Almost all children may experience dry and cracked hands. This usually goes away on its own. In the article, readers will find out for what reasons a child's fingers are cracked, and what needs to be done when peeling the skin.
Baby's fingers are cracking
Causes of skin peeling
The appearance of cracks in the hands of a baby is due to some exogenous and endogenous factors. External reasons include:
- Mechanical impact.
- The action of high or low temperatures in winter.
- Decreased air humidity. Most often, baby's fingertips crack during the heating season.
- Skin reaction to soap and chlorinated tap water.
There are such internal reasons for the formation of cracks in children's skin:
- Skin pathologies (psoriasis, dry eczema, various types of dermatitis).
- Fungal diseases. Cracks can appear on fingers and nails.
- Infectious diseases. The presence of peeling on the palms is one of the signs of scarlet fever.
- Lack of vitamins (A, C, P, B1).
Note! Due to the low amount of vitamin PP, the skin on the fingers can not only crack, but also peel off in large layers.
- Anemia (anemia). Due to the lack of hemoglobin in the child's blood, cracks appear at the fingertips.
- Allergy.
Allergy on the fingers of a child
- Low thyroid hormone levels.
- Diabetes.
- Scleroderma (this is an autoimmune pathology of the connective tissue, in which there is cracking of the skin on the fingers).
- Nervous strain and stress.
- Imbalance of intestinal microflora. In this case, the skin will peel off from intoxication and lack of fluid.
When examining the child's hands, you need to carefully examine the place where the cracks are:
- Sores around the nail indicate frequent contact with soap and water.
- Cracks on the pads of the fingers indicate a vitamin deficiency in the body.
- Peeling of the skin in the absence of microcracks on the hands is a consequence of the use of antibiotics.
- The presence of itching indicates the development of an allergic disease. With contact allergies, the peeling area may appear on the fingers, palms, and the back of the hand.
- If white crusts appear on the child's fingers, this indicates the possible development of psoriasis. Dark crusts may indicate the development of ichthyosis.
Danger of flaky skin
If the cracks are shallow and insignificant, they are not dangerous, but they violate the protective function of the skin. With the penetration of infection, the development of the inflammatory process is possible and, as its complication, infection.
Important! Even small cracks on the skin of a baby's hands should not be left without parental attention. It is necessary to find out the cause of their appearance as soon as possible and, if necessary, start treatment.
Cracks in the skin of a child are dangerous not only with a high risk of infection. They cause pain to the little one, which makes it difficult for him to bend his fingers. Damage to the skin of the palms has a bad effect on the social adaptation of the baby, causing him inconvenience in the process of communicating with peers.
Peeling palms
What to do for parents
If the skin on the fingers of a child is cracking, parents need to first find out the cause of this phenomenon. A doctor will help you to do this.
Important! Do not self-diagnose baby's hand skin. Also, you do not need to start self-treatment of the skin if the child has a high body temperature, severe abdominal pain, vomiting.
As part of the diagnosis, it is necessary:
- take a swab or scraping from the skin;
- take blood tests;
- be examined by a gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, allergist, neuropathologist.
At home, you can take the following measures:
- In case of dysbiosis, it is recommended to give the baby enterosorbents that improve the intestinal microflora. At the same time, parents need to monitor the baby's stool and his drinking regime.
- When stressed, it is recommended to give the crumbs a soothing mint tea. For hands, you can make baths with chamomile, calendula.
Soothing tea
- In case of vitamin deficiency, the treatment of skin cracks near the fingers should be started only after consulting a doctor.
- For allergies, antihistamines are used. Additionally, you can make baths with medicinal herbs and use creams with moisturizing properties.
The use of folk remedies is shown. The most effective ones are as follows:
- Grind dried plantain leaves in a coffee grinder, mix with petroleum jelly until a creamy consistency is obtained. Apply this home remedy every day to cracks.
- Pour 1 tbsp. a mixture of plantain leaves, calendula flowers and chamomile with hot water and soak in a water bath for half an hour. The resulting product is filtered, mixed with honey and butter. Apply it to cracks before bed.
- It is useful to make warm hand baths. It is necessary to dissolve 1 tbsp. starch in 0.5 liters of water. Dip your hands into this bath and hold for half an hour.
When to see a doctor
The presence of bleeding cracks indicates a serious pathology. A boy or girl needs to be seen by a doctor. An endocrinologist's consultation is necessary if swelling of the fingers appears. Also, parents should immediately consult a doctor if the skin begins to break and hang down in large scabs.
The skin on the fingers will peel
Dangerous signs include:
- severe itching (not only on the hands, but also on the legs, feet);
- high body temperature;
- blisters or abscesses;
- anxiety.
These phenomena can indicate not only skin diseases, but also disruption of the pancreas. After the diagnosis, the doctor will determine why the child's fingers are cracking and will prescribe treatment.
Preventive measures
As a preventive measure to prevent the appearance of cracks on the fingers of the skin, it is recommended:
- establish high-quality balanced nutrition;
- monitor hand hygiene;
- timely diagnose, treat pathologies;
- prevent hypothermia of the skin of the hands, using mittens during the cold season;
- conduct vitamin therapy courses;
- a child under 3 years old needs to correctly introduce new products into the menu, reducing to a minimum the use of fatty foods, baked goods, confectionery, canned foods;
- temper the baby;
- securely hide detergents;
- do not allow the baby to scratch the skin, even if it itches a lot;
- cut your child's nails short.
Any question why a child's hands are peeling can only be decided by a doctor. You do not need to take any therapeutic measures yourself until you find out the causes of peeling. It is necessary to start treating the disease with the help of a competent doctor's consultation, which led to peeling of the skin, as early as possible.
