Skin problems are one of the most common. Most of the world's population encounters them in one way or another - some have peeling skin on their hands, some on their backs, and others on their faces.
Most of the time it bothers people simply because it is unattractive. Therefore, they self-medicate and quite successfully fight this defect. However, in some cases, peeling is the cause of a serious illness; if it does not go away for a long time, peels off and even hurts, you should consult a specialized doctor.
Causes of peeling skin on hands
“The skin on the hands is peeling” - this problem is quite common, but few people really know how to deal with it or why it arose in the first place.
Why does the skin on women's hands peel? Why do men's hands peel? Gender, in fact, does not play a role here - the reasons for both the former and the latter are the same.
- It is very common for men and women to have peeling skin on their hands due to genetic reasons - this is most likely if your parents have the same problem.
- Cellular metabolism in the body is disrupted, skin cells lack moisture.
- Vitamin deficiency or hypovitaminosis (depending on vitamin A, group B, C or D).
- Wrong menu, large amounts of alcohol, sugar, fats, incorrect carbohydrates, as well as smoking.
- Taking antibiotics.
- Hormonal imbalances, including pregnancy, lactation, menopause, adolescence.
- Hands may peel after washing due to aggressive soap.
- Peeling hands can also be caused by heavy physical labor or exposure to chemicals.
The second most popular question among women is: is it necessary to go to the doctor when your hands peel, what to find out, why? It is not necessary to visit him directly, because there are doctors from the Internet, you can also call the doctor, but it is advisable that a professional be able to see the picture on your skin.
When to visit a doctor
What to do if the skin on your hands peels, causing terrible discomfort? In this case, there is a risk of serious damage to skin tissue, so you need to consult a specialist. It can diagnose a large number of diseases:
- Psoriasis. An autoimmune pathology, due to which the skin in certain areas of the body becomes thicker, scalier, causing it to flake and itch. The skin at this moment takes on a red tint.
- Ichthyosis. This is a hereditary disease that manifests itself in the appearance of multiple bloody cracks or peeling throughout the body - even on the face. Ichthyosis is incurable, unfortunately, and in some countries people with ichthyosis are given disability. People with ichthyosis have rapid regeneration, since the skin is constantly renewed, their thermoregulation is impaired, they do not sweat, and after a shower their skin is terribly itchy and painful, the only remedy for this is a cream with urea, although it is almost unable to cover the pain .
- Dermatitis. Appears due to irritants, which can be various bacteria or microbes. They are divided into contact and toxicermic. In the first case, a person becomes infected due to contact with an irritant; in the second, it penetrates his skin.
- Atopic dermatitis. A type of chronic allergy, expressed in a predisposition to allergic reactions. Itching and spots are accompanied by edema, swelling, and bloody spots.
- Allergies. An allergy can be completely to any food product, cosmetics, care products, household chemicals, cats or even dust. In this case, you may also feel a feeling of suffocation, lack of air, and your eyes or nose may water.
- Eczema. The disease process goes like this: first, blisters appear, which are terribly itchy. A person combs them, they burst, turn into cracks, and when infected, pus is released.
- Scarlet fever. The disease is caused by an infection of streptococcus A and manifests itself in a small rash, fever, poisoning, and also appears along with a sore throat. It's similar to chickenpox in that you need to get scarlet fever once to never get it again. It is transmitted by airborne droplets, it is very easy to catch it - the carrier can be a patient, someone who has just recovered, or 15% of the population whose nasopharynx secretes this infection, although they themselves are not sick.
- Dyshidrosis. What to do if the skin between your fingers peels? Prepare to treat dyshidrosis, since this is only the initial stage. Soon, bubbles with liquid will appear at the site of peeling, which, when bursting, spills onto the skin. Itching appears, skin scales come off.
- Scabies. The cause of flaky skin on the hands of men and women can also be scabies mites - in this case, spots also form between the fingers that need to be treated with ointments. Moreover, they still itch.
- Syphilis. One of the signs of syphilis is redness of the palms and back, dryness, and peeling.
