Peeling skin after eating crabs???

[aprilcait]

It wouldn''t be summer if I didn''t enjoy at least one blue crab feast. Yum! The problem is that every time I eat crabs, about a week after the feast, the skin on my finger tips/pads (index fingers, middle fingers, and thumbs) begin to peel. The day after I eat crabs those three fingers feel sore, but that''s pretty common seeing as you''re dealing with crab shells and doing a lot of work with your hands. However, I''m not sure why the peeling happens. Is it because of the Old Bay? Is it the calluses sloughing off? Is it some sort of allergy?

Have any of you had this happen? Besides not eating crabs, is there a way to avoid this happening?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Well, that sounds serious enough not to eat crabs. Quick question: how does your tongue feel after eating them? Is it swollen or sore? I guess if you''re not having internal upset and must have at least one fix of your blue crab, maybe wear latex gloves while peeling the crabs or having a friend peel them for you.

 

[cammy85]

I''ve never had my skin peel from it. I know I have little cuts on my fingers from the claws and the shells, but I''ve never had actual peeling. Hopefully you can figure out what''s happening and prevent it in the future - though I totally get why it wouldn''t deter you from having crabs! So tasty!

 

[aprilcait]

I feel fine after I eat crabs, other than being bloated the next day, but I find most people are a touch poofy after eating crabs.

I''ve been tested for food allergies before and the only thing that ever showed up was raw potato (not cooked potato, just raw)... go figure! So I assume that means I''m not allergic to crabs, but maybe my skin has issues with them or the seasoning????

My fingers don''t hurt when they peel. It''s just an annoyance... a very puzzling annoyance.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Did you have the skin prick or blood drawn type? Some allergic reactions are immediate and some are delayed (say the following day you feel sick). If you never ever eat certain foods, when you take an allergy test, they can turn up false negative. Also, it seems highly unlikely that you''d be allergic to raw potato but not cooked - only more showing that tests aren''t always accurate. (For example, I took a blood allergy test that showed I am not allergic to buckwheat, but when I eat it, it makes my skin itchy! Also, showed a false neg. for Quinoa but when I''ve tried it, my tongue hurts the next day. . .neither of those are foods I normally eat, probabaly why the test came back as negative.)

That said, as long as your tongue feels fine, I wouldn''t worry about it.

 

[aprilcait]

Date: 10/9/2009 3:13:43 PM
Author: MC
Did you have the skin prick or blood drawn type? Some allergic reactions are immediate and some are delayed (say the following day you feel sick). If you never ever eat certain foods, when you take an allergy test, they can turn up false negative. Also, it seems highly unlikely that you''d be allergic to raw potato but not cooked - only more showing that tests aren''t always accurate. (For example, I took a blood allergy test that showed I am not allergic to buckwheat, but when I eat it, it makes my skin itchy! Also, showed a false neg. for Quinoa but when I''ve tried it, my tongue hurts the next day. . .neither of those are foods I normally eat, probabaly why the test came back as negative.)

That said, as long as your tongue feels fine, I wouldn''t worry about it.

I had the prick test done. I''m not sure about the test''s accuracy, however I do know that I have an almost immediate reaction to raw potatoes (hives) but I havent noticed a reaction to cooked potatoes. Then again, maybe it''s just a different kind of reaction that slips by me (bloating or something). Thank goodness I don''t get hives after eating cooked potatoes though because I LOVE potatoes.

The nurse who conducted the test said that the molecular structure (or something like that) of the potato changes when it is cooked, so that''s why I react to raw potatoes but not to cooked potatoes. I haven''t really looked into it as it seemed to make sense to me at the time.

Maybe they didn''t test for crab?

 

[October2008bride]

Is it possible the crabs are too hot and you are actually burning your fingertips?

 

[iheartscience]

I love crabs and we always have at least one or two crab feasts every summer!

Anyways, I''ve never had the skin on my fingers peel from them, though, or heard from my family and friends it happened to them. I would imagine it''s the roughness of the crab shell and possibly the spicy seasoning that''s doing it. And since it''s delayed, it probably is just callouses peeling off.

That happened to me when I went on a painting rampage at my new house. I didn''t get blisters or anything but I had some sore spots on my palms and a week or so later they peeled a little. And this is semi-related and kind of gross, but I used to bleach my hair white-blonde, and about a week after I did it my scalp would peel off. So I bet it''s just callouses!

 

[bebe]

Date: 10/9/2009 10:09:23 AM
Author:aprilcait
It wouldn''t be summer if I didn''t enjoy at least one blue crab feast. Yum! The problem is that every time I eat crabs, about a week after the feast, the skin on my finger tips/pads (index fingers, middle fingers, and thumbs) begin to peel. The day after I eat crabs those three fingers feel sore, but that''s pretty common seeing as you''re dealing with crab shells and doing a lot of work with your hands. However, I''m not sure why the peeling happens. Is it because of the Old Bay? Is it the calluses sloughing off? Is it some sort of allergy?

Have any of you had this happen? Besides not eating crabs, is there a way to avoid this happening?

this exact thing happens to me when I peel and clean fresh raw shrimp. I have no problem eating them - just can''t clean them.
my finger pads too start to hurt, burn, turn red and then the skin peels.

I have no idea, but I suspect I developed an allergy to them. When I was pregnant many years ago, I cleaned and peeled 15 lbs of shrimp to freeze.
Ever since then, I can''t touch them raw. Maybe it''s the iodine in them.

 

[aprilcait]

October2008bride:Sure, that could be possible. The crabs are definteily toasty when the waitstaff plops them on the table.

thing2of2: The callous idea sounds quite likely. My fingers do feel calloused the day after eating crabs. Boy do I put my digits to work peeling those things. Yum!

Bebe: That''s interesting that you get it from peeling shrimp. I wonder if that''s what my issue is.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I have a similar reaction to shellfish, but it''s with my mouth, not my hands. It''s only when I eat things that have had the shell incorporated into the cooking process, like bisque. My lips and the roof of my mouth swell and develop a rash and then when it subsides the skin sloughs off. It''s strange because I can eat lobster, shrimp and crab meat with no issues, but if the shell is used in cooking I have an issue. I''m also allergic to the red dye used in benadryl and other drugs. I suspect it''s derived from the natural red color in shellfish.