The thread about eczema made me think about this (although, to be honest, I've been thinking about this a lot lately ...).
The skin around my fingernails is peeling. Badly. It started a couple of days ago and shows no signs of stopping. The weird thing is, my skin isn't actually dry, and applying lotion -- even really good-quality lotion -- hasn't helped (it hasn't made it worse, either, which is good!). It's not particularly painful (although the new skin underneath the peeled skin is a bit tender and pink), but it looks really, really bad. It isn't getting hard or changing colour; it's just peeling away. And I don't think it's actually eczema, because it isn't itchy or irritated, and I can't think of any new products I've come into contact with lately that might cause an allergic reaction (besides which, my allergic reactions have never involved my skin before).
I don't know if it's worth going to see a doctor about this, because otherwise I'm perfectly healthy (and I'd have to miss work to see a doctor and I don't get paid sick days or vacation days, so I can't really afford it unless it's something serious). It's just really ugly and it's making me self-conscious -- it's not like I had the prettiest hands to begin with, but sheesh!
Any thoughts? Has this happened to you before? What caused it? How did you get rid of it?
The skin around my fingernails is peeling. Badly. It started a couple of days ago and shows no signs of stopping. The weird thing is, my skin isn't actually dry, and applying lotion -- even really good-quality lotion -- hasn't helped (it hasn't made it worse, either, which is good!). It's not particularly painful (although the new skin underneath the peeled skin is a bit tender and pink), but it looks really, really bad. It isn't getting hard or changing colour; it's just peeling away. And I don't think it's actually eczema, because it isn't itchy or irritated, and I can't think of any new products I've come into contact with lately that might cause an allergic reaction (besides which, my allergic reactions have never involved my skin before).
I don't know if it's worth going to see a doctor about this, because otherwise I'm perfectly healthy (and I'd have to miss work to see a doctor and I don't get paid sick days or vacation days, so I can't really afford it unless it's something serious). It's just really ugly and it's making me self-conscious -- it's not like I had the prettiest hands to begin with, but sheesh!
Any thoughts? Has this happened to you before? What caused it? How did you get rid of it?