Why is the skin on the hands, feet and other parts of the body peeling?

The outer layer of the Dry Skin epidermis can be compared to a brick wall that protects the body from damage. The role of the building blocks is played by those that have lost water and dead cells - corneocytes. And the "cement" are intercellular lipids (fats), as well as a mixture of amino acids, sugars, lactic acid, urea and sebum.

If the ratio of the ingredients of the "cement" changes, it loses its retention properties. The moisture evaporates more actively, the number of dead skin cells becomes more, they are more actively crumbling from the skin than usual. This is how flaking occurs.

Two types of influences can change the composition of the "cement": external and internal.

What external causes cause peeling of the skin

If you have flaky skin on your hands, feet, or other parts of your body, you may have:

You wash too often. For example, do not get out of the bath, bath, sauna. The hot liquid washes away natural oil from the skin and disrupts the hydrolipidic balance.
Enjoy swimming in the chlorinated pool.
Wash dishes or wash with harsh detergents without gloves.
Freeze recently. Subzero temperatures and the associated dryness of the air literally draw moisture out of the skin.
Allowed the skin to dry on its own after water procedures, especially in the wind. Hand washing thinns the lipid barrier, and wind accelerates moisture evaporation, so chapped skin often peels off.
Burnt out in the sun. Ultraviolet light destroys the bonds between the cells of the stratum corneum, which is why they begin to actively exfoliate.

What to do about it

Protect the skin from harmful effects and regularly, at least in the morning and in the evening, use a moisturizer. This is enough to stop peeling after 2-3 days.

How to understand that internal causes are to blame for peeling

There are a number of very obvious symptoms of Dry Skin:

The peeling does not go away even as you protect and moisturize the skin.
On scaly areas, the skin changes color - for example, it turns red or yellow.
Peeling is accompanied by itching - every now and then you reach for the affected area to scratch.
Because of the itching, you scratch the skin down to open wounds.
Areas of flaky skin increase in size and begin to spread throughout the body.

What are the internal causes of skin peeling

It may not be all that scary, and the disorder that causes your skin to peel off is safe and easy to overcome. But it is not always the case. Here is a list of conditions and diseases that actively destroy the stratum corneum:

an allergic reaction (to food or the fabric your clothes are made of);
lack of vitamins;
fungal and staphylococcal infections;
hyperhidrosis;
psoriasis;
lichen;
side effect from taking certain medications;
malfunctions of the immune system;
oncological processes.

What to do about it

Go to the doctor - therapist or dermatologist. Only he can make the correct diagnosis. Most likely, this will require a series of tests: take a scraping from the skin, do a blood test. Based on the results, the physician will prescribe the treatment that will be most effective in a particular case.