Sign Up Today!

dan bowman · 04-25-2006, 05:14 AM

I have had a problem with thumbnails for many years - it only happens in summer and seems to be directly influenced by the amount of exposure to direct sunlight. Both nails tend to separate from the tip. The thumbs are very tender under the nail - painful to any pressure. The skin at the tip of the thumb thickens and peels away - starting at the tip of the nail. Over the years I have found - leaving the nail longer seems to provide slight improvement. Shielding from sunlight provides improvement. It is not heat or temperature related due to summer, it seems to be tied directly to the amount of exposure to sunlight.

Marti · 04-25-2006, 12:17 PM

You might try using a UV protective top coat (nail enamel).

dbarber · 04-29-2006, 02:48 PM

While I can't really help you diagnose it, I can suggest NOT using any hand soap that dries the skin. I have dry skin on the tips of my thumbs and index fingers that will crack and split becoming very painful (see my post "koilonychia or fungus - very painful") . Stopping the use of lever 2000 has helped the drying of my skin. You might also ask your doctor to prescribe a steroid creme to help with the pain/dry skin. I'm no doctor though so take it w/ a grain of salt, that's just what mine did and it helped a little, not enough for me to use it continuously though.

Sign Up Today!

Join Our Newsletter

Whoops,

Thank You