What to do when your skin peels

If you’ve ever had a moderate to severe sunburn, you know the feeling of having dry, flaky, peeling skin as it heals from the over-exposure to UV rays. However, there are many reasons why your skin may be peeling besides sun exposure, and if it’s happening without any obvious cause, it can be annoying and upsetting. Here’s what you need to know to help your skin heal and stop peeling as quickly as possible.

Why Does Skin Peel?

Skin typically peels as part of the healing process when it has been damaged or reacts against a topical substance. Sometimes, it’s an outward sign of an underlying condition, which is why if your skin peeling doesn’t resolve on its own, or presents itself with other changes to your health such as fever, vomiting, vision changes, or difficulty breathing, it may be best to get medical attention.

The leading causes of skin peeling include:

• Sunburns
• Irritation, chafing, or rubbing
• Chemical or thermal burns
• Strong acne treatments
• Chemical peels
• Eczema
• Contact dermatitis
• Viral infections (mono, measles)

Peeling skin can appear on its own or with other skin changes such as redness, pain, and inflammation.

How to Get Rid of Peeling Skin

Depending on the underlying condition that’s causing your peeling skin, you can try adjusting your skincare routine to help re-hydrate and heal your skin to help it stop peeling. However, when it’s caused by a health issue like those mentioned above, you should see a doctor to treat those causes medically before moving on to the symptom of peeling skin.

Here are steps you can take to help your skin heal after it’s started peeling.

Pat Skin Dry After Bathing

Rubbing vigorously may be your unconscious habit when drying off after a shower or bath, but this could be causing unnecessary abrasion and irritation that damages your skin, causing it to peel. It can also overly dry the skin out after being cleansed during bathing when you don’t apply lotion quickly after getting dry.

Stay Hydrated

The moisture in your skin doesn’t come out of thin air – it’s taken from your body, which is mostly water itself. Staying hydrated by drinking enough water each day is good for both your skin and overall health.

Apply Moisturizer

The most general solution to dry skin is to moisturize it with a quality, non-comedogenic moisturizer. People with sensitive skin can benefit even more with a high-quality moisturizer like our Soothe Dermal Repair Balm.

Use a Gentle Exfoliant Occasionally

When your skin is flaking and peeling, it can help to speed the process along with a gentle exfoliant as long as the skin is not also tender and irritated, like after a sunburn. However, take care to exfoliate a peeling area as gently as possible and don’t exfoliate every day. Usually a weekly exfoliation is all you need to get back your smooth texture as quickly as possible.

Add a Humidifier

Some areas of the country and certain homes are just drier than others, which can cause your skin to dehydrate and peel by default. Introduce moisture into your living spaces with a humidifier if you suspect the dry air is to blame for your peeling skin.

Protect Skin From the Sun

Important for not only preventing premature skin aging, sun exposure is the cause of many skin conditions, including peeling skin. The best practice for people looking to get smooth, beautiful skin is to always wear sunscreen when venturing outside, as regular unprotected exposure to harmful UV rays damages your skin cells whether you notice it in the moment or not.

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• You can't stop sunburn peeling, but you can help skin recover with aloe and soy-based moisturizers.
• Taking cold showers or anti-inflammatory pain medications can help relieve pain and discomfort.
• Do not exfoliate or peel away loose skin once it's started, as this can cause infection and inhibit healing.

Sunburns can cause redness, swelling, pain, and in more severe cases, peeling. 

Peeling skin is a sign that your body is healing itself, but it can be irritating, itchy, and unsightly while it's happening.

If your skin starts flaking after a particularly bad sunburn, the one thing you absolutely should not do is pick, peel, or scratch the peeling skin. 

"Do not pick peeling skin because it can make you more prone to infection," says Shari Lipner, MD, PhD, a dermatology professor at Weill Cornell Medicine. This is because pulling or scratching off peeling skin can expose unhealed skin underneath, which will not have the proper barrier to fend off potentially harmful bacteria.

So while your skin is peeling, it's best to allow your body to repair itself. Your skin will usually stop peeling on its own once the sunburn has healed, which takes about a week for mild to moderate burns.

In the name of finding relief, here are the five best ways to treat peeling skin, along with simple steps you can take to avoid getting sunburned altogether. 

1. Use a cold compress or take a cool shower

Applying a cold compress or taking a cool shower won't necessarily stop the peeling. However, if your sunburn feels especially warm, swollen, and uncomfortable, the cool temperatures may provide temporary relief.

But don't exfoliate — avoid using loofahs and scrub brushes when showering, as these can pull on or irritate peeling skin, Lipner says. 

You can also make cold compress at home by adding ice cubes to a sturdy plastic bag.

2. Apply aloe vera and a soy-based moisturizer

Using the right moisturizer may help speed up the healing process and reduce peeling. 

