Peeling Skin on Hands: 12 Causes and Treatment Options

Hands are frequently exposed to sun, chemicals, soaps, and a variety of environmental conditions. Given everything you do with your hands, it makes sense why they get dry and even peel sometimes. Not to mention, certain medications and underlying health conditions can cause peeling skin on hands, too.

This article lists 12 reasons for peeling skin on hands, along with how those underlying causes may be treated. It also provides a list of ways to prevent the condition.

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Sunburn

Sunburn is one of the most common causes of peeling skin on the hands. 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, once you have retired to the shade.

More severe sunburn will start to peel within a few days. This means that your body is shedding damaged skin cells to make way for new ones. Especially severe sunburns may result in sun blisters.

Treatment

Sunburns do not always require treatment, but you can apply a moisturizing agent to the area—such as aloe vera gel—to reduce pain while it heals. Drink more water to stay hydrated and cover the burned areas of the skin while they are healing to prevent further sun damage.

If you have blisters, it's critical to avoid squeezing or popping them. Doing so could lead to a bacterial infection. You should also avoid peeling the dead skin off yourself, as this can damage deeper skin tissues and result in scarring.

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 and winter.

Cold air holds less moisture than warm air, so it makes sense that humidity levels drop and the air dries out during wintertime. Many people react to cold weather by turning up the thermostat in their homes, creating a perfect storm of dry, hot indoor air conditions.

To make matters worse, research shows that low humidity and low temperatures weaken the skin barrier, making skin more reactive to skin irritants and allergens.

Treatment

If you live in a climate that causes dry skin, regular moisturizing—especially after hand washing—will help prevent dryness and skin peeling.

Applying petroleum jelly on the hands before bedtime might also help. Petroleum jelly can get a little messy, so it may help to wear socks or gloves on your hands to help lock in the moisture and prevent a mess.

If you like to 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 a chemical burn. In some cases, this can lead to skin peeling.

Certain fields of work involve regular skin exposure to chemicals, including:

Agriculture
Manufacturing
Services, such as cleaning and auto repair
Transportation and airline personnel
Construction

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, skin problems and diseases are the most common non-injury health issue reported by workers.

Treatment

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. You can also rinse the area with clean water, but avoid rubbing or wiping the area.

Frequent Handwashing

Many jobs require frequent handwashing, such as:

Housekeepers
Healthcare workers
Cleaners
Chefs, bakers, caterers
Construction workers
Fishermen
Hairdressers
Farmers

While hand washing is important, doing it too often or scrubbing the skin too hard can lead to skin irritation and skin peeling on your hands. 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.

Treatment

Hand soaps that contain the humectant glycerin are less likely to be drying and can even help lock in moisture. If you work at a job where hand soap is supplied, try to request a soap that contains glycerin, or consider bringing your own.

Always follow handwashing up with a thick, therapeutic hand salve. Look for products that contain shea butter or cocoa butter to help strengthen your skin barrier. You should also avoid moisturizers that contain fragrances, which can further irritate your hands.

Acral Peeling Skin Syndrome

Acral peeling skin syndrome is a rare, genetic skin disorder that causes the top layer of skin to peel and occasionally blister. The skin peeling most often affects the hands and feet, but it can also affect the arms and legs. The symptoms are usually present from birth, although some people start to develop symptoms in early childhood.

Treatment

There is no cure for acral peeling skin syndrome. Treatment involves managing and preventing symptoms, particularly by avoiding heat and humidity, along with pressure, friction, or other forms of trauma to the skin.

Some people with acral peeling skin syndrome find applying a therapeutic skin moisturizer helpful, especially ones that contain ingredients like lanolin and glycerin.

Dermatitis

Dermatitis means inflammation of the skin. This condition can occur due to a vast number of reasons. There are also several different types of dermatitis, including atopic dermatitis, which you may know as eczema.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition that usually begins in childhood, although you can develop it at any age. It results in rashes of inflamed, red, and irritated skin. 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.

Treatment

There is no known cure for atopic dermatitis, so treatment focuses 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.

For mild to moderate dermatitis, a healthcare provider may recommend a topical ointment, such as a corticosteroid, to relieve itching and inflammation. For more severe cases that do not respond to topical treatments, the provider may prescribe an oral steroid like prednisone.

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

Psoriasis is 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. The exact cause of psoriasis is unclear, but scientists know that it happens when the immune system becomes overactive, causing skin cells to multiply too quickly.

Treatment

There is no cure for psoriasis, so treatment centers on managing symptoms. For mild to moderate psoriasis, your provider may recommend a topical treatment, such as a corticosteroid, to ease skin inflammation.

If psoriasis symptoms do not respond to topical treatment, your provider may prescribe an oral corticosteroid, or another oral medication like methotrexate that works by suppressing the immune system. Light therapy may be recommended when large areas of skin are affected.