Attention! What to do if the skin of a baby’s hands is very flaky? In the case of a fragile child’s body, you need to quickly contact a pediatrician - perhaps there is nothing serious, it’s just exposure to cold wind. However, peeling in a baby can also indicate a lack of vitamins and minerals, or an allergy to some product.
In the case of a serious skin disease, when the skin on the hands is very flaky and peeling, you cannot do without the help of a doctor - women and men are better off sticking to a professional’s prescription rather than experimenting with home methods.
The best remedies for flaking skin on hands
Flaky spots on the hands can also be accompanied by:
- Itching;
- Burning like a burn;
- Loss of elasticity;
- Dryness,
- Cracks;
- Redness;
- Deterioration of nail condition.
In order to get rid of all the symptoms and prevent them from appearing again, you need to take a comprehensive approach to the problem.
What can you do at home?
To make the skin on the hands of men and women less flaky, you can use various home recipes.
- Base oils. This is a budget-friendly and effective way to moisturize the skin, nourish it, and thereby get rid of flaking. Of course, it is effective only if peeling is a purely external phenomenon that does not affect any body systems. From oils you can take sea buckthorn, flaxseed, almond, avocado, peach, olive, coconut.
- When small spots or flaky spots appear on the hands, it has also long been customary to use sour cream or heavy cream.
- Also, by mixing oil solutions of vitamins A and E with base oils or puncturing a couple of capsules with AEvit, you can add this mixture to any cream. A product enriched with vitamins is much more effective.
The “Everything Will Be Good” program talks about home hand care:
Pharmacy drugs
In order to make the skin of the feet and hands softer and get rid of peeling, urea has long been used. Now creams containing it are just as popular. When the skin of your hands is dry and flaky, this is what you need to do - buy a hand or foot cream at the pharmacy (the purpose does not matter, the main thing is that urea is at the beginning of the composition), and 3-4 times a week before or after a shower, depending on how convenient it is to wash it off , apply it to your hands.
The “Spermaceti” cream from Nevskaya Cosmetics also very nourishes the skin. Despite the fact that it is intended for facial skin, it will also tidy up dry hand skin. The main active ingredient, spermaceti, is extracted from the fat layer in the head pouch of the sperm whale. It cools, softens and nourishes the skin, and cannot cause irritation or in any way worsen its condition. In addition, the composition includes olive oil, lanolin and beeswax, which are no less effective for flaky skin.
It is best to use it as a mask - apply it to your hands, put a plastic bag on top and walk like this for half an hour. The cream will also help not only with the question “what to do if your hands itch and peel,” but also with frostbite, scratches and mechanical damage, which often causes dry skin.
When peeling your hands, bepantent will help, which will help speed up regeneration, relieve inflammation, and cracks with scratches, if you remove anything - why is it good? All thanks to the composition - penetrating under the skin, dexpanthenol, which is the main component of the ointment, turns into pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, without which the skin peels, dries and becomes flabby. Thanks to this ointment, you can restore the balance of vitamin B5, but, of course, there is no need to apply it to your hair and facial skin.
Recommendations from experts
Based on the advice of doctors, if the skin on your hands is peeling, then certain measures should be taken:
- Do not use drying soaps or soaps with strong antibacterial properties. It is better to switch to a moisturizer, and under no circumstances use tar.
- You need to dry your hands with soft towels and use soft sponges.
- Wear gloves when washing dishes and working with chemicals.
- Be more careful when choosing products for the care of flaky hand skin - take those with a more natural composition, more oils, and those marked “hypoallergenic”, because the skin often peels due to improper care.
- Treat abrasions, wounds and scratches immediately - first with antibacterial cream or ointment from the pharmacy, and then with oil or moisturizer.
Hand problems are discussed in Elena Malysheva’s program:
Conclusion
Of course, flaky hands may simply indicate a lack of moisture and not be anything serious - however, sometimes the skin peels because something is wrong in the body. The skin reacts to negative and positive changes first, so you should carefully look at its reactions - maybe it’s an allergy, some kind of mite or disease
Your hands are always visible, so it is very unpleasant when the skin on your hands peels off, becomes covered with cracks and begins to itch very much. To get rid of a problem, you must first find out the reasons for its occurrence.
