Dry skin of the feet and cracks in a child

Types of reasons

The dermis is a reliable barrier against all negative environmental factors. Therefore, when problems with peeling, excessive dryness, or the skin begins to peel off, it is important to understand the causes of unpleasant symptoms.

There are common causes of skin separation:

Tight and uncomfortable shoes make it difficult for oxygen to reach your feet.
Hormonal disorders.
Lack of vitamins and metabolic disorders.
Severe stress or prolonged emotional stress.
Taking steroid hormonal drugs.
Pathologies of the liver and kidneys.
Insufficient skin hydration.
Fungal diseases.
Frostbite or burn.
Diabetes.
Types of skin diseases: eczema, psoriasis, allergic reactions.

Important . Among all the causes, the fungus occupies a “place of honor” in terms of prevalence. It is easy to recognize by the accompanying symptoms: itching, unpleasant odor, brittleness of the nail plate and change in its color.

Why does my child peel and peel?

Small people also have foot problems. The child’s immunity develops gradually, so it reacts extremely sharply to changes and influences from external factors.

The following can cause the skin on a child’s feet to peel off:

development of dermatitis;
allergies to synthetic materials or skin care products;
the presence of worms;
a large amount of stress and emotional overload;
avitaminosis;
fungus;
dysbacteriosis;
insufficient child hygiene.

Most often, children do not require specific treatment . It is enough to normalize nutrition, take complex vitamins and minerals, and also monitor the child’s hygiene.

For high-quality hydration, you should choose products based on lactic acid. As home prevention, it is recommended to lubricate the child’s feet with aloe juice, liquid form of vitamin A oil and sea buckthorn oil.

If it comes off during pregnancy

The period of bearing a child provokes a number of hormonal changes in a woman and the skin on her feet begins to peel and peel.
This causes pain and severe discomfort. The list of approved drugs is limited, so you should consult your doctor on this issue. Salicylic ointment and retinol-based products are considered suitable.

Important . The use of creams with vitamin A or its oil form is strictly prohibited. This can cause fetal pathologies.

The influence of nutrition and gastrointestinal tract function

Often a child's skin peels off on his feet and legs due to an unbalanced diet and lack of vitamins A and E. This is the most common and relatively safe reason. Vitamins A and E are involved in the regeneration of the skin. Their deficiency is usually observed in winter and spring. Peeling of the feet is also accompanied by brittle nails and hair loss.

If the reason is a vitamin deficiency, add more fruits, red, yellow, orange vegetables, nuts, and vegetable oils to the child’s diet. Make sure your diet is complete and includes all the necessary vitamins and minerals, especially during the cold season. In severe cases, if nutritional correction does not help, the pediatrician will prescribe a vitamin and mineral complex. Vitamins can be used topically in the form of creams or oil solutions enriched with them.

For the high-quality absorption of vitamins and other useful substances, the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is important. If a child's feet are peeling, the reason may be an imbalance in the intestinal microflora caused by antibiotics or other factors, or infection with worms. Vitamin deficiency is also caused by diseases of the pancreas. Insufficient production of enzymes leads to the body not receiving enough vitamins, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

What to do if it cracks and peels off?

To improve the condition of the feet, you must first identify the provoking factor and eliminate it.
Without understanding the cause of the pathology, any treatment will not bring the desired result. Therefore, the main task of the patient is to see a doctor for a visual examination, passing the necessary tests and examinations.

The choice of medications and therapy methods is determined by the condition of the skin and the reasons that caused the problems.

Medicines

If the doctor identifies diseases, then medications are prescribed that can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Antifungal agents . Treatment begins with the help of local remedies, and in the case of advanced stages of the disease, tablets are prescribed for oral administration. Lamisil and Nystatin are considered the most effective.
Local anti-inflammatory drugs help combat pain and skin irritation, which lead to peeling and separation of the epidermis. The most popular products are Bepanten, zinc and sulfur ointments, Fundizol. In severe cases, the doctor prescribes ointments that contain corticosteroids.
Antihistamines are prescribed to treat severe itching and allergies. In such cases, the medications “Fenistil” and “Zodak” help.

