Welcome back dmouse!

You as I was reading your post, I had some ideas.

Don't attribute everything to PN.... when the skin on the fingers or elsewhere degrades, this can usually be fixed with supplements.

EFAs Flax oil, evening primrose (you can rub this right onto the skin, and fish oil help restore the skin since much of it is composed of fatty acids. Flax oil and fish oil you swallow. Start at one each.

Antioxidants Vits ACE and selenium and zinc are made for skin conditions. There are some in mixtures like this one:
http://www.vitacost.com/Carlson-Aces-Zn

Also folic acid and CoQ-10 help alot.

Do you smoke? Do you use cleaners, or solvents alot?
What kind of soap do you use? Some SoftSoap pumps can be very irritating of the skin and actually defat it. I only use Dove unscented in this house...it is great for problem skin. Wear rubber gloves when using cleaning agents...they can be very hard on the skin.

I used to see split fingers in printers (solvents), and masons who mix concrete all the time (the cement eats the skin off).
One fast way to rehydrate the skin is to us Eucerin ointment and cover with cotton gloves at night.
They look like this:
http://www.drugsdepot.com/viewitem.p..._COTTON_GLOVES
Most drugstores have them. This will help in the short run, but really you build your skin from the inside out, so the proper nutrients in your diet will lead to stronger softer skin eventually.