Intentional skin sloughing usually occurs as a result of cosmetic exfoliation, however, skin sloughing can also be the result of a medical condition or disease.
Skin conditions Common, nonthreatening skin conditions can cause sloughing.
Dry skin Dry skin can medically be considered
xeroderma. Although many forms of xeroderma exist, an individual need not be diagnosed with a disease to experience skin sloughing from dry skin. Dry skin can be a result of genetics. Harsh environments can lead to dry skin. These include exposure to excessively hot or cold temperatures and lack of humidity in the air.
Hyperhidrosis Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, can result in the peeling or sloughing of skin.
Sunburns Sunburns transmit UVB to keratinocytes which causes them to undergo apoptosis. UVB radiation is dangerous as it can lead to DNA damage as well as damage of tumor-suppressor pro-apoptotic signaling pathways. The formation of sunburn cells is in response to the damage done by UVB exposure. Sunburned cells are those which have initiated apoptosis. The
programmed cell death prevents the activity of damaged DNA or pathways that could otherwise lead to cancer. In the process, however, keratinocytes are killed. If the keratinocytes that apoptose are in the lowest layer of the skin, this can be an issue. Typically, however, keratinocytes in higher layers are able to slough away normally. The skin peeling that occurs as sunburns heal is due to this process.
Infections Fungal infections that lead to this condition include
ringworm,
athlete's foot, and
jock itch. Most fungal infections related to skin sloughing are caused by
dermatophytes. Because this type of fungi require keratin to grow, they target the epidermis. The more superficial layers of the dermis often serve as a protective barrier against these fungi because they are dry and typically dead. If fungi are able to infect, however, it can cause inflammation in the skin and patches similar to psoriasis.
Bacterial infections include
toxic shock syndrome,
staph infection, and
scarlet fever.
Diseases Dermatitis Dermatitis, or skin inflammation, involves skin peeling.
Atopic dermatitis (or eczema) is the most common inflammatory skin disease. Skin may slough in a peeling fashion.
Contact dermatitis arises from contact with a skin irritant. The ensuing irritation can cause sores and skin sloughing. and
Seborrheic dermatitis which is associated with skin shedding through dandruff.
Psoriasis Psoriasis is the proliferation of keratinocytes. There are several factors that can contribute to the development of psoriasis. A prevalent mechanism of disease expression involves the malfunction and dysregulation of
Receptor tyrosine kinase, whose abnormal hyper-activity activates other cell signaling pathways and eventually
MAP kinase. This increases
transcription and results in
cell proliferation. Generally, psoriasis affects innate and adaptive immune system cells. Cells that are impacted in psoriasis include dendritic cells, T lymphocytes, and keratinocytes. Depending on the stage of the disease, the impacts may be larger on different cell types. The proliferation of epidermal cells is associated with an increase in skin sloughing.
Lymphoma Cutaneous T cell lymphoma and
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may include skin sloughing as a side effect. Cutaneous T cell lymphoma is a varying category of cancers in the lymph system. The effects of these lymphomas on the skin typically progress with the disease. It is most common to experience patches or plaques on the skin. The initial sloughing of the skin in this lymphoma can be confused for nonthreatening inflammatory conditions due to the lack of cancer cells in the affected areas.
Stevens Johnson Syndrome Also known as
toxic epidermal necrolysis,
Stevens Johnson Syndrome causes entire sheets of skin to be lost.
Apoptosis of associated cells in the epidermis initiates the process. == Treatment ==