Woman warned of the sinister reason behind her bizarre ‘peeling’ nails: ‘Few people know about this’

A young mother whose nails started shedding like a snake’s skin one morning has finally discovered why.

The mother shared photos of her fingers showing unusual peeling nails on both hands and said she wasn’t sure if she should go to the doctor.

She said five of her ten nails seemed to be flaking off and wondered if this was because she had “used nail polish for the first time in a long time.”

‘It is a strap that I use often and it does not bother my toenails. “I keep peeling away the pieces that I know is probably not wise,” she said.

Her post sparked interest in a Facebook group, with several mothers asking if she had recently recovered from hand, foot and mouth disease.

She suffered from the condition in April.

‘This happened to my daughter after she had hand, foot and mouth disease. They shed a few times and have been fine ever since,” said one mother.

Others agreed that this was their ‘first thought’ as they had experienced the same thing.

“It’s the aftermath of Hand-Foot-Mouth, which happened to my son over a month after he got it,” another agreed.

Another said her doctors thought her son had a “mild case of chickenpox” until weeks later, when his nails peeled off, and said it must be hand-foot-foot-mouth disease.

Peeling of nails is a late-onset symptom of hand, foot and mouth disease

The woman seemed relieved by the response – after raising concerns, her doctor told her there was ‘nothing to worry about’ – although some people had a different opinion.

“I had this every time I was pregnant,” one woman said.

“My son got it after he got scarlet fever at the age of three,” said another.

A third demanded the woman go to the doctor: ‘Don’t listen to these people and their theories – stand up for yourself!’

“Your doctor should have done a blood test and gotten a second opinion,” said a former nail technician.

Another woman said her sister’s nails peeled off while she was having cancer treatment.

According to the British National Institute of Health, nail damage or onychomadesis is a late complication that occurs four to six weeks after the onset of the disease.

‘It is usually self-limiting and requires no treatment. Nail abnormalities range from leukonychia and Beau lines to partial or complete nail loss.’

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common but highly contagious infection. It mainly occurs in children under 10 years of age, but can also occur in older children and adults.

According to New South Wales, it starts with blisters that start as small red dots that later become ulcers. Blisters then appear in the cheeks, gums and on the sides of the tongue, as well as on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

Good hygiene is the best protection against this, as the virus is spread from contaminated hands through the feces of an infected person to the mouth of the next person.