# Skin and Nail care



## Surlysomething (Mar 4, 2009)

Howdy

I have really dry cuticles and lots of hang nails. I use lotion ALL the time and I still have this problem. My face is also flaky but at the same time I get acne. I feel like a teenager!

The cuticle problem is really bothering me but as someone that types ALL day and never really had the option of nice girlie nails, i'm not sure what the secret is to getting this cuticle thing under control. I think it's bothering me right now because I actually let my nails grow out for the first time in years and they look really nice. But the cuticles? Ugh.

Any suggestions?


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## Cors (Mar 4, 2009)

Grats on growing out the nails! I used to bite mine and it took ages before they started looking decent. 

My cuticles are prone to dryness and I sometimes get peeling skin and blisters on my palms. I use jojoba oil on my cuticles, Neutrogena's hand cream on my hands and if the peeling gets bad, I slather my hands liberally with generic urea cream and wrap them up in mittens before I go to bed. 

You might also want to consider going for a manicure just to get your cuticles tidied and the hangnails trimmed properly. You can also do it yourself but make sure you're cutting off dead skin only - I always end up cutting skin. :/


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## Surlysomething (Mar 4, 2009)

Cors said:


> Grats on growing out the nails! I used to bite mine and it took ages before they started looking decent.
> 
> My cuticles are prone to dryness and I sometimes get peeling skin and blisters on my palms. I use jojoba oil on my cuticles, Neutrogena's hand cream on my hands and if the peeling gets bad, I slather my hands liberally with generic urea cream and wrap them up in mittens before I go to bed.
> 
> You might also want to consider going for a manicure just to get your cuticles tidied and the hangnails trimmed properly. You can also do it yourself but make sure you're cutting off dead skin only - I always end up cutting skin. :/




Thanks for the advice, lady! My nails are really thin too so I always balk at going to a salon for a manicure - maybe they could help me out and fortify them with steel or something.


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## Cors (Mar 4, 2009)

I had thin and brittle nails too! I found Sally Hansen's nail strengthening and repair kits helpful.


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## ashmamma84 (Mar 4, 2009)

Yep - jojoba oil works well. Also, make sure to protect your hands/nails when doing household chores like washing dishes, etc. I just use the ruber gloves that you can get at the grocery. And I try to keep gloves/mittens on my hands when bracing the cold weather. Keeps them from drying out. 

That said, try getting a professional mani and then you can maintain your nails at home. Nail techs won't even bat an eye at your hands, believe it or not -- they've seen some of everything. And sorry to tell you but you aren't a special case.  It just might help with getting your nails back on track is all.

As for your skin - what kind of products are you using right now? Might be time to switch it up. I was having issues mid winter and got so frustrated that I went to see my derm. Since then, I've started a new skincare regimen (one that's actually cheaper AND more effective than what I was doing) and aside from occasional flaking I get from the Rx I'm using, my skin is rebounding. 

Something my derm also said - while its good to drink water since that's what we're primarily made of, simply drinking more isn't enough to solve dry skin. I have really appreciated her advice so far because she takes a holistic approach to modern medicine - she knows my age, genetic background, stressors, environment, etc...and we use that to try to come up with solutions to help me. 

Also, try not to get frustrated! I know that can be hard though. It might take a couple rounds of trying different things before you come up with something that works for you. The best thing is to just be a lil patient.


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## canadianbbw4u (Mar 4, 2009)

I'm a nail tech so I may beable to help. Try cuticle oil or cuticle cream. I know avon sells the cream. I hope that helps!


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## Risible (Mar 4, 2009)

Yeah, I get the hangnails too. To keep them under control I use a pencil-sized applicator of oil made from jojoba, amongst other ingredients, that I get from Sephora. I've tried many different alternatives from those available at the drug store to expensive name brands available online or "high-end" department stores. I like the Sephora brand stick, though. Works for me - very well, too. It has the side benefit of making my nails stronger; not clinically proven, but that's my experience.


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