You use your hands – including your fingertips – a lot, so it should come as no surprise that they sometimes become raw and dry or cracked.
If your fingertips peel, it's usually due to things you’re doing, like washing your hands a lot or not wearing gloves in the winter, which can dry them out.
You should take notice if your fingertips are peeling, because sometimes it can be a sign of a medical condition like hand eczema or psoriasis. Here are some common causes of peeling fingertips and how to treat them.
Hand Eczema
Hand eczema, also called hand dermatitis, usually affects people who work with their hands and touch chemicals all the time, like housekeepers, hairstylists, and mechanics.
Hand eczema can be genetic. That means if your parents or grandparents had it, you might get it too. But it isn’t contagious; you can’t catch it or spread it to someone else.
Hand eczema may cause:
- Redness
- Itchiness
- Peeling skin
- Cracked skin
- Pain or discomfort
If you think you have it, see your doctor. They can help you figure out the cause.
Your doctor might tell you to do these things every day:
- Wash your hands with lukewarm water and fragrance-free soap.
- Dry your hands well every time they get wet.
- Use moisturizer with a high oil content after you wash your hands.
- Use petroleum jelly and wear cotton gloves at night.
- Wear gloves during the day when you need to.
Try disposable food service gloves when cooking, vinyl gloves with cotton liners when doing work that gets your hands wet, and clean cotton gloves for other tasks.
If you have hand eczema, don’t:
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. They’re tough on your skin.
- Wash dishes or laundry by hand.
- Wear rings when you wash your hands. They can trap moisture and irritants.
Your doctor may also prescribe medications to treat your hand eczema. These include:
- Topical corticosteroids. These are put on your hands once or twice a day. They work very quickly but aren’t recommended for more than a few weeks since they can cause your skin to thin.
- Tacrolimus (Protopic). This is another topical cream. Your doctor may recommend it if your hand eczema returns a lot.
- Corticosteroid pills. If your eczema doesn’t respond to creams, your doctor may want you to take steroids by mouth for a couple of weeks.
- Dupilumab (Dupixent). This is an injectable biologic medication. Your doctor may recommend it if you have moderate to severe hand eczema that hasn’t responded to other treatments.
- Light therapy. This is done two to three times a week for at least 12 weeks in your doctor’s office.
Learn more about how to care for hand eczema.
Dyshidrotic Eczema
Dyshidrotic eczema, a more serious type of hand eczema, can cause fluid-filled blisters on your palms, the sides of your fingers, and/or the soles of your feet. Your skin may feel like it burns.
Doctors don’t know what causes it, but you’re more likely to get it if you:
- Already have eczema somewhere else
- Have allergies, specifically hay fever
- Have been exposed to irritants, such as certain metals
- Smoke
- Sweat a lot
- Are in your 20s, 30s, or 40s
The blisters may take a few weeks to heal. It’s a long-term disease, so symptoms may be ongoing. Over time, your skin can harden or become red, scaly, and cracked.
If you think you have dyshidrotic eczema, talk to your doctor. They may send you to a dermatologist, a doctor who specializes in skin conditions.
To diagnose dyshidrotic eczema, the doctor might do:
- A biopsy and take a small sample of skin
- An allergy test on parts of your skin
- A blood test to check for a rare autoimmune disorder
Treatments for dyshidrotic eczema include:
- Moisturizers
- Anti-inflammatory ointments
- Oral steroids
- Biologic medications like dupilumab
Read more on dyshidrotic eczema symptoms, causes, and treatment.
Acral Peeling Skin Syndrome
Symptoms of this rare disease include painless peeling of the top layer of your skin. The condition usually begins at birth or during early childhood.
These things can make peeling skin syndrome worse:
- Heat
- Humidity
- Moisture
- Friction, like when your clothes rub up against your skin
The skin under what peels off may be red and itchy for a little while.
Treatment is usually skin softening agents like petroleum jelly. Unlike with other skin disorders, topical steroids aren’t recommended.
View a slideshow to see photos of peeling skin syndrome and other uncommon skin conditions.
Psoriasis
Like eczema, psoriasis can cause redness, peeling, cracking, and even blisters. It looks like:
- Red patches with silver scales
- Small, scaly spots
- Cracked and dry skin
You also might have swollen or stiff joints.
Doctors don’t know what causes psoriasis, but they think it has something to do with your immune system. Psoriasis can be triggered by:
- Infection
- A skin injury
- Stress
- Smoking
- Heavy drinking
- Not enough vitamin D
- Some medications, like beta-blockers and lithium
It can’t be cured, but your doctor can help you manage your symptoms.
They may prescribe topical medications like calcipotriene cream or corticosteroids to treat your psoriasis. If those don’t work, they may prescribe drugs that affect your immune system, like methotrexate or cyclosporine.
Newer options are injectable drugs known as biologics such as adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel), or risankizumab (Skyrizi). These help to calm down your overactive immune system. They can be very effective but usually are recommended only if you haven’t responded to any other treatment.
Know more about treatments for psoriasis.
Contact Dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is a rash you get when you touch something you’re allergic to. For example, if you wear a ring made out of nickel and you have a nickel allergy, you may get a rash on your finger.
Symptoms of contact dermatitis may show up right away, or they may take a few days. The symptoms include:
- A red, itchy rash
- Cracked, scaly skin
- Blisters
- A burning sensation
- Swelling
- Tenderness
The rash isn’t life-threatening or contagious. Call your doctor if symptoms keep you awake. Also call your doctor if the rash is really big, on your face, or on private parts. They can prescribe a topical steroid cream to help your contact dermatitis clear up faster.
