a peek - it’s a good photo of the condition.
Often they’re familial (especially in people whose background is from the UK), and sometimes they occur in association with a number of medical diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cirrhosis (from alcohol), use of certain drugs (phenobarb, and I think Dilantin too).
If they interfere with the movement of your hand or fingers, and/or your grip, surgical treatment is pretty straightforward.
Do you wear rings on these fingers? I wear a ring on one finger which causes this exact effect, I assume from rubbing against the palm when I form a fist (for whatever reason…).
OB