Hi Mari! Thank you so very much for your extremely helpful post. It is apparent you have done more than your fair share of research on this aggravating ailment. One of your items listed as a trigger peaked my attention, "hormones". I am 45 and unfortunately was diagnosed as menopausal. I am seeking treatment through my homeopathic doctor. I first started with troches,but after time they irritated my mouth. Now I am on a HRT cream. I have never had this breakout before and it just started recently. First on one finger, then one palm, and now it's on both. In your opion, do you think the HRT treatment could be my culprit? Oh and to add, I have chronic sinus allergies and also suffer from chronic hives. Taking allergy medicine twice a day to help prevent an outbreak. Bottom line, I think I just have crappy genes to say the least. Thanks for taking to read this. And again your post was most helpful!!!