- With Mayo Clinic dermatologist
Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
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Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
Dr. Lawrence Gibson likens bad health information on the Internet to food poisoning.
Consumers, he said, need to be aware, and will find reliable information at MayoClinic.com.
Dr. Gibson, a Covington, Ky., native, has been with Mayo since 1986 and is board certified in dermatology, dermatopathology and immunodermatology. He is a professor of dermatology at Mayo Medical School and a consultant in the Department of Dermatology.
Dr. Gibson has been director of the Dermatopathology Laboratory since 1998 and chair of the Laboratory Division in the Department of Dermatology since 2000. He is especially interested in inflammatory disorders of the skin and lymphoma affecting the skin.
"Electronic information is becoming a staple in the diet of a health conscious society," he said. "It's important to avoid misinformation and provide a credible source for health information. Using this analogy, it's critical to avoid 'indigestion' or worse yet, 'food poisoning' by the ingestion of tainted information."
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Question
Peeling skin on hands: What causes it?
I have a problem. For the past few days, the skin on my hands and fingers has been peeling quite badly. What causes peeling skin on hands?
Answer
from Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
Peeling skin on hands typically is a temporary, harmless problem. It can have many causes, including:
- Excessive perspiration and inadequate evaporation, most often when wearing gloves
- Skin infections, such as fungal infections
- Extremely dry skin — which can usually be remedied by using moisturizers, avoiding harsh soaps and using warm, rather than hot, water when washing your hands
- Side effect of certain medications that cause skin drying, such as acne medications
- Reaction to a medication, such as chemotherapy drugs or oral retinoids
- Sunburn
Consult your doctor if you have extensive or unexplained skin peeling or if peeling continues for more than a couple of weeks. Rarely, peeling skin can be a sign of a serious underlying disorder, such as Kawasaki disease.
