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A 31-year-old female asked:

The skin on my fingertips has been peeling for the last 4 months. moisturizer helps a little but the peeling continues. it's not itchy. what causes?

1 doctor answer1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Adam Bodian
Dermatology 37 years experience
Probably water loss: Most people that suffer from peeling fingertips wash their hands all the time. As water molecules leave the skin, more piggyback or get pulled out of the skin too. This leaves the skin dry and peeling. A great way to reverse this is whenever your hands are wet, thinly rub in petroleum jelly for thirty seconds, then towel dry. This traps the water in your skin, stopping the peeling.
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Last updated Apr 20, 2018

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