skin peeling off my fingertips

wow... I am 27 and have experienced this for twenty years! The exact same cycle. It is so frustrating not knowing what it is. I have always been told it was a fungus, but nothing I was given ever worked. This is so painful, but I am glad that I don't feel like the only person in the world to ever get this.

Exfoliative Keratolysis

I have been misdiagnosed with excema/contact dermatytis for years now and have recently discovered what has really been affecting my hands/feet.

I get excessive peeling of skin on my hands and feet, not to a painful or itchy extent, but it looks terrible. it is triggered in the summer months, usually by hot weather or sallty water or stress.

Unfortunately there are no "cures" out there and it's down to skin management. If you search for the above condition there is a great link to DernNet NZ website which has pictures and more of a discription of the condition. Also searching for the condition should bring up a blog with numerous suggestions of management techniques.



Hope this helps.

hello :-) ive been to my GP on a couple of occasions with the same thing ...He explained its just exema . Ive had dry skin since i can remember and so this wasnt an issue, he did however give me a steroid cream which you apply twice daily to the effected area :-) it clears up in almost 24 hours. If not just use a really rich moisturiser like something from the body shop or Nivea :-)!

hope i helped =] xxx

Hi, I have a problem where my finger tips are irritated, dry, and become flaky. It currently looks like I have no finger prints and it has some wet looking wrinkles. The problem was cause from washing dishes with dish detergent DAWN, which I'll never use again! I felt it strain with dryness every time I finished a set of dishes and I stupidly tried to tough it out each time until this occurred. I have thinner and more sensitive skin than others and of Asian background.

For fingertips problem of dryness, irritation, and flaking I've found a decent solution: before bed I apply some Vaseline (hands & finger solution) and then cover it with some petroleum jelly after about a minute or two. After a week, I've noticed softer skin with less irritation and it seems to be heading in the right direction.

Between some of fingers near the joints, I also have dyshidrosis which is occurs in spots the sized of finger nails and has cycles of small blisters that seem to cause irritation and releases some fluids. I notice that Cetaphil lotion calms it down and makes it barely noticeable anymore, and it seems to be going away slowly.

I also have eczema on my inner elbows bends which are caused from consuming MSG and it's related counterparts. I have some kind of allergy or reaction to this and I believe others may have similar other food allergies that may be the cause. I initially used a steroid from a doctor, but now that I know the cause, I just stay away from those foods and keep the area away from harsh soaps and lotions. This seems to be clearing up too.. out breaks only occur when I eat the wrong foods.

I hope this can help others understand that there specific causes to problems and each are likely have unique solutions.. when doctors prescribe cortisone and steroids; they are only temporary solutions to underlying problems. 8)

How much water do you all drink a day? Are you a desert or a rain forest?

I found I got this problem after I had the gastric bypass and it seems no matter what I put on my fingertips I can not get them to stop peeling, it is very painful.

I've been reading these responses in hopes that I could find a cure for my poor thumbs. I've been experiencing this problem for, oh, 26 years now and each year I become a little bit 'smarter' with it. Basically, it's just my thumbs, and come late August/early Sept it starts. It's usually worse NOW and continues through March; it's severity depends on ME and how I choose to react to the ugly drying and peeling skin. Through the years I've learned to use a basic nail file on the deadened skin. The rougher side helps the best, but please be careful not to file too much because then you'll hit the healthier skin beneath and your skin will crack...and it will start all over again. Just as with eczema, lotions help; however keeping the hands moist doesn't necessarily do the trick. Sometimes, I allow the skin to dry and I really try not to be tempted to peel the skin. You all know what I'm talking about. It only makes it worse and it can go half way down your thumb and the pain is horrible and you're usually bleeding. Not very attractive! And don't forget; when you rip at your cuticles, they tend to grow back tougher and thicker as a defense -- and you've already damaged the new nail coming in. I've used Obey Cuticle Oil in the last few years and it has made a huge difference. When you have this dry gross-looking skin, you tend to peel it; bite it..you know. But if you apply the oil after washing your hands or straight from the shower, just let your cuticles and finger tips 'drink' in the oil. Then apply something like Neutrogena Hand Cream or anything that contains aloe or shea butter. Now that your cuticles are instantly 'moist', they look better and you won't be tempted to peel them. (Unless you are stressed like me, in which case you'll get those ugly ridges everyone is talking about. But don't worry! There are Ridge Filling Nail Polishes for that as well as nail buffers to swipe away your 'habit') Watch the chemical ingredients because this can only worsen the problem. Also, AVOID at all costs those Clorox Wipes that we use to clean the house. I don't understand WHY they affect my thumbs ONLY in the cooler months, but there is a direct link to their use and my poor thumbs! I don't believe there is a cure, but I do take many different vitamins such as Vitamin B, Fish Oil, and Vitamin C. I'm sure they are helping. Good Luck everyone and don't forget to carry your cuticle oil in your car, your purse and on your nightstand (the file too!)