Causes
The palms and fingers are covered with very thin skin, which has practically no sebaceous glands. In addition, the epidermal layer contains very little fluid. These factors lead to the fact that, with any negative impact, the skin on the hands dries out and begins to peel.
In most cases, the reasons that cause itching, dryness and flaking are quite commonplace. After eliminating them, your hands look healthy and well-groomed again. These include:
- frequent use of soap with antibacterial or deodorizing components;
- drying your hands with a towel that is too hard and scratches your skin;
- using household chemicals without protective gloves;
- incorrect selection of cosmetics for care;
- mechanical damage - scratches, abrasions, wounds;
- prolonged exposure of fingers and palms to water, most often associated with professional activities.
In addition, the skin on the hands can peel off under the influence of atmospheric factors - frost, wind, sun rays. The epidermis can also react to frequent changes in temperature with dryness and the appearance of cracks.
All of the above reasons are easily removable, but there are factors that are more difficult to get rid of. These include:
- genetic predisposition, inherited;
- hormonal disruptions in the body (in adolescence, during pregnancy, during menopause);
- metabolic disease;
- lack of vitamins or other nutrients;
- long-term use of medications, especially antibiotics and corticosteroids;
- improper diet and diet.
One of the reasons for dry and flaky skin on the hands or feet is smoking and other bad habits.
The skin can dry out, peel and crack due to many diseases, among which the most common are:
- Ichthyosis is a genetic pathology in which the skin on the torso and arms thickens, becoming covered with small scales that resemble fish scales.
- Psoriasis is an autoimmune pathology when bright pink spots covered with scales appear on the torso, feet and palms.
- Atopic dermatitis is an allergic disease, one of the symptoms of which is peeling of the skin.
- Dyshidrosis - small vesicles with fluid form between the fingers or toes. They burst, causing severe itching and the appearance of scales.
- Scarlet fever is an infectious disease in which, on days 5-6, peeling of the skin on the palms and fingers begins and large areas of the epidermis are rejected.
- Eczema is weeping lesions that form on the body, neck, arms and legs, dry out and peel over time.
- Scabies. The causative agent of this disease, the scabies mite, is localized in the interdigital area on the hands, resulting in the formation of convex nodules that itch and peel.
- Syphilis. A secondary sign of the disease is redness on the palms, dryness and the appearance of scales.
The skin on your fingers, hands and palms can dry out and peel if you get a fungal infection. Most often this occurs with pityriasis versicolor and lichen planus, dermatomycosis, and onychomycosis. An advanced fungus is difficult to treat, so it is important to diagnose this disease as early as possible.
The skin can peel off not only in adults, but also in children. In most cases, the cause of dryness in babies is a lack of vitamins, allergies, exposure to wind and cold, and bacterial infections.. A pediatric dermatologist can determine the cause and help eliminate it.
Symptoms
It is impossible not to notice when your fingers are peeling. However, often even before the formation of scales, signs appear that are worth paying attention to:
- the skin loses elasticity and begins to dry out;
- noticeable irritation and redness;
- formation of small cracks;
- feeling of skin tightness;
- itching and mild burning.
Hands look aged, wrinkled and unkempt. If measures are not taken in time, the skin becomes very dry and begins to peel.
Treatment
Many men do not pay attention to dry and flaky skin on their hands. But this causes a lot of trouble for women, so they try to take all measures to eliminate these symptoms.
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to find out the reason for the drying out of the epidermal layer. To do this, it is best to make an appointment with a dermatologist.
When peeling is caused by a dermatological disease, the doctor will give a referral for additional examination, after which he will determine treatment methods. Thus, for fungal infections, complex therapy is considered the most effective, including the following measures:
- The use of external ointments or creams - Exoderil, Pimafucin, Lotseril, Mikoderil, Triderm. They are applied to the back of the hand, palm and each finger 2 times a day, thoroughly rubbing into the surface.
- Taking medications for internal use - Orungamine, Nystatin, Itraconazole.
- The use of folk remedies - soda baths, apple cider vinegar compresses, lotions from a decoction of celandine and string.