Folk remedies

Foot masks prepared at home can be used to additionally nourish and moisturize the skin, eliminate itching and normalize the skin. They do not cure the problem, but simply alleviate the condition.

To select the right prescription, you should consult a doctor and determine the provoking factor of the pathology.

Important . Before using masks, it is necessary to prepare your feet and carry out hygiene procedures. After applying the products, you should wear cotton socks.

Masks:

A potassium permanganate bath will help relieve the condition. The solution should be dark in color. Keep your feet in the bath for 20–30 minutes. This method disinfects the skin and helps get rid of itching and flaking.
Mix any fatty foot cream or refined coconut oil with a strong chamomile decoction in equal quantities. At the same time, prepare the second mixture: mix starch with water until it becomes thick sour cream. Both solutions must be mixed and spread on the feet. For convenience, it is better to wrap your feet with film, put on socks and not move for 30 minutes. After the time has passed, you need to wash off the mask from your feet and wipe them dry.
You need to thoroughly mix two yolks with a tablespoon of sunflower oil and apply the mixture to clean feet. The compress should be wrapped in a plastic bag and put on socks. After 60 minutes, remove the remaining mixture. The procedure can be repeated daily until the desired result is achieved.
Mix the fat cream with beet or carrot juice. Apply to areas of peeling and separation of the skin for 40 minutes. Rinse and dry your feet.

Cosmetic procedures

If the doctor has not identified infectious diseases, and the skin on the feet is peeling, it makes sense to try salon services. Professional treatment will bring quick and long-term results .

First of all, the specialist will perform peeling in order to eliminate the stratum corneum of the skin. Paraffin therapy and chemical masks for increasing the level of moisture in the dermis have proven themselves in the treatment of such problems.

With the help of massage, you can improve blood microcirculation and saturate the skin with oxygen.

Treatment

If a child has peeling skin between his toes, the first thing parents should do is protect the baby from all kinds of irritants, sometimes this is enough to stop the pathological process on the feet. It is important to choose the right shoes; they should be made of natural materials and allow air to pass through well. It is also necessary to wash children's socks and tights in special powders that do not contain aggressive components.

If, due to a lack of vitamins, the fingers peel off, parents should reconsider their baby’s diet and supplement it with foods with increased amounts of vitamins C, A and E. When the soles of children peel off, it is recommended to carry out immune-strengthening therapy using products such as Pikovit, Duovit, Multitabs, Kinder Biovital etc. This will enhance the protective properties and accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissues.

If a child’s feet are peeling due to a fungal infection, medications for external use are prescribed - Lamisil, Clotrimazole, Exoderil and Thymogen. The duration of treatment and dosage should be agreed with the doctor; it is prohibited to independently prescribe the above medications to a child. A bacterial infection, in which the skin on the soles of the feet peels off and cracks between the toes, is eliminated with Tetracycline ointment, Streptomycin and Bactroban.

When worms, lamblia or other parasites multiply in a small body, parents may notice peeling on the legs, loss of appetite and fever. “New neighbors” are eliminated with the help of anthelmintic medications, which are selected depending on the type of parasite in the intestines. After the provocateur is eliminated, the skin on the feet will stop peeling, and the cracks will quickly heal.

Keratoderma and psoriasis cannot be treated; to alleviate the condition, you need to consult a dermatologist, the doctor will select medications for the child that he will subsequently use during exacerbation of the disease throughout his life.

ethnoscience

If your child has peeling skin on his toes, you can eliminate cracks at home using available products and medicinal herbs. Best of all, foot baths with chamomile, string and marigold have proven themselves. Plants can be combined with each other or used separately. The dry mixture is poured with boiling water and left for 20 minutes; when the water temperature is 20 degrees, add 1 tbsp. spoon of soda and place the child’s feet in the liquid. Leave for 20 minutes and wipe dry with a towel. Such baths relieve inflammation, soften the skin and accelerate the healing of cracks. Potato gruel, which is applied as a compress to the peeling area, also helps a lot. Potatoes contain starch, which perfectly disinfects the skin and kills fungal and bacterial microorganisms that are present on its surface.