I have peeling of my fore finger, middle finger, and ring finger on both hands its not painful at all and it started out as a blister I on't know what it is help me!!

Hi, hope this helps, I have suffered from this extremely painfull problem for about ten years now, it started sporadically and then hit with a vengeance, I tried all sorts for Pharamceutical and Natural remedies all of which only worked for a short time, however I have now come across a product that has just about cured it. This product was formulated as a barrier cream for people working with caustic and acidic substances and other things that dry out the skin, after using this the problem cleared up within days and I rarely have to apply it now other than when I need hand protection. This Product is called Handshield, for more info Please go to for further info this seems to be a completely natural product and has worked for me and also for a number of people that i have recommended it too as well. No more continuous pain and nice soft hands as well, good luck



BoomerMMW

I also have had this problem with painful peeling skin which lotions never seemed to cure, also seems worse in cold, winter weather. Not sure what it is, but I have noticed one possible culprit. SOAPS! Especially antibacterial ones. I tend to wash my hands often, and when I do dishes, or wash with hot water the problem starts (also hot showers in cold dry wintery places will cause problems on my legs) So I try to use cold/colder water. Using gloves while doing dishes helps (not doing any dishes at all is best.). I have switched to Non-antibacterial foaming hand soaps and that has seemed to help.

On another sensitive-skin issue, trying to use band-aids to cover the peeling areas makes things worse. It seems I am allergic to the adhedsive on most brands of band-aids as many people also seem to be. The skin under the bandaid will turn red, rashy and the wound will start to peel even worse...

I am 71 years old, and about a month ago, I started having this same problem. My body exhibits several of the possible causes that have been mentioned in these posts...stress, excema on feet, inherited dry skin, illness, and numerous medications. I also experience a mucous membrane autoimmune condition affecting my gums in which if I brush too hard, it will cause a blister to appear on the gums. When that is broken, the top layer of the gum skin peels off. With autoimmune problems, the best way to stop the sypmtoms is to not let them occur. So, I changed my toothbrush to soft, and still warm it with hot water so that it does not injure my gums. Eventually the blisters stopped appearing so often, and today I have no symptoms of that. Transferring what I know autoimmune and how to keep the peeling at bay on my gums, eventually effecting a sort of cure (autoimmune disease is not curable), I decided to try Carmex for dry lips on my finger tips. I've used it for only 2 days, and there are no more signs of skin that wants to peel off. The new skin is pink and healty looking. Carmex is an inexpensive over-the-counter product. I apply it routinely twice a day, and after having hands in soapy water. It soaks right in, and is non-greasy. Please rush out and buy Carmex! I believe it will help you.

My son's fingers just recently did that and I put some lotion on them called "Renew" and it has taken it right away. The lotion comes from a home business so if you want some you'll either have to see if you can get it from someone locally or I can get some info on it. (this isn't a ploy to advertise my business) I just saw others were having the problem, my brother had it when I was a kid and outgrew it so hopefully that is possible. Anyway, you can get the "Renew" from Melaleuca, it has worked great, you just have to use it regularly and it will keep it at bay.
Thanks
Kari Guy

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My wife's fingertips were peeling because of the salicylic acid in the face wipes she was using for daily facial cleansing. Actually, any type of weak acid or mild irritant can cause the fingertips to peel in some people.

The salicylic acid in facial cleansing wipes can do it. The harsh or irritating chemicals in any medication that you apply with your fingertips can do it.

For those who experience this problem at regular intervals:

I too have had this problem for years. It seems to happen when the atmosphere goes throug a significant change(IE the seasons change).

During Fall, my fingers will start to peel, sometimes extremely painful, throughout most of winter they continue to peel, but not as painful. I seems in winter, I get hard covered skin over my fingers.

During spring, I peel too, this gets painful sometimes, but the key difference is, during summer I end up with softer skin.


Apparently, eczema can cause this and a few doctors have diagnosed me with this, and attempted to treat it. it failed.
A new doctor, having heard the other diagnoses and my refusal to continue down any treatment along that path, thought perhaps it was a mild form of scleroderma, which can present itself on the skin(this type does not affect internal organs).

Treated me with a mixture of steroids design to ease the symptoms, as there is currently no cure.

This has so far worked for me.

Though, I am unhappy that my fingers peel and hurt, I do feel there is a very fundamental benefit to this change. When my hands went through the change in winter, my hands were better prepared to handle the cold and in the summer, my hands do not get dried out due to the heat.

Others I've spoken with who have the same issue also had similar symptoms in other areas:

Their hands get cold extremely fast, down right painfully cold. And when cold like that, they feel as if they cannot move them(like arthritus, but not just the bones,the muscles ache from attempting to move).

And after a spell of freezing hands, they get the feeling of being thawed out(which is also painful).

If you experience these symptoms with no diagnoses, you may want to ask your doctor to test you for scleroderma