If the cause of peeling skin on the arms or legs is vitamin deficiency, the doctor will prescribe complex vitamin preparations: Multitabs, Complivit, Perfectil, Duovit, Supradin. In addition, it will be necessary to review the diet and include foods rich in substances that have a beneficial effect on the skin.
These include:
- nuts - walnuts, cashews, almonds;
- flaxseed oil or flaxseed flour;
- vegetables - carrots, broccoli, spinach;
- fatty fish - tuna, salmon, cod;
- fruits - citrus fruits, apples, grapes.
It is recommended to drink at least 2 liters of liquid per day. In this case, preference should be given to mineral water, juices and green tea and limit the consumption of coffee and alcohol.
If dry fingers and palms are caused not by a disease, but by external factors (frost, sun, cosmetics), then you can get rid of it at home using folk recipes.
The most popular are:
- Combine 50 g of melted goose or pork fat with the yolk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Apply the mixture in a thick layer to your hands, leave for 5-10 minutes to absorb, then put on plastic gloves overnight.
- Heat a glass of flaxseed, olive or corn oil in a water bath to a temperature of 40 0 C. Add 1 tablespoon of honey and 5-7 drops of rosemary, tea tree, and lavender essential oils. Place your hands in the oil and hold for at least 20 minutes, then pat dry with a napkin.
- Boil 3 large unpeeled potatoes, peel and mash. Pour in 50 g of cream and 3 tablespoons of olive oil, stir. Apply the mixture to your hands, put on first plastic and then fabric gloves. Leave until completely cool, then wipe with a towel and apply nourishing cream.
- Pour 50 g of oatmeal with 1 glass of milk and microwave for 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the yolk of one egg. Use for compresses or applications, immersing hands for 20-30 minutes.
- Combine 4 tablespoons of honey with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Smear your hands every evening at night, then put on medical gloves.
For dry and flaky skin on your hands, it is recommended to do oil wraps at night.. To do this, thin fabric gloves need to be dipped in olive, linseed, burdock or any other vegetable oil heated to 40°C, squeezed lightly and put on your hands. To avoid staining the bed linen, rubber gloves are needed over fabric ones.
Prevention
In order for your hands to always look well-groomed and beautiful, you need to take care of them not from time to time, but daily.
You can prevent drying and flaking of the skin by taking the following preventive measures:
- Use only high-quality cosmetics that are suitable for your age and skin type. Try to buy creams that contain natural ingredients and do not use them after the expiration date.
- During the cold season, be sure to wear mittens or gloves outside.
- When performing household work, especially when in contact with aggressive substances, wear protective gloves.
- In summer, use hand creams with protective UV filters.
- Do not go outside with wet hands, especially in the cold season. Carefully remove moisture between your fingers.
- Massage your hands regularly, kneading and rubbing each finger to increase blood circulation.
- Wash your hands with warm water and moisturizing and softening soap. Do not rub with a hard towel, but blot with soft tissue napkins.
- Exfoliate dead cells using scrubs.
- Make hand baths using herbal infusions and essential oils.
If, despite all the measures taken, the skin on your hands continues to peel, you should definitely consult a dermatologist. It is possible that the reason lies in some chronic disease that needs to be diagnosed and treated. Then the skin on your hands will again have a healthy and blooming appearance.
Modern women try to take care of themselves every day, but often there is simply not enough time and not enough attention is paid to the skin of their hands, which requires constant and regular care.
Causes of peeling
Hands are always visible, so they are exposed to various factors, as a result of which the skin on the hands can flake and peel off.
Dermatologists list the following factors as the causes of skin peeling:
- Insufficient hand moisture. Often all you need to do is replace the soap and the problem will go away. It is necessary to choose a detergent that contains sufficient fatty substances.
Soap for washing hands should be selected with natural and fatty ingredients in sufficient quantities
What does peeling skin mean?
Incorrectly selected treatment can lead to the peeling process intensifying, so if symptoms of dryness occur, it is important to consult a dermatologist in time.
Skin may peel for the following reasons:
- In case of an allergic reaction. The body rarely reacts to an allergen in this way. In order for the skin to begin to peel off, the irritant must be potent and must enter through direct contact.
