Exfoliative Keratolysis

[Okie55]

I have suffered with Exfoliative Keratolysis on my hands and feet for 27 years now.
In fact it was only by going online recently that I finally learned the exact name of this condition. No doctor I saw ever put a name to it other than "It's some type of dematitis or exzema." As like many others, I went through all the standard treatments including topical steroids. The ONLY times it has completely cleared was when I would get a cortizone injection in my bad shoulder as well as the one time I was put on a Prednisone treatment for an eye infection. That's it. I live with it. But I would like to know if anyone has an idea as to what brings it on in the first place. Why, out of the blue, does it appear? I have no allergies nor exposures past or present to chemicals or the like. Any ideas? Any treatments that work?

Thanks!

[Andiegirl2]

What in the brand name?  Can you name the store?

[Andiegirl2]

My 16 year old son has been dealing with the peeling and cracking (which can bleed) fingertips and toes for three years now.  His is seasonal (starts in late spring/early summer till first frost.  We have been to derm doc after derm doc for over three years.  They have never mentioned exfoliative keratolysis.  Only after reading and some have said seasonal and just on first digits of hands did I feel like I hit pay dirt.  We are going to another derm doc that will talk to us about excimer laser.  Don't know if it will but at this point worth a try.    At this point we are praying for a miracle.

[hokejo]

I find it interesting that your problem subsided when you were pregnant- because mine began when I was pregnant! Maybe there is a hormonal component to this. I also get it in the summer months- and it is identical to what you describe. I don't know if it's related, but I have vasomotor rhinitis- basically that all things in the air irritate me but I don't test positive for being allergic to anything. Maybe we can get all of these pieces of this crazy puzzle put together~

[PeelyGuy108108]

Hi Brandigirrl
Thanks for your input, every little bit of info and experimental outcome helps.
I keep hoping to read this thread one day and someone will have the definitive cure, at least for the symptoms. I've just had the worst outbreak I've ever had, which is strange because the one previously was one of the lightest, and I was thinking perhaps all my efforts were paying off in slowing this EK nightmare down to a manageable level. Went to the Derm doc just to ask her opinion of Prednisone for times like this when I have to get this under control and she said "it doesn't help". Not that I take her word for gospel for sure, but I'd like to hear anyone else's experience with Prednisone ??
I have just started to see another Traditional Chinese Doc who only does Dermatology, so I will let everyone know if I have any luck.
Once again, Thanks everyone for the input.
Peelyguy108108  

[brandigirrl]

Thanks for your post. I enjoy finding others that believe that food is medicine!

[brandigirrl]

I have been experiencing this skin disorder for as long as I can remember. Like clockwork, every summer my hands (and sometimes feet) develop air filled bubbles that have a slight itch. After a couple days the bubbles spread due to skin flaking off (and my peeling at them..oops) this lasts until the weather changes to cooler temperatures. After the top layer of skin flakes off, the skin below becomes tuff, tender and numb and is often associated with cracking and bleeding in the folds.

I live in California so the weather is always nice but only the summer time is when I get EK. When I visited the Dermatologist as a child they summed my peeling hands and feet to a general eczema and prescribed me topical steroid ointments. I don't know if this helped or hindered, I continued to have the peeling of the hands and feet until the first few weeks of school began.

Here is something interesting: When I was 28 I became pregnant and I breastfed for 2.5 years and In that time I did not get the EK as bad, almost not at all. Hmmm... Wonder why?  

My friend is an Holistic Chinese Medicine Acupuncturist and he believes that it is heat trying to escape the body. He told be to eat foods that are cooling and to stay away from the ones that heat up the body. For instance

Cooling foods are:

Apple, banana, pear, persimmon, cantaloupe, watermelon, tomato, all citrus, lettuce, radish, cucumber, celery, button mushrooms, asparagus, Swiss chard, eggplant, spinach, summer squash, Chinese cabbage, bock choy, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, zucchini, soy milk, soy sprouts, tofu, tempeh, mung beans and their sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, millet, barley, wheat and its products, amaranth, kelp and all seaweed, spirulina, wild blue-green, oyster-shell calcium, wheat and barley grass, kudzu, yogurt, crab, clam.

Heating foods are:

Ginger root, black beans, aduki beans, lentils, cinnamon bark and twig, cloves, basil, rosemary, oats, spelt, quinoa, sunflower seed, sesame seed, walnuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, fennel, dill, anise, carraway, carob pod, cumin, sweet brown rice, parsnip, parsley, mustard greens, winter squash, cabbage, kale, onion, leek, chives, garlic, scallions, cherry, citrus deal, date, hot peppers, butter, and anchovy, mussel, trout, chicken, beef, lamb.

Worth trying...

I have heard of using Urea, a moisturizing and softening dry, cracked, calloused, rough, and hardened skin of feet, hands, cream.
I have used Vanos, which is a Steroid cream. It is basically just masking your symptoms which I believe are here to tell us something. When I  discontinue Vanos, my conditions worsened and I developed a candida outbreak. Candida is a yeast that lives in the body and is regulated by good bacteria, a steroid tells your body to ignore the Candida and because of this it gets out of control. Keep in mind that I used this on a patch of dry skin on my face and maybe the effect wont happen when only applied to hands and feet but beware to never touch face, if that is the case.

I am still looking into Prednisone and UV radiation and would be delighted by any and all information on the matter..

Keeping my hands moistened and not doing any outside work without gloves seems to help a little.

Sorry for my rant, this in my first attempt of putting my business out there.

Blessings to all!

~Brandi