How to Treat Peeling Skin on Face

The skin undergoes a lot of wear and tear daily as it is the most exposed organ of the body. The good thing is it is fully capable of repairing itself.

The skin has multiple layers, but it’s the outermost layer called the epidermis that faces the direct onslaught of irritants and injuries that cause cellular damage. The dead and damaged skin cells accumulate on the surface but are gradually sloughed off into the environment to be replaced by new cells that rise from underneath.

Skin regeneration is a slow process, which is why no one really notices it while it’s happening. It takes almost a month for the body to shed the entire epidermis and replace it with a freshly formed layer.

However, certain factors and conditions can accelerate this process to make your skin peel and flake out. This causes both physical discomfort and cosmetic distress, especially if it happens on your face. Facial skin is thinner than the skin of the body, makes it more prone to irritation and damage.

Causes and Symptoms

Some of the common culprits behind skin peeling are environmentally caused or natural skin dryness, inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, an adverse reaction to skin care products, certain medications, hypothyroidism, and allergies.

The affected areas become rough, dry, itchy, red, and tender to touch. Without proper care and treatment, the skin may even bleed or become infected.

Home Remedies for Mildly Peeling Skin

 Natural fats

Shea butter,  mango butter, milk or milk cream, cocoa butter, and avocado butter are natural fats that can work as hydrating and enriching skin moisturizers due to the linoleic and oleic fatty acids in them.

How to use:

• Dip a clean washcloth in cold, full cream milk, and then cover your face with it for about 10 minutes. Take off the cloth and wash your face with water.
• You can also directly apply shea butter, avocado butter, or milk cream on the peeling skin in place of your regular moisturizer.

 Honey

Honey is enriched with natural sugars called fructose and sucrose, which give honey its hydrating properties. Honey is also a humectant, which means it traps moisture from the air and seals it in your skin.

Not just that, honey is an antiseptic, which can help fight or prevent skin infection.  It is also an antioxidant, which can help protect the skin from sun-induced oxidative damage, which aggravates skin peeling.

How to use:

1. Gently massage raw organic honey all over your face.
2. Leave it on for 10 minutes before washing it off.

 Aloe vera gel

Aloe vera gel contains a compound called aloin, which is known to stimulate skin healing. It also contains mucopolysaccharides that deeply hydrate the skin to make it soft and supple.

How to use:

• Simply scoop out the gel from a freshly cut aloe leaf and gently massage it all over your face in gentle, upward, circular motions. Leave it on your skin for 15 minutes and then wash it off.
• You can also mix a hydrating oil such as vitamin E oil (break open vitamin E capsules) or coconut oil to the gel for added skin benefits.

 Oatmeal

Colloidal oatmeal is good for peeling skin in more ways than one. For starters, its moisturizing properties help reduce the dryness and tenderness.

It also works as a gentle cleanser and exfoliant, aiding in the removal of flaky skin without adding to the irritation. Plus, colloidal oatmeal is an antioxidant that protects sensitive skin from further free radical damage, curbs inflammation, and promotes healing.

All these properties together help alleviate dry and itchy skin and reduce sunburn-associated inflammation.

How to use:

• Combine 2 cups of warm water and 1 cup of rolled oats in a bowl. Let the oats soak for about 20 minutes so that they become soft. Then, apply the oatmeal to your face and let it sit for about 20 minutes before washing it off with warm water. This remedy loosens the dead skin flakes on the surface of your face so they are easier to remove. Gently massage a soft cloth over your face to shed the dry skin.
• You can also mix 2 tablespoons of ground oatmeal with ½–1 teaspoon of honey and a little water or milk to make a paste. Massage this mixture on your face using gentle circular motions of your fingertips. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then rinse it off with warm water.

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