Brief Answer: Kindly elaborate and send pictures Detailed Answer: Hi XXXXXXX Welcome and thanks for posting your query to the forum. I can understand your concern for the skin problem you are facing near thumbs and nails. The part of your query is bit short to guide you best. I request you to kindly elaborate the query and tell me important points so that I can help you best: - Since how long you have the problem of torn out skin. Does it gets alright completely some times or it is continuously present. - Do you feel any pain or itching over the same. - How is your diet. DO you eat fruits, green leafy vegetables or other nutrients in your daily schedule. - Any history of substance abuse like alcohol or smoking. - Tell me about your occupation. Any history of exposure to chemicals or soaps or detergents or soaking in water for long hours or recurrently. In view to help you best I suggest you to upload few good resolution pictures of your affected areas. For that you have a feature to upload images by yourself at the right side of the query page. Or else, you can send as an attachment to YYYY@YYYY with the subject as "Attn: Dr. Sanjay Kumar Kanodia. Hope to hear soon from your side. Wish you good health. Regards. Dr Sanjay Kumar Kanodia MD (Dermatology & STD)

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Brief Answer: Allergic dermatitis;Avoid the habit of nail biting Detailed Answer: Hi young man, Welcome again to the forum and thanks for posting the important details along with pictures. After analyzing the complete situation I can make out that you are suffering form the contact allergic dermatitis problem aggravated by multiple conditions. TO tell you simply- our skin is renewed regularly and there is barrier function of the skin by which the things coming in contact of our skin do not cause any problem in majority of cases. But at certain times when this barrier is breached then it leads to entrance of all the things into the skin rather than staying superficially. Most importantly the soaps and detergents are commonest cause of irritants to the skin. This irritation is manifested in form of torn and ragged skin near nail folds. The area near nail fold is most commonly affected first because of thin skin as well transition of skin from folds to nail itself. To correlate the above facts with your condition: as you have the habit of nail-biting, so this thing actually made the skin breached so that there is continuous entrance of water, soaps and detergents causing recurrent infection and torn, ragged skin near nail folds. Additionally due to improper diet, there is more of tendency of improper repairing of skin. Most of the nutrients in diet helps in fast repairing of skin and therefore maintain good barrier function. Getting all these points, if I were your treating dermatologist then would have suggested as below: 1. Avoid the habit of nail biting first and foremost. It will not only present the further aggravation as well as take care of injury to skin. It is one of the sole most important factor in deciding the complete treatment and cure of your problem. 2. Try avoiding washing clothes with harsh soaps and detergents. For at least 2-3 weeks avoid washing your clothes which will help in repairing of skin faster. 3. Do not Pinch pop or squeeze or rub any area. 4. Do not use any deodorants or any cosmetics over and near the affected area. 5. Do warm compression over the affected area. Take warm water in a bucket and soak your hands for few minutes so that all the dirt and any other irritants gets washed away properly. Do it for 5-10 minutes for 2 times a day. For the part of treatment kindly follow the suggestions below: 1. Apply plane Mometasone cream in a thin layer in morning and at night time. Apply in a very thin layer so that it should not be visible to naked eye. You can apply it daily for 7 days and then alternate for 14 days and then stop it after that. 2. If there is any irritation or itching is present then can take tablet “Loratadine” or "Deslotatadine" tablet by mouth up to three to four times also if the itching is more. 3. A most important part of treatment is by applying Emollients or better known as moisturizers. These work by forming an oily layer on the top of the skin that traps water in the skin. . This process helps the skin keep preserving more water in. So we use Petroleum gelly (Petrolatum), lanolin or other oils as emollients. Apply it for almost 8-10 times a day. An important thing is to Eat healthy diet containing lot of Vitamin A and Vitamin C in form of fruits and green leafy vegetables along with sprouts. Drink plenty of liquids everyday. By all these simple measures along with avoidance of nail biting habit you can very easily get rid of the problem which you are facing. I hope these information's will help you. If you have further queries I will be happy to help. "Wish you good health" Regards, Dr Sanjay Kumar Kanodia MD (Dermatology)

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Brief Answer: proper moisturization and good diet Detailed Answer: Hello young fellow, I quite often see your kind of problem in clinical practice and to tell you most importantly that it is the simplest of the thing to take care of. You need to just avoid nail biting habit along with proper moisturization and good diet which will completely cure the problem. Lastly reduce your stress of any kind, you will be totally alright. My all best wishes for you. I hope these information's will help you. If you have further queries I will be happy to help or if not then can close the query and rate the answer. "Wish you good health and early recovery from the problem" Regards, Dr Sanjay Kumar Kanodia MD (Dermatology & STD)

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