peeling,

my son is 4 years old and hes got skin peeling off him thumb and fingers hes had it about a week now its just appearerd between his big toe and round it but he wont stop biting the skin off his thumb and hes mecking it look really saw i remember he had the same about a year ago only on his thumb but i thought he was just biting it for the fun ov it but now its come back the same and on his toes this time i relise its some kind ov skin condition and another thing but not sure if it could be linked cause it seems daft but since the week hes had it hes been snoring in bed on a night like he sounds blocked up with a cold but he hasent got a cold and hes never snored and seems a little off his food but the snoring and been abit off food has only started since his skin has been peeling

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
This peeling of skin can be due to contact dermatitis or eczema. If there is any itching involved then fungal infections can also present in this manner.

You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. For mild-moderate symptoms a weak steroid may be used, whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid.

Symptoms can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin. Also consult a dermatologist and get it evaluated for fungal infections if the symptoms are severe.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.