Your hands are constantly exposed to sunlight, moisture, irritants, and allergens, which makes them susceptible to skin damage and peeling. While dryness is a common cause of peeling skin, conditions like eczema and psoriasis can also be the reason. These issues aren’t just uncomfortable; they can interfere with your daily life and routine activities. Curious about what’s causing your skin to peel and how to prevent it? Here’s everything you need to know about skin peeling.
Causes and Treatments for Peeling Hands
The approach to treating peeling hands depends on the cause, and it typically involves applying moisturizing creams or ointments to relieve dry skin. In some cases, prescription medications may be needed to address the root cause of the issue.
Handwashing: A Crucial Practice
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights several key instances when washing your hands is essential:
– Before and after meals
– Before, during, and after food preparation
– After handling waste
– After sneezing, blowing your nose, or coughing
– After coming into contact with animals, their food, or feces
– After using the restroom
Always remember to apply moisturizer after washing your hands. If there is no visible dirt, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be a convenient way to clean your hands. However, keep in mind that alcohol can dry out your skin, which isn’t ideal if you’re trying to avoid peeling fingertips.
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While maintaining hand hygiene is crucial for stopping the spread of germs, excessive handwashing can sometimes interfere with your daily routine. If you think this might apply to you, it might be useful to discuss it with your doctor, as you could be showing signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Impact of Weather and Climate on Your Hands
Dry weather can significantly affect your skin, leading to peeling or cracking. This is particularly common during the cold winter months when people often forget to wear warm gloves or skip moisturizing while outdoors. The low humidity during winter can leave the skin on your hands feeling rough and dry.
Conversely, some people may experience sweaty hands in hot weather, which can also cause irritation and peeling. To soothe dry skin, try these tips:
- Use a moisturizer immediately after taking a bath.
- Avoid soaps that contain fragrances or alcohol.
- Apply hand cream after each time you wash your hands.
- Before going to bed, apply an emollient moisturizer or petroleum jelly to lock in moisture.
Sunburn and Peeling Skin
Sunburn is the result of skin damage due to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. The affected skin may show signs of discoloration, warmth, tenderness, and soreness before peeling or flaking begins. It may take several days for the skin to start peeling after the initial sunburn.
For those suffering from sunburn, avoiding further sun exposure and applying moisturizing lotions like aloe vera can help the skin heal. To alleviate sunburn, one can take cool baths or showers regularly to relieve discomfort and apply moisturizers containing soy or aloe vera to the affected skin, particularly after bathing. This helps to combat dryness. It’s also important to increase water intake, cover the burned skin to prevent more sun damage while it heals, and use a gentle topical cortisone cream to reduce skin inflammation.
Severe Chemicals and Compounds
Exposure to harsh chemicals, overuse of facial exfoliators, or failing to wear gloves while doing household cleaning can lead to irritation and skin peeling, a condition known as contact dermatitis. Dr. Portela recommends using gloves whenever possible, especially while cleaning or washing dishes, to protect your hands.
Pre-Existing Health Conditions That Lead to Skin Peeling
Various medical conditions and medications can cause skin peeling as a side effect. Some of the most common include:
Eczema
Certain people are more prone to eczema, a condition that weakens the skin’s protective barrier and hinders its ability to retain moisture, causing redness, inflammation, and flaking. Managing symptoms effectively involves identifying and understanding what triggers them, so it’s important to consult your dermatologist.
Vitamin Deficiency
A severe lack of vitamin B-3, also known as niacin, can lead to pellagra, a condition that causes dermatitis, including peeling fingertips. More serious symptoms of this deficiency can include diarrhea and dementia. Pellagra often stems from poor dietary habits and insufficient nutrients. Foods like potatoes, beets, rice, and fatty fish such as salmon and tuna are good sources of niacin. While vitamin B-3 supplements can help, it’s always best to seek advice from a healthcare professional before starting them.
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Kawasaki Disease
This disease generally affects children under the age of five and leads to inflammation of the blood vessels, which may result in heart problems. The illness progresses in three stages, with the first being a high fever lasting several days. Afterward, the child’s skin may start to peel, and signs of redness and inflammation can also be seen.
Irritant Contact Dermatitis
Common household items such as soaps, cleaning agents, hand sanitizers, alcohol, chemicals in nail polishes, solvents, and mechanical factors like friction or chafing can all act as irritants. Peeling skin on the hands or fingers, often caused by frequent hand washing, is typically a sign of irritant contact dermatitis, which occurs due to exposure to detergents along with the drying action of towels or paper towels.
People with sensitive skin may develop this type of dermatitis after just one exposure. However, even individuals with thicker, more resilient skin can experience irritation, as there’s always a threshold. The first step in treating contact dermatitis is to identify the irritant and eliminate it from your daily routine. This might require some trial and error—start by removing the most obvious culprits like new soaps or lotions, and go from there. Consulting a dermatologist can also be helpful to explore potential solutions.
Allergic Contact Dermatitis
Allergic contact dermatitis presents symptoms similar to those of irritant contact dermatitis—irritated, inflamed, dry, or scaly skin. The key difference is that allergic contact dermatitis is caused by an allergic reaction to a substance the body views as harmful, triggering an immune response. In contrast, irritant contact dermatitis happens when a harmful substance damages the skin’s barrier, causing irritation and rash. Allergic reactions are generally rare and usually develop after repeated exposure to the same chemical.
After extended use of hair dyes, shampoos, or various chemicals, a person might suddenly develop an allergy, leading to painful inflammation and dryness of the hands. Other common allergens include metals in jewelry, such as nickel, as well as cosmetic products, fragrances, and preservatives.
When to Seek Professional Help
While peeling skin on the fingers is usually not a major concern, and dryness can be managed with moisturizers, it’s important to consider that contact with allergens could also lead to peeling. Frequent handwashing and exposure to hot water during showers or baths can contribute to dryness as well. If, however, the peeling skin on your fingers looks flaky, it may be a sign of an underlying condition like psoriasis or eczema. If symptoms persist despite regular moisturizing, it’s wise to consult a healthcare professional.
By staying informed about the causes of skin peeling and how to treat it, you can keep your hands healthy and comfortable, preventing any disruptions in your daily routine.
