Health

Is there a product that would help with the swollen and irritated cuticles for my nail biter client?

June 18, 2008 | Bookmark +

I have a client who was an intense nail biter who has (thankfully) stopped her habit going on three weeks now. She is concerned that her cuticle area is still swollen and irritated. Will it just take time or is there a product out there that would help with the swollen and irritated cuticles?

Answer

The best thing your client can do is keep her hands and, in particular, the nails and cuticles, well-lubricated with a good hand cream. She should rub in the moisturizer every time she removes her hands from water, applying it after drying the hands. Keeping the nail lubricated will allow her to grow new cuticles that in time will return to normal.

Once things are back to normal, the tech should be careful with the cuticles, never dissolving them away with removers or cutting them. Gently push the cuticles back very little after softening the skin with a moisturizer. Push back only slightly because you want to have an intact rim of cuticle all around the base of the nail. Water or irritants won’t get into the skin under the proximal nail fold because the cuticle has “sealed” the nail fold. In time things should return to normal — probably two months or so. — Dr. Paul Kechijian is a dermatologist in private practice in Great Neck, N.Y.

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What’s the cause of the pinkish-red oval area on the pad of my client’s toes?

I have a client who has a recurring problem with her fourth toes during the winter months. Both of her “ring finger” toes develop a pinkish-red oval area on the pad. Then a month later, when I see her again, the skin has become dry and hard like a callus, with the layers of skin peeling away to reveal a deeper, dark epicenter.  It’s extremely painful for her and, needless to say, we do not touch it. But it clears up in the summer when she’s wearing open-toed sandals, so I suspect it has to be due to the boots she wears in the winter. Plus she never puts lotion on her feet or uses a foot file in between visits. What do you think causes this?

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What are the big white spots on my natural-nail client’s nails?

I have a client who has been with me for about two years. She used to wear acrylic nails but has been a natural nail client for eight months or so. She has these white spots on her nails — big spots that are dry, but not flaky, right in the middle of the nail. I did try to buff them lightly but they do not come off or grow off. I had a new client come in last week who had the same on her toenails. She said it started after she had a pedicure done at another salon. Can you help?

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