2 Down, 3 To Go

I have a strange condition afflicting my fingers, and I don't know what to do with it. About a year ago, I noticed that I no longer have a fingerprint on my right ring (fourth) finger. The skin was just smooth, with no lines at all. It didn't go back to normal and I began to get worried. But since it is not affecting my quality of life in any way, I ignored it.

About a month ago, it started getting worse. It used to be completely smooth, but then it turned wrinkly and reddish. And two weeks ago, my little pinky finger degenerated as well. Worse, the process seemed to be accelerated and now I have two fingertips with no fingerprints. And the skin kept getting drier until it started to crack, like those chapped lips.

I had to do something, and do it fast. I thought that maybe it was a moisturizer problem, so I tried applying moisturizer to it. But the cream didn't stick long as it will get wiped off whenever I touched anything. So I improvised a plaster that used the smooth side of cellophane tape to keep the moisturizer in. I apploed it over night. The next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see it has gotten much better. Still no fingerprint, but at least it was back to the smooth state.

I forgot to apply it that night, and by the next day it got all wrinkly and started drying up again. Now I'm worried! I have been searching Google to try and find a name for this condition but to no avail. I have also considered the possibility that it was a virus/bacteria/fungal infection, but it just doesn't make sense. My last two fingers do not come into contact with anything that my other three fingers do not. So why are my other three fingers still doing fine?

My latest theory is that I am experiencing some nutrient deficiency. Going on a long-term vegetarian diet creates some nutrient deficiencies such as Vitamin B12 and Zinc. I still manage to take some meat once or twice a week, and I take multivitamins, so I don't know how much this is a factor.

I just hope that this is not some degenerative disease where I slowly lose all my fingerprints. That will cause such a headache in security matters (e.g. passport). And a waste of moisturizer and cellophane tape.