Here's how to properly care for your cuticles
Proper care is essential for healthy cuticles. It is important to provide the skin with sufficient moisture so that it remains smooth and supple. It is usually enough to regularly treat your hands and feet with a moisturizing cream or lotion.
However, if you suffer from dry, cracked cuticles, you should treat yourself with a little more care. Pharmacies and drugstores offer special ointments and creams for hands and fingernails that you can purchase without a prescription. In addition to moisturizing ingredients, these products usually also contain calming components such as chamomile or almond oil. In addition, antiseptic ointments are available. They kill pathogens and thus prevent infections and inflammation.
Dip your hands in oil
High-quality oils also work well on sore cuticles. For example, a mixture of almond oil and a few drops of tea tree oil, which has a calming and slightly antiseptic effect, has proven itself. You can apply the oil mix directly to the affected skin and leave it on overnight. To do this, put on clean cotton gloves after application. In the morning wash off the remains of the oil mixture with warm water.
If you feel uncomfortable with pure oil on your skin, you can mix the oil mixture with a fragrance-free cream or petroleum jelly. An oil bath also works wonders for cracked skin around the nails. Simply add a few drops of high-quality oil to lukewarm water and bathe your hands or feet in it for five to ten minutes.
Push instead of cut
Excess cuticles and protruding bits of skin can be a nuisance. They are visually disturbing and you get stuck with them quickly, which can tear the skin and become inflamed. Therefore you should remove the excess skin. However, you should be careful not to damage the sensitive skin.
Please never cut the cuticle, as you can injure it very quickly with the sharp, pointed scissors. It is much better if you remove the cuticle in a gentle way. Home remedies include rounded rosewood sticks that you use to push back the cuticle. Before doing this, you should soften them with a cuticle remover available in pharmacies and drug stores. This makes the skin supple and gently loosens it from the nail plate so that it can then be pushed back easily.
In case of inflammation to the doctor
If you have inflamed, purulent cuticles, you should consult a dermatologist. The doctor will prescribe a special therapy for you. This usually includes regular soap baths and baths with disinfecting additives such as quinolinol or potassium permanganate. There are also antiseptic ointment dressings with polyvidone iodine or sodium bituminosulphonate. Immobilizing the affected finger or toe with a splint may also be indicated. In addition, antibiotics are used if necessary to heal the inflamed cuticle.