It is easy to determine the presence of an allergy. If after using a new PRODUCT the skin begins to peel off, then this is definitely an allergy
- Lack of vitamins. This problem will need to be fought from within. Most often, the skin begins to peel if the body does not receive enough vitamins A and E. But a lack of vitamin C can also be the cause.
Citrus fruits are a storehouse of vitamin C, which affects the beauty of hand skin.
Diseases with similar symptoms
In addition to allergies and fungal diseases, the following diseases may have such symptoms:
Dermatitis. This is a kind of reaction to stimuli coming from outside.Dermatitis happens:
- Contact. Occurs when interacting with the stimulus itself.
- Toxidermic. In this case, the irritant penetrates the skin.
When to visit a doctor
If the skin on your hands is peeling and peeling, this is a reason to consult a doctor. Moreover, it happens that peeling can go away on its own, but after a while it appears again.
In addition to the dermatologist, you may need to visit an allergist, surgeon, infectious disease specialist, neurologist, oncologist, or cosmetologist. It all depends on the cause of peeling.
By contacting professional doctors, you will certainly find out the cause of peeling skin on your hands.
Most often, doctors prescribe taking pills and using ointments as treatment. Medicinal creams and ointments should be applied to the skin of the hands in small quantities before going to bed. You will need to wear cosmetic cotton gloves on your hands for greater effect of the medicinal cream.
If no health problems have been identified and the peeling is of a cosmetic nature, a specialist will help you cope with it with medications.
Treatment method
They use a variety of treatment methods: folk remedies, medications, vitamin complexes, cosmetic products, baths, wraps.
Before using any treatment method, you need to find out exactly why the skin on your hands is flaking and peeling.
The use of folk remedies
These remedies are suitable if the main cause is not related to the disease or vitamin deficiency.
Linseed oil
Suitable if peeling is quite severe. The oil must be rubbed into the skin for a quarter of an hour.
Due to its unique composition, flaxseed oil is a valuable product that has an antioxidant, regenerating and protective effect on the skin of the hands.
A mixture of ammonia, water and glycerin
To make it you will need 5 drops of alcohol, 3 tbsp. l. water and 2 glycerin. The mixture must be rubbed into the skin, and then dried thoroughly with a towel.
Lard
You can use regular lard. To do this, you need to melt it in advance in a water bath. Pour the resulting mass into a separate container. Every day before going to bed, you need to lubricate the skin of your hands with this lard.
Medications (ointments, creams)
The following creams effectively combat the problem of peeling and peeling skin:
- Hydroactive cream with triple action. It has a regenerating effect on the delicate skin of the hands.
- Cream Velours from Kalina concern. Promotes intensive hydration and protection of hands. Has a healing effect.
- Salon Spa. This cream moisturizes, smoothes, nourishes, and removes flaking.
- Delicate silk, nutrition from Doctor Sante. Excellent skin care. After applying it, there is no unpleasant feeling of heaviness or stickiness.
- Emollient cream from Home Recipes. Helps relieve inflammation, retains moisture in the surface layers of the skin, slows down its aging.
- Biocream moisturizing from company Handson promotes deep hydration of the outer skin.
Ointments to help cope with peeling and flaking:
Boro Plus – a cosmetic product that eliminates the cause of inflammation, promotes deep cleansing and optimization of local metabolism. Thanks to it, the functioning of the sebaceous glands is restored.
Boro Plus is a skin care system created by outstanding dermatologists for healthy and beautiful skin without problems.
Healing ointment according to a folk recipe
The ointment can also be prepared at home. You will need salicylic ointment and glycerin. You can also take ammonia, medical alcohol, glycerin and distilled water in equal parts. The mixture must be applied several times every day. It is allowed to add a few drops of essential oil or capsules containing an extract of sprouted wheat.
Essential vitamins
In order for the skin to gain elasticity, you need to diversify your diet by including the following beneficial vitamins:
A. Thanks to vitamin A, epidermal cells are restored faster. Foods such as milk, eggs, carrots, spinach, beef and chicken liver contain large quantities of the vitamin.
