How to cut nails correctly_

Some people will find bacterial infections or even other inflammatory changes on their hands after cutting their nails. This is because they accidentally damage the skin near their nails when cutting their nails, which causes inflammation over time. This is very bad for your skin. It is better not to cut your nails too short, as it will affect the overall appearance and health of your skin.

The correct way to trim your nails

Therefore, the correct way to trim nails is to trim the middle first and then the sides. This makes it easier to control the trimming length and avoid cutting the corners too deep. Otherwise, the newly grown nails can easily become embedded in the soft tissue, becoming ingrown nails, damaging the skin around the nails, causing purulent infection of the subcutaneous tissue, and triggering other inflammations.

When cutting your nails, cut them flatly and do not force the nail clippers into the gap between the nails to cut. If your nails have sharp corners, these should be rounded. In addition, the corns near the nails should be dealt with in a timely manner. Do not pull them out directly with your hands to avoid damaging the surrounding skin tissue. Use a nail clipper to carefully cut off the corns at the root.

Human fingernails grow at an average rate of 0.7 mm per week, so it is recommended to trim them once a week; toenails grow relatively slowly and can be trimmed 1 to 2 times a month. The appropriate length for cutting nails is that the top of the nail is flush with the fingertip or slightly longer, leaving a small white edge. While cutting your nails, you can also do some simple hand and finger massage to help promote blood circulation in your fingers and supply your nails with adequate nutrients. You can also choose some nail-protecting nourishing oil to keep your nails shiny and tough. In addition, you should wash your hands frequently. Simply cutting your nails short cannot fundamentally guarantee personal hygiene.

If the edge of the nail becomes red, hot, or painful, you may have paronychia, which can be relieved by hot compresses, applying erythromycin ointment, etc. When you feel pain, you can apply 75% alcohol or iodine tincture, take antibiotics, or take some Chinese medicine for clearing away heat and detoxification, the inflammation will improve or subside on its own; if the treatment is not timely, white spots will appear on the lesions. When paronychia becomes pus, in addition to using antibiotics, surgical treatment is also required. For unilateral subcutaneous abscess, drainage can be performed by incision next to the nail groove; bilateral subcutaneous abscess requires bilateral drainage.

For abscesses at the root of the nail, simply lifting the skin is often not enough to drain them adequately, and part or even the entire nail needs to be separated and removed. Patients should not use mercurochrome or gentian violet. These two topical medications are highly toxic and may cause cancer, and are now banned in clinical practice.