Get more information about contact dermatitis causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Kawasaki Disease
This rare condition mainly affects children. Along with peeling fingertips (one of the later signs to show up), symptoms can include:
- Rash
- High fever
- Swollen hands and feet
- Bloodshot eyes
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Irritation in the mouth and throat
The cause is unknown, and it’s not genetic or contagious.
Your child will need to be hospitalized, where they’ll get an IV injection that uses an antibody known as immunoglobulin as well as aspirin.
Most children make a full recovery in 10-14 days. It can cause long-term heart complications.
Find out more on how to recognize symptoms of Kawasaki disease.
Exfoliative Keratolysis
These are small lesions that look like white rings or blisters on your fingertips. They lead to peeling fingertips. Some causes include:
- Warm weather
- Sweating
- Friction
- Exposure to water
Exfoliative keratolysis usually gets better on its own, especially if you avoid some of the triggers. Moisturizer can also help.
Hyperhidrosis
It’s normal to sweat when you’re hot. But some people have a condition called hyperhidrosis, where they sweat more than normal, usually on their palms. When you sweat a lot, skin sloughs off and leads to peeling fingertips. Treatments include:
- Antiperspirant (You apply it to your hands and fingertips.)
- Botox shots
- An iontophoresis machine. This uses electric currents to treat hyperhidrosis on your hands and feet for 20 to 30 minutes. Most people see an improvement after five or 10 treatments.
- Oral anti-sweat medicines like glycopyrronium or oxybutynin
- Surgery
Other Causes of Peeling Fingertips
Sometimes there’s no medical reason why your fingertips peel. In these cases, lifestyle is usually the cause. Some common triggers are:
Sunburn
You may notice a few days after your sunburn that your skin begins to peel. It’s your body’s way to get rid of the damage. You can treat it with:
- Cold showers or baths
- Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or aspirin
- Moisturizers that contain aloe vera. Don’t use products that contain petroleum. They trap heat and may make your sunburn and peeling fingertips worse.
Dry skin
When your skin gets too dry, it can cause flaking and peeling everywhere, including your fingertips. Some causes are:
- Cold or dry weather
- Too-long baths or showers, which can remove natural oils from your skin.
- Harsh soaps
- Natural aging, because as you get older your skin produces less oil to keep it moist.
If you notice your fingertips peeling from dry skin, there are a few things you can do to help control it:
- Moisturize often.
- Limit baths and showers to under 10 minutes.
- Use gentle or allergen-free soaps and cleansers.
- Wear gloves outdoors. Also wear rubber gloves indoors when you clean, to protect your fingertips from harsh chemicals, too.
Weather
If the weather is very cold, it can dry out your hands and cause your fingertips to peel. Indoor heat can worsen the problem, since it zaps away humidity. Consider a dehumidifier, and wear gloves outdoors (avoiding wool ones, which can irritate skin). If it’s very hot out, sweating can lead to peeling fingertips, too.
Chemical irritants
You may notice red, raw, peeling hands and fingertips if you frequently wash your hands, especially in cold weather. The best way to treat and prevent this is to use a fragrance-free hand cream after handwashing. If you’re not sure what the cause is, see a dermatologist. There are more than 15,000 things out there that can cause an allergic skin reaction, including fragrances and nickel. Your doctor can examine you and do skin testing to try to pinpoint the problem.
Vitamin deficiencies
Your skin, like the other parts of your body, needs a healthy diet to stay flexible and strong. A vitamin B3 (niacin) deficiency can cause blisters on your hands that can lead to peeling fingertips. If you have other symptoms of a niacin deficiency, like diarrhea, a sore mouth, lack of appetite, and symptoms of anxiety or depression, see your doctor. They can test you and prescribe vitamin B3 for treatment.
When to See Your Doctor About Peeling Fingertips
Most cases of peeling fingertips can be treated at home. But there are a few situations where you will want to get your peeling fingertips checked out. They include:
- Unexplained peeling skin
- Fever or chills
- Peeling that doesn’t get better on its own, or with home remedies like moisturizer
Takeaways
It's common for fingertips to peel, and it's usually harmless. The condition can be caused by a number of things – including sunburn, dry skin, or contact dermatitis – and it usually goes away on its own. If your peeling fingertips don't get better, or if the issue improves but comes back, see your doctor. It may be due to an undiagnosed medical condition like psoriasis.
Fingertip Peeling FAQs
How can I get rid of peeling skin on the fingertips? Use a moisturizer to help hydrate dry skin. Drink water to keep skin supple and moist. Shower in warm (not hot) water to prevent drying out your skin. In the winter, use a humidifier to keep the air moist. In the summer, when outdoors, wear sunscreen.
What deficiency causes skin to peel off fingers? In very rare cases, peeling fingertips can be due to a lack of vitamin B3 (niacin).
How can I heal peeling skin overnight? Apply a moisturizer that’s an ointment or cream, rather than a lotion. Some ingredients to look for include:
- Jojoba oil
- Dimethicone
- Hyaluronic acid
- Lactic acid
- Petrolatum
- Shea butter
What vitamin stops skin from peeling? Some research suggests omega-3 fatty acids may help ease inflammation caused by skin diseases like psoriasis, eczema, or contact dermatitis.
Why is the skin around my nails peeling? It may be dry skin. Nail polish remover also contains chemicals that can dry your nails. Apply an ointment like petroleum jelly.
When should I be worried about peeling skin? Most of the time, peeling skin is harmless. But if you don’t know what caused it, or it doesn’t go away after a few days, see your doctor. You should also see a medical provider if you have a fever, which could mean you have an infection.
