Fingernail Hygiene

We all know its the root of all goodness — and second only to godliness in the pantheon of domestic virtues — hygiene.

But while good hygiene is the essential component in any skin care regimen — care of diseased, injured and misshapen fingernails requires good hygiene, too. Even if these fingernail diseases are self-inflicted neurodermatoses.

There are several treatment recipes for the symptoms of compulsive finger picking:

• Problem calluses can be removed in a sanitary manner
• Care of the cuticles involves both safety precautions, restorative care — and good hygiene
• Thick nails can result from a fungal infection — which itself can be caused by compulsive finger picking
• Dull Nails — similar to thick nails — are a sign of nail fungus and can be treated with oils, vitamins and other topical solutions.

Though these fingernail hygiene treatments can all improve fingernail health, only concerted psychological treatment and exploration — such as cognitive behavioral therapy — can treat the underlying cause of an impulse control disorder such as compulsive finger picking.