skin peeling from the fingers

i saw a post on here about a 3 year old having peeling of the skin on the fingers the dr posted that it maybe caused by finger sucking i have a 5 yr old who has the same thing that is not or has never been a finger sucker it is painfull for her and she complains about it alot it also started on the thumb but has moved to all fingers except the the left middle finger. it peels then gets raw and is red and irritated. it looks as though the skin is peeling in layers and how now reached the inner layers and is causing pain. any other options other than finger sucking? i have made her a dr appt but it is not for a week from now. would like to know if there is anything i can do to ease the pain before then.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
There can be many possibilities for such peeling of finger and the causes include contact dermatitis and contact with harsh detergents, soaps and lotions, dry skin, fungal infections and eczema. Use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin. During the day, hydrate and protect hands with a protective and moisturizing cream.

At night, repair them with creams formulated from glycolic acid—a must for improving skin texture and tone. If still the symptoms do not improve then please get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist. Fungal infections and eczema have to be ruled out then. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.