I didn't know where else to put this

[Genki Hikari]

DU doesn't have a beauty group, and this isn't a general health question really. More related to my diabetes, so here goes:

I was having bad problems with my fingernails breaking off at the quick, sometimes so far down the nail it caused bleeding. My MD was getting concerned at how often the nails were breaking, and how far down the nail bed. I was risking infections that could go out of control. With diabetes, that's always a danger.

Her first recommendation was that I wear gloves when doing housework, but I was already doing that. So she next recommended that I keep my nails polished, to strengthen them more. That did help with the breakage issue. I hardly ever get broken nails now, and when they do break, it's usually higher up the nail.

But now I'm having problems with hangnails, some of them quite painful. One source said to make sure to use an oval shape with my nails, so that the skin isn't coming into contact with the sharp edges of wider nail shapes. I did that, and it cut back on some of the problem.

Others recommended cuticle oils and using liberal amounts of lotion, every time after I washed my hands, and that's helped, too.

But still, the problem persists. I'm thinking it's the nail polish remover. I've tried acetone, non-acetone--doesn't matter. I still have bouts of super-dry skin and rough skin, all around my fingernails.

I realize this seems like a small, silly thing, but does anyone have any experience with cuticles or skin in general? Is this something that I just need to do what I can with it, and sweat out the hangnails that do come? I've never had dry skin before, so I'm at a complete loss about what to do.

My doctor can't think of anything else to do, and the internet has been no help, either. Nail pro sites only tell me to do what I'm already doing.

Help!

[MLAA]

1. I use a gel cuticle remover and an orange stick.

Before painting nails I use this. I also try and put a little oil on cuticles when I think of it.

https://www.amazon.com/Sally-Hansen-Instant-Cuticle-Remover/dp/B0046MK34G

[Genki Hikari]

4. Can I use this gel remover on the sides of my nails?

I think of the cuticle as the bottom part (which doesn't give me any problems), and the sides (where I get my hangnails) as something else. Are they the same? And is this remover gentle enough not to dry out my skin?

As you can tell, I'm not well-versed in girl stuff. I've had a real learning experience with the manicure world this past year.

[MLAA]

7. Yes, I do. 😊. Good luck!

[Genki Hikari]

13. Wow. Thanks for the info

If I may ask, what brand of this do you use? I want to make sure I get this right if I try it.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. This will sound strange, I know,

but what is your hair like?

I'm asking because my sons both had alopecia areata universalis, which causes hair loss everywhere: head, body, everywhere. It can also involve fingernail issues, such as you've described.

While I myself have had almost no problems with hangnails, the rare times I have had them make me sympathize enormously. Hangnails are painful and awful. My sympathy to you.

No matter what, I hope you can solve this problem.

[Genki Hikari]

5. My hair is soft and fine so I've always had problems with nail breakage

But no hair loss. If anything, my hair is thicker now than when I was young. As in I seem to have more of it, not less, and it has more oomph to it than when I was younger.

Apparently, this comes from my thyroid issues getting resolved. I had the whole thing removed, and my hair went gonzo!

Thanks for the response, though!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Okay, and thank you for your response.

I myself have always had good hair, but my nails have always been somewhat fragile. No thyroid issues I'm aware of.

Now that I am older, 74, my hair is actually better than ever. It's totally gray, and has more volume than it ever did in my youth.

[Genki Hikari]

10. I have yet to go gray.

I have some gray hair, of course, but it's still so little that my hair looks like its normal color.

I tell my mother that it's because I don't do anything with my hair. I keep it trimmed, sure, but, other than that, it's wash and go. I don't blow dry it, use curler stuff, perm it or change the color. Haven't since the 80s.

Maybe letting my hair be has kept it from going gray so fast. Or maybe it's genes. My grandmother didn't go gray until she hit her late 60s. I must take after her.

[3catwoman3]

3. Have you considered seeing a dermatologist.

Nail disorders fall into this specialty.

Here's a link that talks about the range of problems they can treat:

https://weillcornell.org/nail-disorders

Also, olive oil can be very soothing - you don't need much, and it absorbs quickly into slightly damp skin.

[Genki Hikari]

6. I guess that should be my next move.

It seems a little extreme, though, for a problem isolated to one small part of me. I don't have it anywhere else. Just the skin around my nails.

That's why I'm wondering if it's something in the manicuring process. Many of these product have some yowza! chemicals in them, even if they're supposedly free of X number of toxic chemicals, vegan, cruelty-free, and so on.

But I've also had a lifelong problem with hangnails. Don't know why. I just did.

It's more of a concern to me now because I'm at the age where my skin is drier than it was before menopause, which makes my finger area drier than it's ever been before. I've also had more bleeder hangnails since my diabetes diagnosis two years ago than I had in the previous 58 years. Not many, but enough that I realize I need to figure out what's going on.

So I guess a dermatologist is my next step.

Thanks for the advice!

[IbogaProject]

9. Silica helps w hair maybe nails too ?

Research which nutrients help the nails. It sounds like you're either deficient or your body is having trouble absorbing something.

[Genki Hikari]

11. I'm kinda dumb about girl stuff

How does this silica stuff work? What's it supposed to do?

[Genki Hikari]

12. Oh--and I'm diabetic + taking a ton of meds

Thyroid replacement, blood pressure meds. I'd say some of these could be doing it, but I didn't really have this problem with my nails until I became diabetic.

But now that you mention it...

It could be related to how I developed an allergy to dairy (not lactose intolerance), and had to give that up. That's around the same time as my hangnails started getting wonky. I may be missing Vitamin D or calcium or something like that.

I'll mention it to my doctor next time. Thanks for kickstarting the idea for me!

[Easterncedar]

14. Eating or drinking gelatin

Seems to help. I get bags of plain beef gelatin powder at the health food store and mix it with fruit juice, sometime making it into jello-like dessert, sometime just drinking it down.

White iodine painted on nails is said to strengthen them too.

I have weak nails, especially bad in winter.

[Genki Hikari]

15. I don't really believe most of the claims about external stuff

Affecting nail health. Nails are dead. Once they're out there, you can't do much to change them beyond delaying the decay with temporary fixes like nail hardeners.

While it is true that nail health begins before you ever see the nail itself--which means diet is quite important to producing healthy nails, some people will simply have weak, bendy nails, no matter what they eat.

I've always had super-fine hair, thus it's not a surprise that I have the nail equivalent, which is weak, bendy nails that chip and break easily. I use Nail-Aid's keratin-infused strengthener under my "good" base coat (Orly Bonder) to give my nails a boost, and that works great. Double base coats also means no stains from the high color saturation of these new polish formulas.

As for the gelatin, I'm not sure protein/keratin intake is a problem for me. I'm on a low carb diet out of necessity, so protein intake is plenty high. I even have to make my own "jell-o" from plain gelatin and real unsweetened juices as flavoring with stevia as the sweetener. Diabetes means no sugar, of course but stevia, because I'm allergic to most artificial sweeteners.

Now one thing that might be affecting my cuticle health is how I consume no dairy because I've developed an allergy to it in the past two years--right alongside my cuticle dryness. I'll be talking to my MD about whether dairy withdrawal is the cause, or merely a coincidence, at our next appointment in a couple of weeks.

I wish I could go to a good manicurist for advice, but I don't dare with so many people stupid about COVID where I am (red state).