# cause of peeling skin around fingernails (hangnails?)



## caedmyn (Jan 13, 2006)

My almost 3 year old has had peeling skin around her fingernails for at least a year. It's like hangnails I guess, but quite a bit worse. The skin below her nails, and sometimes on the side, too, will just peel back and I'm always having to cut it off. She doesn't have any obvious nutritional deficiencies and does take a multi-vitamin. I was told by a chiropractor that it was a B1 or B2 deficiency (can't remember which) but her multi has 3-4 times the RDA for B1 and B2 and several months of taking that hasn't made any difference. Any ideas on what could cause this?


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## MamaMonica (Sep 22, 2002)

My ND told me that ds needed more zinc when he had peeling skin on his fingers. I added a tiny amount of zinc daily (his multi didn't have what she recommended) and the peeling cleared up. So you might ask your chiro or other pracitioner if they think zinc might help. Too much can be toxic, so you'd want to ask how much before you started giving it.


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## delly (Oct 30, 2007)

Are you talking about the skin at the base of the nails cracking/peeling/getting sore? Because I've had that all my life with NO idea why. I just assumed it was dry skin, but no one else seems to have the problem... interesting to read the responses here.


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## Sileree (Aug 15, 2006)

I know when I am defecient in vitamin B I get them. When I take my supplement regularly they go away.


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