Any help for skin that gets sticky when it gets wet?

I think its crazy how doctors have no idea why our skin feels this way. It's so depressing I used have the prettiest skin and now its constantly oily and sticky and once i sweat a little it just sits there looking disgusting.

I HAVE THE SAME THING, and doctors just shrug their shoulders. My dermatologist would not do a skin biopsy either. At the same time, I have SEVERE muscle and joint pain, and neuropathy.  I have had a zillion tests, but the only diagnosis is fibromyalgia, with "something else neurological".  (I also have other symptoms)  I only sweat from my head...excessively.  My hair doesn't grow in my armpits.  I don't even need deodorant, but I put it on to keep my armpits from sticking together.  My eyelids also stick together. I keep thinking this is all related.

omg i have been dealing with the same thing for almost two years. i wouldnt bother me so much but its on my face and moisturizers makeup etc. just sit on top of my skin now and look terrible. all the cleansers ive used always seem like they leave a sticky film my skin until it dries and i cant feel it anymore. my skin always feels sticky/tacky/waxy when wet and it. is becoming unbearable. Pretty much my last two years of highschool werent nearly as fun as they should of been because i was insecure about my skin constantly. Ive been to about 4 derms and none of them have any idea what im talking about and i just dont know what to do. If anyone finds a cure post it pleeeease :(

I have these symtomes of sticky skin too.
Sticky when moist from water or sweat until completely dry, a waxy or rubber-like texture to the skin, and the feeling of a glue-residue on it.
It does not wash off with anything.
The first time I got these symtomes was nine years ago, after removing an old sticker with my hands under hot water..
The sticker acted really strange and instead of being washed away it kind of melted and smeared all over my hands.
First I got sticky on the hands, then it spread every time I showered or put lotion on over the entire body and in a few days some other family members also got sticky all over the skin, and even in the mouth.
Lotion would not absorb as normal, just as Twig describes.
For me these symtoms of sticky skin was persistent for about two years, causing hiddeous sideeffects such as wounds under armpits etc. due to the increased friction the sticky skin caused... towels and clothing would attach to the skin. eyelids would stick together.
Along with many other symtomes such as massive sweating It caused severe excema on me, and irritation in the mouth, nose and throat leading to infections all the time... but the other family members only got the sticky skin.
We did not recieve any help, since this was something the dermatologists had not heard of before and therefore, sadly showed no interest in.

This past year I´ve got it again, mainly on my hands.
One episode lasted about five or six weeks then resolved itself, now I´ve had it again since december, 8 months.
I´ve also found information about the "sticky skin syndrome" and "aquired cutaneous adherence" on the web, but can´t get acces to the full reports, only summarys. Someone else who can? I have not taken any medications as descriebed in those reports.
We have no mold problem that we know of.
It seems as if my episodes start up after contact with different chemicals, this time after removing a plastic cast (containing isocyanates and polyurethane) that I had on a broken foot in december. (the foot is also sticky.)
Last spring I got sticky after having fallen asleep with a magazine printed with polystyrene paint in my hands over night.
I would really appreciate if someone could help investigate this fenomenom further!
Now I am trying again to get some help from dermatologists, a skin sample for example was my thought too...but no luck so far.
Thanks for any help!

Hello Twig and welcome to EmpowHer! I have to say, your post really caught my eye and fascinated me and I really hope we can help you get some answers.

I'm very glad that Alison B is getting some information from our experts. I am so sorry that you are having to deal with this and I can totally see where having sticky skin would really be concerning. I don't think I ever heard of this happening before. But there has to be a logical explanation for it, right? And once you figure out what it is, then hopefully you can get your skin back to the way it was before.

I did some research online and found out that you are not alone in dealing with this symptom. There is actually a condition called acquired cutaneous adherence syndrome that can cause your skin to feel sticky. If you Google it you'll find some very scholarly articles on the condition. Other information I found suggests that it can be caused by molds in the home. This came up several times in my online research. Do you possibly have a problem with mold, like maybe a possible water leak going on that you were just dealing with? It seems that mold spores flying around in the air and settling on your skin can cause this to happen. Since it seems to be especially noticeable when you are in areas of your home that have a shower and/or faucet, I got to thinking that maybe you have a mold issue in maybe your bathroom and it's causing the problem to occur.

I also agree that you should make an appointment with a doctor who can take a skin sample and figure out what is going on. Please keep us posted on what you find out and best of luck to you! Big hugs, Michelle

Hi. Thanks for getting back to me and for asking one of the experts. No, there are no other symptoms...no discoloration, rashes, pain, etc. Just stickiness whenever my skin gets wet. It is very strange.