peeling red raw fingertips and hands cracking fingertips 8yr-old girl. mother had the same. winter

Bean · Guest

My eight year old daughter is suffering from peeling cracking raw fingertips and hands. Aside from the physical discomfort, she's embarrassed to show her hands, a feeling I am all too familiar with. I suffered from this all through childhood, but seemed to outgrow it as an adult. A dematologist seen when, I was a kid, determined it was eczema, and prescribed cortizone cream, which at the time, was prescription only. Now I use it OTC for her. Have also used prednicarbate ointment prescribed by her peds doc. Messy. He also suggested aquaphor. Nothing seems to be doing the job. I've considered our dietary changes as we grow older may play a part, and the fact that children may not get the nutrients they need, esp. the picky eater. Any thoughts on that? Please advise.

Nonnberg · Newbie Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Memphis, TN

Not sure if this helps any but I have suffered through a similiar incident when I was in Med Tech school. My hands would be extremely itchy. The itch was so severe but yet my eosinophil count (part of a CBC) was within normal limits. I also had water blisters and my fingers were cracked which was painful when they were wet, hence I wear lab gloves as my profession. My father has the same thing with his hands. There is a medical definition called neurological dermatitis. It is caused by an emotional stimulus. Is your daughter stressed about school, friends or family? Just having this condition may be stressful enough. I know that I was embarassed and felt like a leper. I was diagnosed with ecezma too but my allergy test came back negative. Not sure of the age to start allergy/immunology testing for pediatrics. I was given corticosteroid shots which did nothing as did the fungal steriod cream. Once I graduated from college and passed my licensing boards it pretty much went away. I sometimes still get flare ups now and then, especially on the palm region and fingertip region where the finger bends. I work for a Clinical Lab Immunologist and I had a test ran on myself (35 yrs. old) called an Antinuclear Antibody test by Western Blot methodology. I have tested positive for some autoantibodies....still waiting for my physician consultation/interpretation of the results. Perhaps she has a type of psoriasis or juvenile dermatomyositis. A Dermatologist would be recommended to help further direct you with your daughter's care. One note, though, a lot of these skin conditions are hereditary with unknown causes. Please let me know if any of this information helps.

Guest · Guest

To "Bean", I experienced similar symptoms as a child. It started at around age 4 and lasted until I reached puberty. The skin started peeling at the tip of one finger and continued to peel slowly (several layers) toward the first bend. The skin was raw and sensitive. I had lost my finger print. I had seen various doctors from different countries who prescribed various treatments, from oral to creams. Nothing worked. It was very embarrassing and limited my physical activities (ex. difficulty playing dodge ball because catching the ball would break the skin and bleed.) There was only one doctor that said I had to wait it out until I had my first period. After that it took about a year to heal completely. This was in 1983 so I guess medical science has not found a cure yet.

peeling red raw fingertips and hands cracking fingertips 8yr-old girl. mother had the same. winter

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