It is natural to use your hands while performing most of your day-to-day activities. From driving to typing on a keyboard and applying makeup to washing dishes, you have to use your hands to handle the tasks properly. This continuous exposure to external factors sometimes irritates the skin around your nails. Dry skin around your nails looks unsightly and even becomes painful at times. But don’t worry. There are ways to take care of your hands and prevent dry skin. Find out more about it now.
What Causes Dry Skin Around Nails?
Drying Elements
Whether you go to a rock climb or simply spend time at home cleaning all your dirty dishes, your hands will constantly be exposed to detergents, dirt, and nasty weather. These elements can always affect the cuticles, causing them to become dry over time. The situation becomes worse when you keep washing your hands repeatedly to get rid of germs. Due to this routine, you will eventually develop rough skin around your nails.
Polish Problems
Going for a beauty treatment to make your hands look beautiful may have a negative effect on the skin around your nails. The effects may not be visible immediately but the issues will certainly develop over time. Use a trimmer on the cuticles can increase your risk of developing a bacterial infection. Similarly, you may develop an infection while trying to push back the cuticles with the help of a stick. Using a nail polish remover can have negative effects as well, even when you use removers that contain vitamin E and other moisturizers.
Bad Habits
The condition of your nails and cuticles also indicates your overall health. It also shows how much nervous energy you have. Many people starting biting and picking at nails when they are nervous. This can damage the skin and lead to skin infections. Ripping off hangnails may also cause problems. Moreover, not paying attention to your diet and drinking less water throughout day can also cause dry skin and brittle nails.
Other Causes
You may also develop dry skin around nails due to some other common causes. For instance:
l Your skin will become dry when you have nail fungus. This makes your fingernails look yellow and dry.
Your skin will suffer when you use harsh soaps and sanitizers to protect yourself against harmful pathogens. Harsh soaps can rob your skin of moisture that keeps your skin from drying out.
Your skin around nails will become dry as you become older. This is the result of a change in the hormonal levels. You develop a thin, parched skin, which is less capable of locking in moisture.
Your skin may become dry and itchy if you have any underlying condition, such as atopic dermatitis, diabetes, psoriasis, and hypothyroidism.
Tips to Deal with the Dry Skin Around Nails
Moisturize Your Hands Often
You should moisturize your hands daily to help have smoother, hydrated skin. Keep in mind that problems like hangnails, breaks and rips are more likely to happen when your nails and cuticles are dry. Therefore, it is important to keep your hands moisturized to avoid these issues. Moisturize them multiple times a day in the dry, winter months.
Treat Vitamin Deficiency
A vitamin deficiency can also cause dry, rough skin around your nails. A simple solution is to take daily multivitamin tablets. You can talk to your doctor for assistance or simply ask your pharmacist to help you select the most appropriate dosage.
Install a Humidifier
You usually develop dry skin when you are not doing anything to keep your skin moist. Along with applying a moisturizer, you will benefit a lot from installing a humidifier in your house. It raises moisture levels in your house and prevents drying of the skin. Be sure to set the humidity level at "45% to 55%" only, with the temperature setting at 68F.
Take Proper Care of Your Nails
Constant exposure to skin-drying elements causes serious issues over time. Getting regular manicures might help make things better. You can get specialized nail treatments to prevent dryness in the skin – this also helps ensure proper miniaturization for your cuticles and nails. Be sure to have at least one manicure session a month. If you are doing it yourself, be sure to use nail polish products that contain vitamin E and other moisturizers. Only use acetone-free nail polish removers to avoid damaging your skin.
Wear a Pair of Socks at Night
To deal with your dry skin around your toenails, simply apply Vaseline on your toenails and wear a pair of socks before you go to bed. Take off those socks in the morning. Be sure to wear wool or thick cotton socks for the best effects.
Make Use of Honey
Honey is effective because it helps draw moisture to the skin. With its powerful healing properties, it also repairs your skin and removes dry skin gently. It also proves beneficial against fungal infections. Simply add a teaspoon of raw organic honey to a tablespoon of warm water and make a paste. Apply it on your affected skin and use warm water to rinse it off after 15 minutes. Repeat twice a day for good results.
Use Olive Oil for Healthy Skin
With its powerful moisturizing properties, olive oil works great to fix dry skin around nails. It is equally beneficial for your cracked and peeling skin. Simply apply it directly on your dry skin several times a day to see positive effects.
Utilize Diluted Household Bleach
Diluted bleach solutions prove effective when you have nail fungus causing dryness. Dilute your regular household bleach with water and soak your affected nails in it for 10 minutes. Repeat for a few days for positive changes.
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