Heredity Strikes Again

[jducoeur]

I've been denying it for quite a while, but my cuticles are going entirely to pot. It's a trivial little thing, but the ongoing annoyance is getting to me gradually: at any given time, I have at least one or two fingers where the skin is receding just an Eeensy Weeensy Bit from the nail and peeling slightly -- invisible to anyone but me, but painful as a paper cut.

I've never really known *why* my father has always been so diligent about moisturizing his hands all the time, but I think I've found out. Time to pick up another habit from him...

Comments

[jtdiii.livejournal.com]

Have you tried drops of crazy glue?

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

Jesus, that's even worse than my old habit of washing my face with Windex.

Any of the really thick ointments caked on the cuticles two or three times a day will do the trick. (You get used to the routine after awhile.) .

[jtdiii.livejournal.com]

Oh?

I tend to get cracks there in the cold weather. Ointments help and prevent it long term.

However if you already have the crack... a small drop applied with a toothpick is enough to instantly seal it and stop the pain. It was developed as a skin glue after all. You then apply ointment over it once a day.

[jducoeur]

Effectively, yes -- that's more or less what Liquid Bandage is, IIRC, and that's what I've been using for several months now. But while it does work to protect instances after they've sprung up, it doesn't do much to prevent them (unless I use ridiculous amounts, because it only sticks for a couple of days). And in many cases it stings like bejeezus when I apply it -- one of the main reasons why I've decided I need a better long-term solution.

And really -- given how often I was having to apply the stuff to various fingers, it really wasn't any less labor than moisturizing is...