Sore skin around nails

[Nik2879]

can anyone help with advice please. I get really dry hard bits of skin next to my nails which I always end up picking at and making it really sore. I work in a hospital so do have to wash my hands all the time. Tried lots of different hand creams they dont make any difference. Do I need to use an oil or something instead does anyone know?

Use cuticle oil. At night cover all around your nails with the oil, add a layer of moisturiser and a pair of cotton gloves. Repeat every night - it took me a month of doing that and now I only use oil once a week. (A beautician friend told me to do this!)

I got better results with using emollient ointment. Wash hands, pat dry (so not rubbed bone dry, just not dripping wet), cover with small amount of emollient over hands and nails.

Takes about a week to reduce the hard bits, and you have to carefully snip them off, rather than pick at them in the meantime, so that the skin heals, but it's so nice to not have them there irritating you and trying to avoid the urge to scratch and pick at them.

I find Blistex Relief cream (for dry lips) marvellous for dry cuticles. Leave a good amount on overnight and they soften right up.

I have similar and the pharmacist suggested Epimax cream. I have tubes all over the house/on my desk/in my bag and a massive bottle that looks like mayonnaise in the kitchen. It’s about £1.50 a tube and the mayo bottle was about £4, so a real bargain too.

Thanks so much everyone will try all of the suggestions.

That's interesting. I've recently been using this on my sore nose following a cold. It was amazing.

I wish it were more widely available and that it came in bigger sizes.

I have to keep on top of the dry bits at the edges of my finger nails - or they split
Then it's a case of clipping the dead skin back while trying not to open the split further as it just doesn't heal otherwise

My Dm and DSIS get it so I think it's a genetic finger shape thing - poor DSIS is immunocompromised so hers get infected and won't heal for ages

I find that using Flash cleaning products does this to my cuticles.

@Rina66 really thats so weird cos thats what Im using at the moment. I know I should wear gloves when cleaning but never do.

I don't wear gloves either, especially if I'm just wiping the surfaces - but even the residue on the cloth is enough to make my cuticles really sore, it doesn't affect any other skin, which is odd. I just use different products now and haven't had the problem since.

I agree that cold sore treatments like blister are actually v good skin healing creams for all sorts of things. But yes tiny and about £4 so a larger tube would presumably be quite expensive

I get this and I do wear gloves for cleaning and generally look after my hands - it’s really annoying and can get quite sore.

I will try the oil and cream with gloves every night for a month and look at Epimax.

Thanks 🙏

The Margaret Dabbs cuticle serum,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Margaret-Dabbs-Nourishing-Cuticle-Serum/dp/B00YWRC942/ref=sr_1_6?adgrpid=1172080310994144&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3lhYEeAZawSh0eGLOaf0IY5-AySHTr_vRbbRApadf3XzLQp9XqKaEkfPBE3f8hN-ug6zZ65bHTiOwjcfO0TAAPNeob8D6ySrIeC4o4G60BLNWoR62RPWLvBN1QIJVFX77BIuZSm3C4Z8kgFVaSu7y0k-Ve1H3X8G04E0TUapu-aU6oXTvxpoHydyX2N1012MXqf6UVeTkYBNHJAAOawopVpjB4d4snmNPcS2IB4nxqEi7Dn0Hz0LviwPZnKYX8rPkTRYUumn7XgUaaMrG9d9ch1oZAIPS1cG4QoRICtkNJE.5HEKStKsaajxoK9G9HoxSDqkHMOzaBNqf16OqZTDa7E&dib_tag=se&hvadid=73255221602992&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=131272&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-73255172423872%3Aloc-188&hydadcr=8311_1850472&keywords=margaret+dabbs+cuticle+serum&qid=1708818467&sr=8-6

Lotil is the best hand cream I've ever used. Boots or Amazon.