Skin problems

[Carebear92]

Hey!

Since being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, the skin on my hands and feet have been through episodes of peeling. My feet are just vile at the moment, the skin on my toes is peeling and I can’t get on top of it! Filing is making it worse but I just want to get it sorted. Has anyone had this and got any tips for me?

Thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Getting thyroid levels stable and gluten free diet likely to help

[Carebear92 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you. Only just started carbimazole 2 weeks ago and being tested for coeliac next month

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Carebear92]

You need to eat high levels gluten up until test

Approx 5% autoimmune thyroid patients are coeliac, but further 80% find gluten free diet helps or is essential

[Carebear92 in reply to SlowDragon]

Challenge accepted 😂 Yeah they don’t think mine is autoimmune but I’ve been recommended to be gluten free by multiple people for a while, just want to rule out coeliac as my mum has it

[asiatic]

Dry/peeling/itchy skin problems seem to be common in both hypo and hyper. My routine is using a mild steroid cream during a bad flare. To try and avoid a flare I moisturize, moisturize and moisturize using Dermol 500 lotion to cleanse and Epaderm cream to moisturize. Both are on prescription from GP. I also buy and like La Roche Posay from Boots which has colloidal oatmeal.

[Carebear92 in reply to asiatic]

Ahh thank you. I have betnovate cream which helps with a form of eczema I’ve had on my hands before. I’ll look into colloidal oatmeal, thank you

[PurpleNails Administrator]

One of our members with extremely high levels Graves gets peeling feet when FT4 is low (even if FT3 still high) What are your recent levels?

What is the cause of your hyper?

I used betnovate for a prolonged time as a child (having very bad eczema). It can thin your skin long term - so you need to be careful.

colloidal oatmeal is very good. (Raw oats, tied in in old tights & run under warm water - turn the water milky & makes for soothing soak & calm skin if itchy)

For overnight I like a balm or waxy like - rich body butter & use plenty with cotton socks.

[Carebear92 in reply to PurpleNails]

Thank you for this. I’m not sure of the cause yet. My autoantibodies were normal and speaking to endo on Thursday. Last bloods were free T4 - 67 (8.2-14.4) but didn’t have T3 results. I’ve recently started carbimazole 40mg. Will try the oatmeal soak I think and I have some moisture socks and gloves I will try out with a foot butter.

[PurpleNails Administrator in reply to Carebear92]

Which antibodies were normal?

There are 4 main types which are tested:

TPOab (Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies) elevated with Hashimoto’s & also present with Graves

TGab (Thyroglobulin antibodies) - common with Hashimoto’s & also often present Graves

Thyroid-Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) - more associated in Graves

TRab) TSH receptor antibodies - (measures stimulating, neural & blocking antibodies) more associated with Graves

Often NHS only test TPO as an indicator of autoimmune and if these are negative do not test TGab. If hyper graves is suspected Trab or TSI should be tested to confirm.

Carbimazole works but by altering the way the body can use iodine to produce new hormone. If your levels are not confirmed as continuously hyper & levels naturally drop it could be wrong treatment.

I have hyper without autoimmune. It’s a large hot or “toxic” nodule autonomously hyper functioning. My levels took many years of gradually rising. My FT4 was never very high and FT3 not quite double by time diagnosed & fortunately it is currently kept under control on 10mg 4x week alternating with 5mg 3x week, I initially started on 20mg per day.

It’s possible you have a very hyper nodule or multi nodules as you seem to have very high FT4 and it’s been high for a while?

I had a ultrasound scan to detect nodule and an uptake scan to examine the function confirming the uptake was focused in the nodule.

When Drs investigate you may have similar tests

Have you previously had thyroid issues? With low levels or have your levels been normal until becoming high.

[Carebear92 in reply to PurpleNails]

Wow. This is amazing information. Thank you. Looking at my records, I had TPOab and the endocrinologist requested TRAB but my GP said “antibodies have already been checked” so that’s incorrect from the GP. Will get that sorted, thank you.

I had my thyroid tested in October and results were normal. I was diagnosed by a rheumatologist as having ME/CFS but I now know I did not have thorough testing for other things (eg coeliac) so I think that’s incorrect too. My thyroid was then found to be significantly overactive in May but obviously, I now don’t know what was happening between October and May.

I have had a few different things going on and I’ve decided to speak to a naturopath alongside NHS treatment to try and make sense of it all. NHS only want to treat things in isolation but I think things could be more linked than they’re willing/able to investigate.

FT4

[Batty1]

Go to a dermatologist you could have developed a skin disease or it could be something your eating or your medications … peeling skin isn’t something you want to get worse it could make walking unbearable.