If the child has peeling skin on his toes and there are deep cracks, then at night for the child, you can make a compress of glycerin and aloe pulp. To make the product stick better, wrap the leg with plastic wrap and put on a sock. In the morning, wash the skin thoroughly and repeat the procedure throughout the week.

Many herbalists recommend that if the skin peels off a child’s toes, treat it with essential oils of apricot, sage and sea buckthorn; they have antiseptic, antibacterial and wound-healing properties. Before use, it is very important to remember whether your child is allergic to a particular plant. Even strong odors, which often come from essential oils, can cause skin rashes.

Drop a small amount of oil on the child’s wrist or forearm; if the application area turns red, an allergy will be noted; if there are no traces, then you can safely use essential oils in therapy. They are used to wipe the peeling area of a child’s feet and make lotions.

Whichever therapy option you choose, remember that it is strictly forbidden to let the situation take its course. Peeling on the legs can be characterized by damage to internal organs, so you should consult a doctor if the available remedies have not produced results within a week, and local antiseptics only aggravate the situation.

Prevention

To improve the condition of your feet and prevent problems from arising, you must follow some rules:

Use a pumice stone once a week and gently remove dead cells from your feet.
Dry your feet thoroughly after a bath or shower.
Take baths daily.
Before using ointments or creams, treat areas of peeling or separation of the skin with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine.

A child's skin should be treated only with products that are appropriate for his age.

Useful tips

For foot baths to be beneficial, you must use warm, not hot, water. Herbal decoctions, sea salt, and lemon juice are suitable as additional helpers.
Foot cream should be applied to the feet daily with massage movements. If your feet become sweaty, you should change your socks twice a day and regularly use anti-hyperhidrosis products.
It is necessary to maintain a water regime and drink a sufficient amount of clean water.
Regular intake of vitamin complexes.
Including foods containing vitamins E and A in the diet.
Shoes must be of high quality.
Sports and physical activity increase body tone and improve the immune system.
If the skin is already peeling off, women are not recommended to wear heels or high wedges.

Peeling and separation of the skin on the legs is an unpleasant defect in both adults and children. Therefore, it is important to consult a dermatologist in a timely manner and understand the causes of the pathology. You should not prescribe treatment yourself if the provoking factor is unknown.

Following the rules of hygiene will help to avoid any problems with the skin, and it will always delight you with an even texture, dryness and softness.

Why do children's fingers peel?

The skin on a child’s legs peels off very often in the first few months, and this is considered normal. In this way, the epidermis adapts to the new environment. All parents need to do at this time is to provide proper care and constantly moisturize their feet. The main reason that the skin on the feet and between the toes bursts is a lack of moisture. Dry air in the room where the baby is and excessive use of detergents lead to rapid evaporation of moisture, skin cells die and fall off in the form of scales.

The simplest and most common cause of peeling skin on a child’s feet is the wrong shoe size. When your toes come into contact with shoes, friction increases. Movement of the limb when walking provokes peeling, inflammation and cracks.

The skin on the child’s toes peels due to a fungal infection, which can occur due to prolonged use of medications, poor hygiene, and also due to constant steaming of the feet. A child's skin is very sensitive, so fungal organisms multiply quickly. The source of infection with the fungus can be adults who delayed treatment and spread the infection among their relatives. You can recognize the fungus by its characteristic symptoms - the feet peel, cracks appear on the toes and there is an unpleasant odor that comes from the extremities, even after hygiene procedures.