COVID-19

COVID-19 is known to cause a wide variety of skin symptoms due to the underlying inflammation this virus causes. Most skin reactions related to COVID-19 occur in children and young adults. Symptoms vary from person to person, but patches of red, inflamed, itchy, and flaky skin have been reported, particularly on the hands and feet. There may also be blisters.

Treatment

There is no single treatment for COVID, but symptom management can often be done while the body fights off the virus. 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 fever and impetigo are infections caused 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. This is followed by a rash that forms on the neck and chest and then spreads all over the body. 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. This is followed by a crusty, yellow scab that forms over the sore. Both scarlet fever and impetigo are considered childhood diseases.

Treatment

Scarlet fever and impetigo are both bacterial infections that require treatment with antibiotic medications. Whereas very mild cases of impetigo with only a few sores may be treated with a topical antibiotic, more widespread sores will require a full course of oral antibiotics.

Scarlet fever must be treated with a course of oral antibiotics. This is necessary to prevent a serious complication called rheumatic fever, which can lead to inflammation and scarring in the heart valves, lifelong disability, and death.

Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by bacteria releasing toxins in the body. It is most often associated with the misuse of tampons. TSS affects multiple systems in the body and thus results in diverse symptoms. One symptom of TSS is a skin rash that causes large sheets of peeling skin on the palms.

Treatment

Antibiotics are typically used to treat a TSS infection. Antibiotics may be given by IV so that they work quickly to prevent organ damage. In more severe cases, people may be able to get purified antibodies from others who have donated their blood.

Kawasaki Disease (KD)

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute inflammatory disease that can cause a rash with swelling and peeling of the hands and feet. The exact cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown, although it is thought to be related to infection, as it also causes fever and swollen lymph nodes.

The majority of people who get Kawasaki disease are children younger than 2 years. Symptoms of Kawasaki disease often go away on their own. The disease does need to be treated promptly, however, as it comes with a risk of serious long-term heart problems.

Treatment

Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. Thus, when a child is diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, they need to be evaluated by a cardiologist to check for signs of coronary artery changes.

Otherwise, the main treatments for Kawasaki disease are low-dose aspirin and antibodies that healthy people have donated. The antibodies are put directly into the bloodstream via IV and given to a person while they are admitted to the hospital for treatment.

The use of high-dose aspirin in people younger than 19 years is linked to an increased risk of a potentially life-threatening illness called Reye's syndrome. Low-dose aspirin, which is used to treat children with Kawasaki disease, does not carry this risk. 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, some cancer treatments—such as radiation and chemotherapy—can lead to peeling skin.

A condition known as toxic epidermal necrolysis is caused by a reaction to certain medications—mainly antibiotics or anticonvulsants. The reaction can cause the skin on the hands and other parts of the body to peel, leaving raw patches of skin that may ooze fluid. 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 need to be assessed by a healthcare provider.

Treatment

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 grafts may be required.

If your hands are peeling due to chemotherapy, you will need a therapeutic hand cream to manage dryness. You may be able to find moisturizers that are specifically formulated for people undergoing chemotherapy online or in some pharmacies. Avoid topical formulations that contain alcohol.

Skin peeling on your hands that's from an underlying disorder requires treatment. To get the right treatment, see your healthcare provider to get the right diagnosis.

How Is Skin Peeling on Hands Prevented?

You may not be able to prevent every cause of skin peeling on your hands, particularly when the peeling is due to an underlying medical condition.

But, if the skin on your hands is peeling due to dryness, there are a few steps you can take to manage it:

Avoid hot water when you shower and wash your hands.
Wear gloves when washing dishes or when handling cleaning products and other chemicals.
Keep your hands warm with gloves when it's cold outside.
Moisturize regularly throughout the day. Apply a hand cream after handwashing.
Use petroleum jelly on your hands before you sleep.
Avoid irritating soaps, especially those with alcohols, sulfates, and fragrances.
Use a humidifier in the winter to prevent the air in your home from getting too dry.
Wear sunscreen every time you step outside and don't forget to apply it to your hands.
See a healthcare provider if you cannot identify the cause of peeling skin on your hands.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

If you notice that the skin on your hands is peeling and you are not sure why, you could try treating it at home with moisturizers and avoiding certain chemicals or irritants.

If the skin peeling is not the only symptom you're having, contact your healthcare provider. They can help you determine if you can wait and make an appointment with them, or if you need emergency medical care.

Along with skin peeling, these signs could alert you that you need to call your provider:

Fever
Nausea or vomiting
Swollen lymph nodes
Pain that does not get better or is excruciating
Any signs of infection, such as pus
Rash

Summary

Skin peeling on your hands can be caused by the weather or simply repeatedly washing your hands. It can also be caused by a more severe health condition that requires treatment, such as eczema, psoriasis, or allergies.

If you notice skin peeling along with other symptoms, such as pain that does not get better or a fever, contact your healthcare provider for advice. You might be able to treat the symptoms at home, but you may need to see your provider in person to figure out what is wrong.

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