Exfoliative Keratolysis - Finger Tip Peeling after saltwater fishing: Any cure?

O’Keeffes +1

Been using that for a few years now

A bacterial thing seems less likely since that probably would take more time to develop

But if it is infectious an antiseptic is worth a try, and a good one you can mix up at home is diluted Dakins solution which saved a lot of limbs from being amputated in WWI

You can buy it premixed or make it yourself with straight bleach meaning the kind with no laundry additives. Only place I could find it was the hardware store. Commercial medical version is called DiDakSol but it’s around $20 for a small bottle

Home version which the dermatology team recommended was a mix 1-2 tsp bleach per gallon of water and store in a dark place or container that’s opaque

Put it on for 10 minutes twice a day then rinse it off

It works I speak from experience

It's just the seasonal molt for the northwestern species of fisherman

Forget who showed me, but they would loose a layer of skin after handing squid and thought they had an allergy?  The effect was pretty immediate, handle some squid wipe off some skin. 

Forget who showed me, but they would loose a layer of skin after handing squid and thought they had an allergy?  The effect was pretty immediate, handle some squid wipe off some skin. 

Worst peeling crud I got ..after handling Cabbies …slimy is an understatement 

I just saw this thread, but when I first started kayak fishing, I used to get out almost weekly and I recall developing that weird skin peeling for a while.  Doctor said not to worry and after several seasons, it just went away.  Hope you get to the bottom of this.

I just saw this thread, but when I first started kayak fishing, I used to get out almost weekly and I recall developing that weird skin peeling for a while.  Doctor said not to worry and after several seasons, it just went away.  Hope you get to the bottom of this.

Thank you for the information.
My problem disappeared after several seasons, but I thought it was due to using gloves.
I am learning new things from other NCKA members every week.

Paul

ok... old school piss on your hands in the shower 

dermatologists used to /can / still do prescribe concentrated urea in some form for certain skin conditions'

we would joke in sick bay when Marines and Sailors  came for sick call about athletes foot

besides the speech about foot care ..dry socks,  powder ...yadda yada ...piss on your feet .. tell them we`re joking and a wink 

bedsides  that`s what HMCM said must be true 

p.s.  can also give hydrogen peroxide  and or tea tree oil a shot too

Interesting to see that it happens to lots of people. I know it has happened to my fingers from fishing salt off and on, but haven't seen much of a pattern. I wear neoprene paddling gloves with just the ends of three fingers cut off, and I paddle my kayak.

I do feel like it doesn't happen as much as it used to but not positive. It's always mild and more like one layer of skin comes off on the end of my fingers, but it's not really sensitive afterwards.

I would guess it would be just from prolonged contact with salt water and general abrasion from fishing, but have no idea.

Doesn't happen with me in freshwater, but does in salt after a really heavy session. Even if I don't handle bait or don't touch fish that day. But the contact does make it worse. I usually do a round of dishes after handling fish guts (at the SO's request), as the smell and some of the contents of slime are hard to get off of the hand crevices. Dawn dish soap gets a lot of it but takes some work to fully get slime/salt out of hands. Good hand washing technique can go a long way.

Side note, the same kind of thing happened to me after working in hospitals and gelling in/out at every room. Alcohol based usually. If i forgot to regularly wash the dried gel off my hands every few hours the peeling would start. The usual remedy is a good moisturizing lotion. Oil based, not water based (like a cream). After I stopped working there, the issues stopped.

My theory: constant drying and reapplication of salt or other substances that exert osmotic pressure (like gels) desiccate skin, and combined with pruning action of skin in water, can lead to tissue damage. Just a theory, don't quote me.

Thought I was the only one!
As a kid I had this SO bad after touching squid.

So ever since I’ve been “that person” and ask someone to bait my hook when using squid. (If I’m not wearing gloves lol)

Funny thing is I eat (and love) calamari so if it’s a formal allergy, perhaps cooking degrades whatever compound I react to?
Would seem odd that the stomach can handle what the skin can’t…