Joshua Zeichner, MD, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital, recommends using a product containing aloe vera gel, as aloe can help hydrate your skin and has anti-inflammatory compounds that can reduce swelling and promote healing. 

"It is rich in water and skin-soothing sugars that form a protective seal over the surface of the skin," Zeichner says. 

The American Academy of Dermatology also recommends soy-based moisturizers. Soy contains antioxidants like Vitamin E and isoflavones that help fight the free radicals caused by sun exposure. 

In particular, a 2008 lab study looking at the soy isoflavones genistein and daidzein found that they had a protective effect against UVB damage in human skin cells. Another 2008 study found that soy phytosterols — which are present in soybeans, soybean oil, and some soy-based cosmetics and moisturizers — helped the skin barrier repair itself more quickly than a control product.

Using moisturizers with ceramides can also offer ample hydration and aid in the skin barrier's recovery. If your skin is especially swollen, inflamed, or itchy, you can try a hydrocortisone cream as a spot treatment.

3. Try MediHoney

MediHoney is medical-grade honey that you can purchase over-the-counter at your local pharmacy. MediHoney is different from what you buy at your local grocery to drizzle on bread and biscuits. 

Honey's high sugar content makes it an effective antibacterial agent, which can prevent infection and promote healing. However, store-bought honey may contain various strains of bacteria that could potentially cause an infection. 

MediHoney is sterile and therefore the safest option. You can apply MediHoney directly to the burn or on a breathable wrapping like gauze. 

4. Take an anti-inflammatory medication

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication like aspirin or ibuprofen can help soothe the skin and relieve some of the pain from sunburn, Lipner says.

You can take over-the-counter pain medication orally or crush up tablets of aspirin or ibuprofen and mix them with some water to form a paste that you can then gently rub onto the sunburn. 

You can also purchase anti-inflammatory creams. However, similar to moisturizers, avoid petroleum or oil-based creams.

5. Soak in an oatmeal bath

Colloidal oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce swelling. A bath with oatmeal also helps the skin trap in moisture which helps with the healing process. 

Colloidal oatmeal is not the same as the oatmeal you eat for breakfast, however, you can use whole oats to make colloidal oatmeal. Stick some uncooked whole oats into a food processor or blender and reduce to a fine powder. 

Add about 1 cup to a luke-warm or cool bath and soak for 10-15 minutes.

What not to put on a peeling sunburn

There are some sunburn remedies touted in different corners of the internet that may only further skin damage, cause more discomfort, and prolong healing. 

You should avoid putting these substances on peeling skin: 

• Vinegar is too acidic for sunburned skin, and it could even make matters worse by causing a chemical burn.
• Coconut oil is too thick to penetrate skin, and it may trap heat on the skin's surface, causing more inflammation.
• Benzocaine or Lidocaine products should also be avoided, as they can irritate the skin or, in some cases, cause an allergic reaction.

Stop skin peeling by preventing sunburn in the first place

If you hate the sight and feel of dead skin flaking off your body in giant paper mache-like strips, there's good news. If you take preventative measures to avoid getting sunburn in the first place, then you'll never have to experience sunburn peeling again. 

One of the best things you can do is protect your skin by covering it up with a hat, long sleeves, pants, or close-toed shoes. Sunburn occurs when your skin is exposed to too much ultraviolet (UV) light. By covering up, you can prevent sunburn, or protect an existing sunburn from further damage that may increase the risk of extensive peeling.

If the skin damage is severe enough, this will lead to a process called programmed cell death, in which your body gets rid of cells that are damaged or unneeded. 

"This translates to dryness and peeling skin," says Zeichner, adding "once the skin is burned severely, it will shed, and there is no stopping it.

Here are some more tips to prevent sunburn:

1. Wear sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30, and make sure to check the expiration date.

2. Get out of the sun. Avoid the sun during peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Or make sure to spend plenty of time in the shade during that window.

3. Cover up. If you don't have any sunscreen, wear wide-brimmed hats, long sleeves, and pants.

4. Be vigilant. Stay protected even when you're indoors or driving, since you can still get a sunburn through windows.

Insider's takeaway 

A peeling sunburn often sets in around three days after the initial sun exposure and can last for several days.

If you are concerned that your burn is not healing or that you may have an infection, visit a doctor as soon as possible.

Once your skin has finished peeling, you need to be extra careful about sun protection, as peeled skin can be burned more easily for up to a few weeks.

Madeline Kennedy is a health writer for Insider covering a wide range of topics including reproductive and sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and infectious disease. Before joining Insider, Madeline worked as a health news writer for Reuters, and a domestic violence therapist. She has a master's degree in social work from UPenn and is interested in the intersection of health and social justice.

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