I don't want old-lady hands.
May 10, 2009 2:34 PM Subscribe
How can I prevent my nail from getting all thick and ugly?
The nail on my right middle finger has always been thicker than the rest of my nails, and the skin right next to the cuticle where the nail goes into the hand has always been thicker, always swollen looking (no pain though) because that's where the pen/pencil pushes into when I write, and I can't write any other way.
But lately I've noticed that the nail started getting a little thicker than usual, and kind of ridgey and uneven (see here), you can kind of tell that the middle nail in the picture isn't perfectly even, it doesn't curve in one smooth line like the other nails. It starts growing evenly but then halfway through the nail it gets all uneven. My nails never chip or crack or break, if it makes any difference. And I very rarely wear nailpolish, so that's not the problem.
Anything I can do to prevent it from getting even thicker? I've seen older women with one or two extra-thick nails, and I don't want that going on.
The nail on my right middle finger has always been thicker than the rest of my nails, and the skin right next to the cuticle where the nail goes into the hand has always been thicker, always swollen looking (no pain though) because that's where the pen/pencil pushes into when I write, and I can't write any other way.
But lately I've noticed that the nail started getting a little thicker than usual, and kind of ridgey and uneven (see here), you can kind of tell that the middle nail in the picture isn't perfectly even, it doesn't curve in one smooth line like the other nails. It starts growing evenly but then halfway through the nail it gets all uneven. My nails never chip or crack or break, if it makes any difference. And I very rarely wear nailpolish, so that's not the problem.
Anything I can do to prevent it from getting even thicker? I've seen older women with one or two extra-thick nails, and I don't want that going on.
Not necessarily fungal -- eczema & psoriasis can cause bumpy nails, too. So can trauma, but it would surprise me if your pen grip caused it. A dermatologist would probably have an answer for you. As a quick fix, though, how about gently filing/buffing across the top to even it out?
posted by Westringia F. at 3:25 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by Westringia F. at 3:25 PM on May 10, 2009
Yeah, this sounds like my one fungal nail (thanks to a free manicure from a pedicurist with poor skills and equipment hygiene - 'ware using free prize certificates even at the best salons!).
I try to remember to use fungicidal stuff from the pharmacy on it, which helps keep it looking sociable, but I haven't been able to make it go away forever.
posted by Billegible at 3:27 PM on May 10, 2009
I try to remember to use fungicidal stuff from the pharmacy on it, which helps keep it looking sociable, but I haven't been able to make it go away forever.
posted by Billegible at 3:27 PM on May 10, 2009
Maybe you could skip the fingernail polish for awhile? If you do have some sort of condition, letting it breathe might help.
Buffing them to a gloss can look very pretty.
posted by aquafortis at 4:13 PM on May 10, 2009
Buffing them to a gloss can look very pretty.
posted by aquafortis at 4:13 PM on May 10, 2009
Response by poster: Fungus, awesome, just what I wanted. On only one nail, a fingernail (not sweaty toenail), since I was a kid? Strange, but possible, I guess. I'll look into it, thanks!
I have this fear that buffing it will make it grow thicker. I know I'll be buffing the part that grew out already, but what if the part that's ready to grow decides to compensate for the buffing and grow thicker? I have a lot of irrational fears.
And yea, the polish is seriously a once-a-year thing, it usually breathes just fine, and it still never went away.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 4:35 PM on May 10, 2009
I have this fear that buffing it will make it grow thicker. I know I'll be buffing the part that grew out already, but what if the part that's ready to grow decides to compensate for the buffing and grow thicker? I have a lot of irrational fears.
And yea, the polish is seriously a once-a-year thing, it usually breathes just fine, and it still never went away.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 4:35 PM on May 10, 2009
that's where the pen/pencil pushes into when I write, and I can't write any other way
I bet you could, though, if you made a committed effort to retraining your writing grip. It would take a while (took that site's 35-year-old author a year to lock in) but your fingers and wrists would thank you.
There is absolutely no need to hold onto a pencil as if it were a slippery fish that wants to leap out of your grasp at any second.
posted by flabdablet at 5:46 PM on May 10, 2009
I bet you could, though, if you made a committed effort to retraining your writing grip. It would take a while (took that site's 35-year-old author a year to lock in) but your fingers and wrists would thank you.
There is absolutely no need to hold onto a pencil as if it were a slippery fish that wants to leap out of your grasp at any second.
posted by flabdablet at 5:46 PM on May 10, 2009
I don't know how old you are, but like a lot of people in my family, I started getting psoriasis in middle age, causing thickened nails among other things. Taking a tip from a guitar player's forum, i started taking Biotin tablets about a year and a half ago. As far as the scaly skin and nail problems, I think it helped rein in the symptoms better than creams. It takes about four to six months to really notice the difference, but nails take a while to grow.
posted by zaelic at 2:21 AM on May 11, 2009
posted by zaelic at 2:21 AM on May 11, 2009
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posted by leotrotsky at 3:07 PM on May 10, 2009