Why does the skin near my nails peel? Especially my thumbs?
Once again my thumb is bleeding. Peeled skin around my thumbnail give way to a deep canyon the shape of a paper cut. From there I bleed and yet my entire thumb is on fire. I often wondered why the skin near my nails dry out and peel, so I began the painful search to find the answer and hopefully soothe my thumb and prevent this pain from happening again.
What are the common causes of peeling fingertips?
Some of the common causes of peeling fingertips are excessive hand washing, moving from extreme hot to extreme cold temperatures, hand eczema, and allergic reactions.
But after thorough research I found that having peeling fingertips pretty much winds down to three reasons. 1. How often you use your hands 2. How often you wash your hands. 3. External/internal issues.
The third reason basically includes externals like the environment meaning the weather or use of chemicals. And internal things like immune deficiencies or underlying medical problems.
Note that if you believe that the cause of your peeling fingertips could be a symptom of a bigger issue please consult a medical professional.
Why mostly near my thumbs?
There wasn’t much information on the web which answered why I peel mostly around my thumb nails. But when I began to think about it some more I realized that the answer was pretty obvious. The gash on my thumb I am currently healing is located on my right hand. In fact unless my hands are severely dry from the cold (like every winter I spent in New Jersey) most of the peeling is located on my right hand. You see although I am left handed, at work I mostly use my right hand to pull, grab, and turn. And all those efforts wouldn’t be possible without the extensive use of my right thumb. Which then of course explains why my right thumb is the first of all fingertips to dry out and peel and bleed.
I also notice my thumbs more often than the rest of my fingers. So when I see some skin beginning to peel I unfortunately am tempted to peel it some more.
So I’m going to guess if you’re peeling significantly more on certain fingers then you probably use those fingers more than the rest.
What are some ways to heal our peeling skin?
Experts will tell you that lotion lotion lotion is the best way to go for healing peeling fingertips. I will go a step further and say that the right lotion will make the difference. And I don’t just mean which brand but which type and brand will work best for your lifestyle.
Stay away from lotions with fragrance if you’re just going to work. If you really need some form of scent, find lotions that are scented naturally.
Thickness and longevity of the lotion matters too. I use different lotions for different parts of my body but not until recently have I thought to buy a thicker penetrating and long lasting lotion for my hands. Although I do wear gloves for my full time job as an overnight stocker, nothing beats the grip I get from using my bare hands. Hence my hands are more prone to dryness and peeling.
If you notice your hands are in need for some deep treatment, experts recommend the jelly and sock technique. That’s right, before you go to sleep lather on some pretroleum jelly on your fingertips and then place some socks over your hands. Or cotton gloves if you happen to have clean ones lying around. The dirty ones will be no good and counterproductive.
One last note about lotion which I never considered before was directly from WebMD. Pay attention to the oil content in the lotion you buy. A higher oil content will be better for fingers already cracked and peeling. The reason why is because our hands create natural oils as protectants and things like work or washing removes that oil leaving our skin defenseless.
How can we prevent fingertip peeling in the future?
If you want to keep your fingers from peeling in the future then avoid doing the following. But also buy yourself some gloves. Different gloves. Rubber ones for cleaning, gripped ones for work, and cotton ones for sleeping or everything else.
Don’t do any manual labor without proper gloves. I work overnight with boxes or with items like metal and glass and I know for a fact that even if I am extra careful accidents like cuts and scrapes and overall dryness happens which can affect my skin.
Don’t do the dishes without proper gloves.
If I am being brutally honest I use hot water when I wash the dishes because I don’t think the dishes are clean unless they have been scorched into sterilization.
But if you must wash barehanded use only warm water and make sure the soap is fragrance free or enriched with hand protectants like aloe.
Don’t clean with household cleaners bare handed. The worst part about this is the chemicals are not only abrasive but can also cause an allergic reaction which can lead to other more serious issues.
The big question after finding out all this information is whether or not I will apply it. I already use gloves for work but haven’t used them at home for years. I am definitely considering a higher oil content and lotion geared specifically for manual labor individuals but sometimes I honestly don’t mind the abrasions on my hands because I know that they will heal.
Unfortunately, I do leave my body susceptible to attacks when I have open abrasions even as small as the ones on my fingertips. And so I am committing myself to using more lotion, higher oil content, and purchasing some house gloves.
Until next time my friends 👋