By consuming carrot juices, you not only drink a delicious drink, but also enrich your body with vitamin A, which is beneficial for your skin.
Citrus fruits, vegetables, melon, kiwi are those foods that contain vitamin C.
Wheat germ oil is the main source of vitamin E. D. Thanks to it, the body is able to resist the appearance of skin diseases. Its action is also associated with the natural production of collagen. Foods such as fish, milk, citrus fruits and seafood are rich in this vitamin.
Note! With a lack of vitamin D, dry and flaky skin most often appears.
Cosmetology procedures
Massage is not only a pleasant, but also a useful procedure that will help combat the problem of peeling and peeling skin on the hands.
It is possible to carry out an “anti-peeling” massage even at home, knowing the technique and having the necessary substances to moisturize the skin
During the massage, a nourishing cream is used to moisturize the skin. The massage session begins with the fingertips, then gradually moves to the base of the hand. All movements must be careful and unhurried, and every part of the palm must be covered.
Hand massage helps awaken energy points, restore skin cells and fill them with oxygen. Thanks to it, blood flow increases and cells are restored faster.
Paraffin therapy helps eliminate dryness. It has a beneficial effect on the skin, restores water balance, and can eliminate peeling. To carry out paraffin therapy, it is not necessary to visit a salon, since the procedure can be performed independently and at home.
Paraffin bath - a useful and basic home procedure
First the skin is cleansed. Then a nourishing cream is applied. You need to put your hands in a bath of heated paraffin 4 times in a row. After this, put plastic bags on your hands and wrap your hands in a terry towel.
Oil hand wraps
The oil hand wrap procedure is carried out before bed. It is best to use olive oil, but vegetable oil is also acceptable. You also need honey of medium consistency.
The process has the following stages:
- Oil and honey are thoroughly mixed in a ratio of 3 to 1.
- The mixture is heated in a water bath.
- It is necessary to take a layer of gauze, apply the prepared mixture on it and bandage your hands with this compress. Top with a layer of waxed paper.
- It is necessary to wear thin fabric gloves on your hands.
Cotton gloves are an indispensable item used in hand care procedures.
It will take about a week to completely get rid of peeling hands. As a result of using this wrap on a regular basis, the skin will become soft and smooth.
Anti-peeling baths
Hand baths effectively combat peeling and peeling skin on the hands.
The most common ones are the following:
- Bath with potato decoction. It will help eliminate small cracks, peeling, and redness. You need to put your hands in the broth and keep them for an average of half an hour.
- Baths with curdled milk, to which starch should be added to get a greater effect.
- Bath with olive, almond, peach oils. It is advisable to add a small amount of lemon juice to it. Hands should be immersed in this mixture for a quarter of an hour. Remove excess oils with a paper towel.
- Calendula and chamomile flowers in equal proportions with the addition of more sandalwood oil help cope with peeling and peeling skin on the hands. All components must be mixed and slightly heated. The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes.
The great popularity of chamomile and calendula in combination with sandalwood oil among cosmetologists is due to their healing properties
Preventive Pre-Care Measures
Preventing dryness is much easier than treating it. It is necessary to adhere to preventive measures to help avoid the appearance of flaking and peeling on the skin of your hands.
The most necessary measures to prevent skin diseases include:
- Every day you need to thoroughly wash your hands with special means.
- After any water procedures, you must dry your hands thoroughly.
- In winter, the skin of your hands requires special care. It is necessary not only to apply moisturizer to your hands every day, but also to wear mittens in cold weather.
- The cream must be applied using circular massage movements to increase blood flow.
- It is important to regularly cleanse the skin of dead cells with scrubs and peeling gels.
- It is important to wear gloves when doing housework.
Important to remember! Hands require special care, as they help us in everything and often take on the harmful effects of various substances.
Taking our recommendations into account, you can avoid the appearance of flaking and dryness of women's hands.
Stay beautiful and take care of yourself, dear women!
From this video you will learn how to keep your hand skin in excellent condition in one minute a day:
In this video, they will share with you an effective way to combat cracks in the skin of your hands:
You can see how to rejuvenate the skin of your hands at home using a scrub mask in this video: