Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Ignorance of fingernail hygiene could lead to infections

A lot of us live under the assumption that taking care of our fingernails is just a cosmetic exercise. Many of us are unaware that our nails could be a breeding ground for many types of infections. These infections could end up damaging our overall health and wellness. There are several signs that you should be on the look-out for when it comes to infections related to your nails. A few of them are listed below.
  • Lifting of the nail plate off the nail bed
  • Thickening of the nail plate
  • Crumbling of the nail plate
  • Discolouration, usually in streaks
  • White, yellow or green smelly discharge
  • Flaking and pitting of the surface of the nail plate.

Nail Infection

The above symptoms are typical of fungal infection on your nails, a lack of nail hygiene can quickly descend into such a type of infection.

There is another villain when it comes to fingernail infections, this particular character has been extremely active in causing nail infection, the name of this character is Staphylococcus aureus. This infection is called paronychia. Symptoms may include pain, redness and swelling around the cuticle and yellow-green discharge.

Sounds extremely gross doesn't it, however, if you aren't careful about fingernail hygiene this could very well happen to you

As you can see several kinds of diseases affect our fingernails. None of us should discount fingernail hygiene as a mere cosmetic procedure. We need to treat it a par with other parts of our body. 

Here are some ways you can improve fingernail hygiene,

Ways to reduce the risk of nail problems include:
  • Practice good personal hygiene.
  • Wear protective gloves for wet jobs such as washing the dishes.
  • Avoid harsh chemicals such as strong soaps and detergents.
  • Avoid or limit the handling of chemicals such as hair dyes.
  • Take care with the use of nail polish.
  • Don't clean under your nails too often or too aggressively.
  • To protect yourself from fungal infections, don't share towels, always dry yourself thoroughly after bathing (particularly between the toes), and wear thongs in communal bathing areas such as the local gym or swimming pool.
  • Make sure your shoes are well-fitting and have plenty of room for air movement.
  • If you or anyone you know is looking to improve their nail hygiene, reach out to us and we'll help recommend an appropriate course of action.

 Nail Infection


Blog reviewed by: Dr. Priya J Talageri
Mail Us: info.drpriyaskinandhairclinic@gmail.com 
Book an appointment: drpriyaskinandhairclinic.com/book-an-appointment

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