Every summer, I get exfoliative keratolysis, peeling of the skin on my thumbs. Like clockwork, red, dry blisters appear on my thumbs. They get hard like callouses, split, and then the skin peels off. Fortunately, it’s not painful except when the skin that pulls off goes too deep. And when I put my thumbs in the nail polish remover jar, it kills! It doesn’t look great, but fortunately, it’s just on my thumbs and occasionally on my index fingers.
My general practitioner didn’t know what it was. After giving me a couple of different prescription ointments to apply that didn’t work, she suggested I see a dermatologist who got it wrong. Steroids don’t help. Nothing “cures” it.
So I turned to the internet and discovered that many other people have this condition, and that it’s called exfoliative keratolysis. The cause is unknown, so far. Microscopy shows that the outer layer of skin, the stratum corneum, breaks apart and peels off.
Water aggravates it, so I try to wear gloves when I wash dishes or clean.
I try to leave the peeling skin alone, but the dry skin gets caught on things, and I’m always tempted to pull it off.
I recently discovered Aveeno Eczema Therapy at Ulta. Although my condition is technically not eczema, I decided to try it in spite of the $13.99 price tag. I apply it at night and any time the peeling skin gets dry and hard and I’m tempted to pull it off. The Aveeno cream contains dimethicone (silicone), one of the ingredients recommended to soothe this condition. The cream makes the skin on my thumbs look better, softens it, and gives it a chance to heal on its own without me peeling it off.
This is a limited interest product. And it doesn’t heal the condition, but it helps it look and feel better. So if you know anyone with eczema or exfoliative keratolysis, let them know about Aveeno Eczema Therapy. It’s worth a try. Other treatments include creams with urea (Gold Bond) or lactic acid.
The packaging says it is:
- Clinically shown to soothe skin with eczema
- Steroid free
- Dermatologist recommended
- National Eczema Association accepted
- Fragrance free
The size of the tube I bought is 7.3 oz./207 g, but it comes in a smaller (5 oz.) and a larger (12 oz.) size. As I mentioned, I paid $13.99 for the 7.3 oz. at Ulta, and it is definitely available for less elsewhere. (This is one time that Ulta was quite a bit more expensive than other retailers.) Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream is widely available: CVS, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Amazon, and lots of other websites.
Active Ingredients Colloidal Oatmeal (1%, Skin Protectant). NOT GLUTEN-FREE!
Ingredients
Inactive Ingredients Water, Glycerin, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil (Oat), Steareth 20, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract (Oat).
Do you or anyone you know have this weird, seasonal peeling of the thumbs? What do you use?
I’m so glad you found this! I’ve never seen the blistering on thumbs and fingers before–ouch. Both my girls have eczema on their arms and/or legs, and cortizone creams (recommended by the doctor) never helped for long. I bought some of this moisturizer for both girls last winter and it helped them a bunch! Emma, in particular, had a bad breakout on her legs during final exams and couldn’t shave her legs, it was so bad. I told her to try this, and now she calls it “a miracle.” She uses it year-round. We’re also going to try the eczema relief body wash by Aveeno, as soon as it gets cold outside.
Question: my younger daughter has white patches on her arms where she’s had eczema and bumpy skin, and they don’t tan. It bothers her….. does anyone have any info about this, and how to get rid of it? Her doctor hasn’t been much help.
There are some good forums online for skin issues, especially about eczema. Actually, that’s where I got my “diagnosis”. I’m away from my desktop where I have the bookmark but it’s worth googling it.
I have the same type of thing, and was told that it was eczema, even though it (mostly) doesn’t itch. I’ve tried the Aveeno, and wasn’t impressed with it. Aquaphor seems to help somewhat.
Adrienne, what I have isn’t eczema I have discovered since writing this post. I have exfoliative keratolysis. It doesn’t itch but it is characterized by rapid peeling on my skin. I get it only on my thumbs during the summer, somewhere between May and September. Many doctors don’t really know what it is because it’s not that common. Nothing cures it, but I have found something that reduces my symptoms (the peeling and bleeding) significantly and helps it go away sooner: Revitaderm40. If this sounds like what you have, you might consider Revitaderm40. Here’s my review of Reivtaderm40: https://www.neversaydiebeauty.com/productspotlight/revitaderm-40-for-exfoliative-keratolysis-on-my-thumbs/ Thanks for taking the time to comment. And I hope whatever you have, you find something that works for you!