Skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis can also cause your hands and other areas of skin to peel.
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Sunburn
Sunburnis one of the most common causes ofpeeling skinon the hands.
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Usually, a sunburn manifests as hot, red skin.
You might not notice that your skin is being burnt while you’re under the sun.
In many cases, sunburn becomes apparent a little bit later, after you grab retired to the shade.
More severe sunburn will start to peel within a few days.
If you have blisters, it’s critical to avoid squeezing or popping them.
Doing so could lead to abacterial infection.
Climate and Temperature
Changing temperatures and weather conditions can lead to dry, peeling skin.
Many people find that their skin becomes especially dry, red, and rough in the fall andwinter.
Applying petroleum jelly on the hands before bedtime might also help.
If you turn up the heat in your home, try using a humidifier.
Humidifiers introduce more moisture to the air and can go a long way in preventing dry skin.
Chemicals
Certain chemicals can irritate the skin on your hands.
They can make the skin dry or cause achemical burn.
In some cases, this can lead to skin peeling.
Different chemical exposures require different treatments.
In some cases, simply removing the irritant is enough.
However, others require immediate medical care.
If you have a chemical burn, call 911.
While waiting for medical attention, remove all clothing that the chemical has touched.
Furthermore, many soaps contain fragrances, preservatives, alcohol, and other substances that can be highly irritating.
What Causes Skin on the Fingertips to Peel?
Frequent handwashing can cause dry, peeling fingertips.
Exposure to harsh ingredients in soaps, cleaning agents, and other substances can lead to fingertip skin peeling.
Your fingers can also peel due to sunburn and some types of infection.
If your fingertips are peeling and you are not sure why, talk to a healthcare provider.
If you’re free to, give a shot to avoid washing your hands unless it is necessary.
Use lukewarm water when possible.
Hand soaps that contain the humectantglycerinare less likely to be drying and can even help lock in moisture.
If the soap in your workplace doesn’t contain glycerin, consider bringing your own.
Always follow handwashing up with a thick, therapeutichand lotion.
Look for products that containshea butteror cocoa butter to help strengthen your skin barrier.
You should also avoid moisturizers that contain fragrances, which can further irritate your hands.
The symptoms are usually present from birth, although some people start to develop symptoms in early childhood.
There is no cure for acral peeling skin syndrome.
Allergic Contact Dermatitis
Dermatitismeans inflammation of the skin.
This condition can occur due to a vast number of reasons.
Allergic contact dermatitis can cause a red, itchy rash.
Symptoms can be managed with topical treatments such as a hydrocortisone cream.
An oral antihistamine can help with itching.
More severe cases may be treated with an oral steroid such as prednisone.
Eczema
Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes inflamed, red, and irritated skin.
It is also called atopic dermatitis.
The skin often gets extremely itchy.
If you scratch it, the skin may swell, crack, or “weep” with clear fluid.
The skin can also get flaky or crusty and peel.
Hands are one of the most common sites of eczema.
There is no known cure for atopic dermatitis, sotreatmentfocuses on relieving symptoms.
All people with atopic dermatitis can reduce skin irritation by identifying triggers and finding ways to avoid them.
One common trigger that can be avoided is fragrances, including those in cleansers and moisturizers.
Light therapy (phototherapy) can be offered to people who experience repeated flares.
Light therapy works by shining ultraviolet (UV) light on the skin.
UV light reduces inflammation by slowing the production of skin cells.
Psoriasis
Psoriasisis a chronic condition that causes patches of scaly and inflamed skin.
These patches commonly form on the hands.
Psoriasis occurs in flares that can last for weeks to months at a time before going into remission.
There is no cure for psoriasis, sotreatmentcenters on managing symptoms.
Light therapy may be recommended when large areas of skin are affected.
COVID-19
COVID-19is known to cause a wide variety of skin symptomsincludingrashdue to the underlying inflammation this virus causes.
Most skin reactions related to COVID-19 occur in children and young adults.
There may also be blisters.
For itchy, inflamed skin, a healthcare provider may recommend or prescribe a topical corticosteroid.
Fragrance-free moisturizers should also help.
Group A Streptococcal Infection
Scarlet feverandimpetigoare infections sparked by the bacteria group A streptococcus.
The infection can cause the skin on the fingers and hands to peel.
With scarlet fever, the first symptoms tend to be fever and strep throat.
The rash, which may last for a week or more, is sometimes described as feeling like sandpaper.
As it fades, some skin areas may peel.
Impetigo results in patches of red, itchy sores that may break open and leak clear fluid.
Scarlet fever and impetigo are both bacterial infections that require treatment with antibiotic medications.
Scarlet fever treatmentis a course of oral antibiotics.
Fungal Infections
Certain types of fungal infection can cause your skin to peel.
This infection can cause the skin to itch and scale.
Tinea manuum is typically treated with antifungal medications, which may be given orally or topically.
These include:
12.
One symptom of TSS is askin rashthat causes large sheets of peeling skin on the palms.
Antibiotics are typically used to treat a TSS infection.
Antibiotics may be given by IV so that they work quickly to prevent organ damage.
The majority of people who get Kawasaki disease are children younger than 2 years old.
Symptoms of Kawasaki disease often go away on their own.
Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.
Otherwise, the main treatments for Kawasaki disease are low-dose aspirin and antibodies that healthy people have donated.
Still, you should never give a child or teenager aspirin unless your healthcare provider tells you to.
Medications
Some medications can lead to skin peeling on the hands because of their skin-drying side effects.
For example, somecancer treatmentssuch as radiation andchemotherapycan lead to peeling skin.
A condition known astoxic epidermalnecrolysisis brought on by a reaction to certain medicationsmainly antibiotics or anticonvulsants.
Toxic epidermal necrolysis is life-threatening and requires immediate hospitalization.
Along with skin peeling, other symptoms of toxic epidermal necrolysis are fever and painful red skin.
This condition progresses very quickly and can become life-threatening within three days.
If you have these symptoms, you oughta be assessed by a healthcare provider.
Toxic epidermal necrolysis requires hospitalization.
You will likely be given fluids and electrolytes through an IV, as well as antibiotics and antibodies.
Most people recover from toxic epidermal necrolysis, and the skin eventually heals on its own.
However, in cases of extreme peeling,skin graftsmay be required.
If your hands arepeeling due to chemotherapy, you will need a therapeutic hand cream to manage dryness.
Avoid topical formulations that contain alcohol.
If the skin peeling is not the only symptom youre having, contact your healthcare provider.
The problem may be more than local irritants.
Sometimes, systemic diseases can be the culprit.
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