How to help peeling skin

What is making your skin peel?

Peeling happens when the outer skin layer sheds as it recovers from damage. Possible causes include dry skin, sunburn, friction, allergic reactions, eczema and infections. Acne treatments, retinol, chemical peels and some medicines can also cause peeling. The cause matters: moisturizer helps dryness, while an infection can need a different treatment.1

How to care for peeling skin

1. 1Wash gently. Use warm rather than hot water for dry skin, or a cool shower for sunburn. Avoid drying soaps on sunburned skin.
2. 2Pat dry rather than rubbing. Wear soft clothing over a peeling sunburn to reduce irritation.
3. 3Apply moisturizer. Choose a fragrance free, hypoallergenic cream or ointment for dry peeling skin. After a cool shower or bath, moisturize sunburned skin immediately.
4. 4Leave the flakes alone. Do not pick or pull them off. Picking can expose new skin and create openings where bacteria can enter.
5. 5Protect the area from sunlight. Keep sunburned skin covered until it has healed.

A humidifier can also add moisture to dry indoor air.1

If the peeling follows sunburn

Sunburn can start peeling after a few days and usually gets better within seven days, although peeling can last a week or longer after a worse burn. Once peeling starts, there is no reliable way to stop it. Moisturizing can make the flakes less noticeable and the healing process more comfortable.34

Use an unperfumed moisturizer or aloe vera to soothe the area. Avoid petroleum jelly while the skin is sunburned, and do not apply ice or pop blisters. Skip exfoliating products on a peeling sunburn: they can damage the recovering skin. Drink water to help prevent dehydration.134

For exposed skin outdoors, choose broad spectrum, water resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Apply it to dry skin 15 minutes before going outside and reapply about every two hours, or after swimming or sweating. Sunscreen comes in creams, gels, sticks and sprays, because apparently even sun protection needs a format menu. Shade and clothing matter too.5

If your feet or toes are peeling

For dry feet, wash daily with a gentle cleanser, dry between the toes thoroughly and apply a fragrance free cream or ointment. Reapply during the day as needed, including at bedtime; cotton socks over moisturizer can help retain moisture overnight. Change damp socks and choose breathable footwear. Itchy, red, peeling feet can also be caused by athlete's foot, a fungal infection for which an antifungal cream is used. Persistent symptoms need assessment rather than more moisturizer.6

If peeling started after a treatment

If the cause is unclear, arrange an assessment and bring the names and doses of medicines, vitamins and supplements you take. Chemical peels should only be bought and used under a licensed, trained provider's supervision because some home peels cause serious injuries.17

When should you get medical help?

• Contact a healthcare professional for unexplained peeling, failed home treatment, pus, increasing tenderness or swelling, fever or chills.
• Get urgent help for sunburn with blisters or swelling, dizziness, sickness, a very high temperature, headache or muscle cramps. Babies and young children with sunburn need urgent assessment.
• Seek emergency care for chemical or electrical burns, white or blackened burned skin, a large burn, or uncertainty about its severity. Do not disturb blistered or dead skin.
• If you have diabetes and peeling feet or wounds that are not healing, arrange a foot assessment.