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

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A young mum whose nails started 'shedding' like a snake's skin one morning has finally found out why.

The mum shared photos of her fingers which showed unusual peeling nails on both hands and said she was unsure if she needed to go to the doctor.

She said five of her ten nails appeared to be flaking off and wondered if it was because she had 'used nail varnish for the first time in a long time'.

'It is a band I often use and my toenails aren't affected. I do keep picking the peeling bits which I know is probably not wise,' she said.

Her post sparked interest in a Facebook group, with several mums asking if she'd recently recovered from Hand Foot and Mouth.

A young mum whose nails started 'shedding' like a snake's skin one morning has finally found out why

She had suffered the condition back in April.

'This happened to my daughter after she had Hand Foot and Mouth. They shed a couple of times and have been fine ever since,' one mum said.

Others agreed it was their 'first thought' as they had experienced the same thing.

'It is the Hand Foot Mouth aftermath - happened to my son a good month after he had it,' agreed another.

Another said her doctors thought her son had a 'mild case of chicken pox' until weeks later when his nails peeled then they said it must have been Hand Foot  and Mouth.

Peeling nails is a late-onset symptom of Hand Foot and Mouth disease

The woman appeared relieved by the response - after being concerned her doctor told her there was 'nothing to worry about' - though some people had different opinions.

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'I had this each time I was pregnant,' one woman said.

'My son had it after he had Scarlet Fever at three,' said another.

A third demanded the woman go see the doctor: 'Do not listen to these people and their theories - advocate for yourself!'

'Your doctor should have done a blood test, get a second opinion,' said a former nail technician.

Another woman said her sister's nails peeled when she had cancer treatment.

According to the UK's National Institute of Health nail damage or Onychomadesis is a late complication that occurs four to six weeks after the illness onset.

'It is usually self-limited and requires no treatment. Nail abnormalities range from leukonychia and Beau lines to partial or complete nail shedding.'

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 begin as small red dots which later become ulcers. Blisters then appear inside 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 it as the virus is spread from the faeces of an infected person to the mouth of the next person by contaminated hands.