Peeling palms

[cheesecakeplease]

Hello

I have skin peeling from the palms of my hands and soles of my feet. I went to the pharmacist who suggested it could be exsema (spelling!) and gave me some steroid cream. She advised if it didn’t get any better to see my g.p.

The cream hasn’t made any difference so I’ll have to make an appointment.
There is no redness or itchiness just peeling skin. It starts as a tiny white dot and then becomes a larger area of peeling skin which I have to cut off (yuck).

I’ll try adding photos.

Anyone have any experience of this?
Thanks.

Yes, many years ago. Mine was caused by stress (stressful time at work) and only on my palms. GP prescribed Betnovate, a steroid cream, and that cleared it up.

Have you had a sore throat/tonsilitis type illness recently? Peeling hands and feet can be an after-effect of tonsilitis/scarlet fever. Also look into kawasaki disease?

BlackInk beat me to it. DS2 had that after a really severe strep throat infection.

Thank you for your replies. I haven’t been ill at all. Never have throat problems, sometimes ear infections but I haven’t been poorly for a couple of years.

I guess it could be stress. I live with a few teenagers 😄 I wouldn’t say I get stressed at work, just exhausting (TA).

It is odd! I shall make an appointment early next week and see what the g.p says. I guess it could be a number of things. It is very annoying though!!

Are you sure it’s not an id reaction (aka dermatophytid reaction)? If so it’s an immune response to athlete’s foot. Easily cured by getting an athlete’s foot cream from the pharmacist (Lanacane, Canesten) and applying to the feet according to instructions. The cream doesn’t need to be applied to the hands - the peeling on the hands is just your body’s way of telling you the feet need attention! I am prone to it, without any obvious athlete’s foot symptoms, but this approach clears it.

I had pretty much the same thing, but where my palms peeled it would be angry red patches. They diagnosed it as something called pompholyx eczema. Looks like something similar to yours; maybe google it and see what you think!

Hi Lark, thanks for your response. I guess it could be . There is just one patch of peely skin on my foot, it’s on the side. It’s never been red or itchy, in fact that seems to be clearing and my hands aren’t.

I did have an odd thing happen a couple of years ago where my immune system sent a virus to my arm and I had a big rash on the one arm. I had started on anti-biotics for an ear infection and according the g.p my immune system got confused. He said it’s usually seen in people who either has psoriasis or family members with it. At the time there wasn’t anybody but recently my son has been diagnosed with it all over his front and back and is starting light treatment. His rash is very different to mine though.

Guess it could be my immune system acting confused again!

Hi Griffindork. Were your angry red patches present immediately? I haven’t had that yet it’s seems to be just dry skin that peels off in layers. I am wondering if it carries on that it may turn angry due to being thinner skin underneath or something?

I have always used rubber gloves for any sort of cleaning/washing dishes too so I don’t think is an irritant type of problem.

I’ll see if I can add photos of mine when I had it, I had it about 2.5 years ago now but occasionally get the odd flare up...

Nope they weren’t red and angry to begin with. It was like yours, just random patches of peeling skin but I did notice it looked like tiny bubbles under the skin then it started peeling and ended up how yours is like now. They got red and angry when I seemed to get more/it got worse. It was definitely caused by stress because I had them around my exams and when I had an important surgery, but after I had the surgery it seemed to dwindle away... I understand how annoying it is. I had a few patches on he back of my hands too but yet was mainly my palms x

Looks fungal. Grab some clotrimazole 1% OTC and apply twice daily for a week and see if improves.