Mostly women encounter the problem of cuticle inflammation, since they pay special attention to their nails, regularly make manicures and cut off excess parts of the skin. In such processes, they receive injuries that ultimately lead to inflammation. Such a pathology is called paronychia, ICD code 10 of disease L03.0.
The cuticle on the nails is a small layer of skin located at the base of the nail growth. Its main function is protection, the cuticle does not allow dirt, bacteria and infections to penetrate to the place of formation of the nail. To make women's hands look more aesthetically pleasing, this skin is removed with a special tool.
Each girl in pursuit of beauty performs many different procedures, including visiting a manicurist, nail extensions, applying varnishes and others. Often, the innocent trips to procedures become the main cause of cuticle inflammation. After all, not all masters are responsible for their duties, some forget to process the tool after each client. Failure to comply with such rules leads to negative consequences.
Inflammation of the cuticle of the nail is a process that is accompanied by pain, the formation of redness and swelling, in advanced cases, purulent discharge is observed.
Symptoms
With inflammation of the cuticle on the hands, symptoms appear that signal the onset of the disease. The main features are:
- redness at the beginning of the nail;
- the occurrence of edema;
- there is a feeling of discomfort and pain;
- with the advanced form, the pain becomes stronger and pus is secreted.
When diagnosing at least one of these symptoms, it is worth immediately treating. As you know, in the initial stages it is much easier to fight the disease, so as not to give it the opportunity to go into severe form.
The main causes of inflammation
Immediately before the start of treatment, it is necessary to establish the cause of the inflammation, and only then start the therapy. These reasons usually include:
- Burrs. This reason rarely becomes a provoking factor in inflammation. But, despite this, it should not be discounted. After all, if they are removed incorrectly, it is quite possible to introduce an infection that will become a source of inflammation. Do not remove burrs with dirty manicure tools or foreign objects.
- Improper care. If the cuticle is not removed, it begins to grow and, thus, occupy a large area on the nail. In addition, the skin tends to coarsen, becomes dry and thicken. In order to avoid such consequences, you need to take care of your nails and regularly cut off the excess part of the cuticle.
- The influence of pathogens and fungal diseases. Such factors are no less dangerous for the skin around the nail. First of all, the need to eliminate them so that no serious consequences occur.
- Cuts, bumps, scratches. These mechanical damages open the way for the infection to penetrate so that it can penetrate and provoke further inflammatory reactions.
- Allergy. It may well be triggered by aggressive substances that are part of household chemicals. When a woman comes in direct contact with such substances, there is a greater likelihood of allergic reactions, which, in turn, cause inflammation. To prevent such a process, it is necessary to touch household chemicals only in rubber gloves.
- Sloppy manicure. This reason may be the main one for inflammation. If you remove too much protective skin or cause damage to the tool, an inflammatory process can go on.
Home treatment
In the initial stages of finger paronychia, it is not always necessary to seek help from a qualified specialist. There are several proven ways to help get rid of the disease.
Aloe juice or aloe creams
The plant itself is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent. And the substances included in its composition will help quickly remove redness, remove irritation and soothe the skin. To use it, you will need to treat the problem area with juice or cream, then glue it well with a band-aid.
Oils
The following oils will help soothe the skin, as well as speed up the healing process: orange, apricot kernel, calendula and tea tree. It is important during treatment to constantly treat the affected area.
Fungus
When the cause of inflammation is a fungus, then without such funds can not do. In pharmacies, you can purchase any product of your choice, ranging from gels to drops.
If a person wants to get rid of the problem as soon as possible, then you cannot do without an appropriate specialist. He will prescribe the most effective drug that will eliminate the inflammatory process in the shortest possible time.
Ways to prevent inflammation
To prevent the formation of cuticle inflammation, you need to follow these recommendations:
- carry out all housework with gloves;
- cares about health, in particular about immunity;
- all manicure should be done only by qualified masters;
- with the smallest lesions, antiseptic agents should be used.
Preventative methods
To avoid treatment, you must adhere to the general rules of hygiene. To protect the cuticle from inflammation, it is necessary to thoroughly and correctly wash your hands, in particular to process the area of nails.
In addition, it is necessary to exclude the ingress of dirt, make sure that it does not accumulate under the nails, and also no keratinization of the skin. The area under the nails is the most dangerous, since various bacteria can remain on it, which can get on the cuticle and cause inflammation. To prevent this from happening, you need to stock up on a sponge to clean your nails and cuticles, wash out the dirt with it. You also need to monitor the cuticle: remove excess and dead skin in time.
Special salt baths will not interfere with the care, and do not forget about creams with an antiseptic effect. The best of these creams is for children, but only those that have panthenol in their composition. This substance is able to disinfect the skin and contribute to the speedy healing of wounds.
Cuticle inflammation is fraught with a decrease in blood flow to the fingers. Therefore, in order to resume normal blood flow, you will need to do massages. To have a positive result, you need to take a special cuticle oil, they massage the fingertips and the skin near the nails. Oil will not only help ease the massage, but also make the skin softer. Particular attention should be paid to the fingers, they are very carefully kneading during movements.
To prevent cuticle inflammation, you don’t need to use nail scissors to remove excess skin. Since scissors are not able to evenly cut the skin, and injuries are caused during its removal, which contributes to the development of inflammatory processes. But you need to know how to cut the cuticle correctly, because high-quality procedures with clean, sterilized tools will save you from many problems.
Particular attention is then required if the cuticle has become inflamed after salon procedures performed with reusable instruments. In this case, the problems can be much more serious than normal cuticle inflammation. It is also necessary to ask your master for sealed disposable tools.