Your skin is regularly exposed to environmental elements that can irritate and damage it. These include sun, wind, heat, dryness and high humidity. Repeated irritation can lead to skin peeling. In babies born past their due date, it's not unusual for them to experience some painless skin peeling.
Skin peeling can also result from a disease or condition, which may start someplace other than your skin. This type of skin peeling is often accompanied by itching. Conditions that may cause skin peeling include:
- Allergic reactions
- Infections, including some types of staph and fungal infections
- Immune system disorders
- Cancer and cancer treatment
- Genetic disease, including a rare skin disorder called acral peeling skin syndrome that causes painless peeling of the top layer of skin
Specific diseases and conditions that can cause peeling skin include:
Athlete's foot
Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
Contact dermatitis
Dry skin
Jock itch
Kawasaki disease
Medication side effects
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Pemphigus
Psoriasis
Ringworm (body)
Ringworm (scalp)
Seborrheic dermatitis
Stevens-Johnson syndrome
Sunburn
Toxic shock syndrome- Athlete's foot
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
- Contact dermatitis
- Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
- Dry skin
- Hyperhidrosis
- Jock itch
- Kawasaki disease
- Medication side effects
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Pemphigus
- Psoriasis
- Ringworm (body)
- Ringworm (scalp)
- Scarlet fever
- Seborrheic dermatitis
- Staph infections
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- Sunburn
- Toxic shock syndrome
Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.
June 21, 2022
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