# Skin peeling off of fingers



## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

I swear I saw a post about this, but cannot find it anywhere now.
Anyhoo... a few days ago the skin started peeling off of my fingertips. I goes down past the first knuckle.
-it doesn't itch or hurt.
-the skin that peels off is soft and supple, not dry.
-the skin underneath is healthy and normal, not red or cracked.
-no new anything in my life that I come in contact with and no itching etc.. that would indicate allergies.
Because of these things, I have ruled out excema, psoriasis, athlete's finger etc..
What the heck is it!?
This is horrible. My fingers look like a shag bark tree. Lotion doesn't stop it..nothing seems to help at all.

I ahve done internet searches and found that it is common, but seems to be cure-less, even by dermatologists.
Hormonal stuff could be a cause.. I am 43. Could it be a sign of the change?

Anyone else have peeling fingers??


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

My fingers and hands do that when I have a lot of days in a row of wearing gloves. I can't think of anything else other than what you have mentioned.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

I used a strong solution of Pine-Sol in water once. Did some scrubbing without gloves. My hands peeled for a couple of weeks after that. Someone asked what was wrong with my hands. My daughter popped in and said "Oh, she just has leprosy."

Have you used harsh detergents or chemicals lately?


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Nope.
We just don't have anything like that in the house.
I keep reading online and people say that it peels and then it stops...
at least it is not painful or anything..just gross.


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

I know a gal that has a shellfish allergy. Loses skin on the fingertips with contact with shrimp, clams etc. Looks nasty, grows back. She uses avoidance and Benedryl.


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

Once that happened to me after I had washed a whole lot of coins -- between the fingers, the skin just started peeling off. The doctor said it reminded him of silver poisoning or some such, and that's when I remembered washing the coins. Have you been handling a lot of metal?


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

When I'd your next doctor appointment? The Internet can be a god source on information but I know I've looked at those sites in which you plug in your symptoms and found them awfully inaccurate. 

One can develop new allergies to things you've been around your whole life. Have your hands been in the water a lot lately? Have you been cleaning? If it doesn't go away see the doc. If it goes away on its own I wouldn't worry about it unless it happens again. 

Take a picture. I think it's a good idea to take pics of rashes and the like. Rashes are like broken cars. The problem will be there until you take it to the mechanic.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Doctor?!
hahahaaaa... I don't get a doctor. A doctor is a mythical beast available to the rich and/or insured.

But it is not a rash at all. No itching or redness or anything. Just the skin happily falling off.
My favorite lotion (I usually use olive oil) is Shakai (or something like that) with borage oil. Luckily that was recommended by many sites as a curative for the peeling fingers thing.
Amazingly enough.. it seems to work and work well and work fast. I grabbed the little sampler bottle at the health food store today and used it right there and then. Huge difference!! The shreds of skin aren't as long or as plentiful. Heck.. I even forgot about it for the most part. I am heading to bed and I will slather my fingers with it again, but the difference is amazing. Borage oil for peeling fingers!!


The ladies that work there repeated what I had already learned.. stress, hormonal or environmental. 
Since I am super mellow for the most part and nothing is really new in the stress department and the only new thing in my life is some wonderful lanolin soap from my dear friend (she makes the best soaps in the world) and I use lanolin often, so I don't think that's what it is.
So nothing stressful (other than my skin falling off) and no new anything.. same old gardening and same old dishes adn same old everything
I am going to chalk it up to hormones and/or heat. And I have been staying up later than usual working on a project, so I may just be run down.
So off to be with me, vitamins in the morning, a big old salad for lunch, huge jugs of ice cold nettle/peppermint tea to up my minerals and support my glands and more borage oil!!

I hope this helps someone someday...I cannot tell you how relieving it is to find something that is working to quell this.


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## Sanza (Sep 8, 2008)

I hope you heal quickly!


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## OkieDavid (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks for posting this. I thought I was the only one. Mine seems focused on my index fingers as I don't notice it elsewhere. Same symptoms (except perhaps a different set of hormones LOL). Comes and goes and I can't seem to relate it to any environmental factor (chemicals, hydration, alergies etc). I just keep lathering on the lotion and one day it's gone until it comes back.... I haven't considered stress so I'll have to evaluate that one on the next outbreak.


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

When mine do that it's because of a fungus, from working out in the gardens. I change my gloves a lot because it will live in them.


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## mommathea (May 27, 2009)

ZUCCHINI! My hands have done that same exact thing twice this year when I was cutting and shredding tons of zuc for the freezer.
The weirdest thing ever. Pealing skin, no itch, no pain, just weird scaling peal, and the skin under is perfect..


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

When I started looking online I found that there are lots of people who have this going on.
It's just.... gross, disturbing etc..
And yes..the skin underneath is just fine. Looks just like the skin that fell off.

And last night I slathered the Shakai borage oil lotion on, let it sink in and repeated about 4 times.
There is a huge difference this morning!!
No new shreds at all and you have to really squint to see the 'edges' of the peeling.

I think as long as I keep the borage oil as a regular routine I should be fine.

I had used olive oil and other lotions with no effect at all. Yay, borage oil! 

I must plant more borage to see if I can make a salve from the leaves that would have the same effect. oooh.. a project!!


Oh... and metal contact is also a known cause, so the washing coins would do it.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

Was your father or grandfather in the military and served in the south pacific? if so the you might have Jungle rot from them. My sister born before my father went to the south pacific and all of her kids does not have it but Me and My other Sister born after he came back and our kids all have it. I went to a DR about it and he said it is athletes foot even on the hands. So either I am mistaken or the DR doesn't know what he is talking about. It gets bad in the summer and goes away in the winter. I have tried all athletes foot remedies and nothing works for it including the prescriptions medicines.


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

I think hand peeling can be caused by some virus's in some people. Fever can also cause it.


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