Currently typing with bandaids on both thumbs so please excuse typos and missedspaces.
Did some mechanic work a few days ago and forgot gloves. I washed with a nail brush and dishsoap as always but Now im suffering from both thumbs being inflamed and sore emanating from where thenail meets the thumb. I tried sucking and scraping to clean and cut the nails as short as i can. My usual trick is to scrape hard soap in under the nail before scrubbing, which works really well most time, but no cleaning method has worked this time. I can just barely see some black at the deepest part which i assume is engine oil. I dont think its some metal shard, since its both thumbs, didnt grind anything and usually splinters hiding spots can be pin-pointed by pushing on it but idk for sure. Also no pus leaking.
How do i get it out??? 😭 Whats your secret to dealing with inflammation?
Im thinking either some hydrogen peroxide cream on bandaids or moist gloves to soak in to loosen things up before trying to get whatever gunk is still there. I usually heal very fast, two other cuts from the same time are healing well and fast.
Idk anymore and its really frustrating…
Wishing you a good day and happythumbs!
My dad used Swarfega back in the day, you rub it in dry hands and it grabs up hydrophobic dirts and oils then rinsed off with water. Because it has hydrophobic ingredients it doesn’t remove your natural skin oils as much so there is less inflammation.
Glycolic acid (AHA) is awesome for this kind of thing. You should be able to find a toner that contains it in the skin care aisle at most drug stores. Also get some Neosporin.
If you can’t find toner with glycolic acid try to find a face wash with that or salicylic acid if you can’t find glycolic.
Witchhazel might do in a pinch. Peroxide is better than nothing, but won’t work as well do deeply exfoliate.
It sounds like you might have damaged the nail bed under your fingernails. In the future avoid sticking anything under your fingernails bc the skin is very sensitive.
Step 1: Wash your hands really well with a wash cloth, soap, and warm water. Don’t go under the nail with the wash cloth, just use it to scrub around the outside well. (If you can in the future look into getting a softer scrub brush for your nails instead of sticking anything rough under it).
Step 2: If you can find the toner, soak a cotton boll with it so it’s saturated. Either let that sit on top of your nail or squeeze it with your nails so the nail kind of “digs” into the cotton, but again, don’t force anything solid under your fingernail. Keep it there for about 5 mins then let your finger air dry.
If you can only find the face wash, just gently rub it around your fingernails and let it sit there for a few mins then wash it off. (A nail brush works very well with the face wash, but even with the brush, following up with toner is even better bc it soaks in really deep).
Glycolic acid and salicylic acid are chemical exfoliants, so a lot of physical scrubbing isn’t really necessary.
Step 3: Apply a antibacterial ointment like Neosporin to the area. You also might want to pick up a cheap antifungal cream and try that with the Neosporin or after if the Neosporin doesn’t help.
You might need to repeat a few times, but if none of that seems to be helping or you notice a red line spreading from your nail up your hand and arm, go to an ER ASAP.
The only other thing I can think of is maybe applying a little bit of something like a clay mask under the edge of your nails and seeing if you can draw it out. If it’s oil this might actually want to be something you try after step 2.
If you have access to one, ultra sonic cleaners. Pretty much bullet proof for cleaning nails
Hydrogen peroxide isn’t an effective degreaser or solvent or surfactant… It’s a good disinfectant…
Gojo or otherwise citrus cleaner or chemical degreaser would be the logical choices with a soft bristle brush. Dish soap is probably better than most bar soaps. Mineral oil or baby oil might help loosen things up.
After that maybe try topical hydrocortisone or diclofenac for inflammation.
I’ll second a vote for citrus cleaner/degreaser. I learned about it from my dad, who’s a (retired) mechanic. I keep a bottle of something called “Fast Orange” under the sink for situations like this, but I’m sure there are other brands that do the same thing (like Gojo.) It’s got a mild grit to it that helps scrub off gunk. The important thing is to use it when your hands are dry and only use water as a final rinse-off.
Hand washing dishes sometimes does the trick. The extended amount of time in the soapy water with soap that’s meant to cut grease, combined with the movement of actually washing the dishes will often help break down the dirt and push it out.
This has always been my go-to, has never failed me yet (plus, I get something useful done :-)
Time?
The way to fight inflammation is generally to leave a thing alone and stop irritating it. If some of the irritation is from harsh soaps or decreasers stripping your skin’s lipid barrier, a moisturizer may help. It might even actually help loosen some of the gunk if it is something oil soluable like grease.
Hydrogen peroxide will probably produce more irritation. It’s often not even recommended for disinfection these days because it causes damage to a wound along with disinfecting it.
Always wear gloves. No gloves, no work. Ever. Because this is not worth it.
You could try pushing your fingertips into something sticky that could pull out whatever is in there.
They will be inflammed because of the cleaning. You could try Vaseline to make a barrier.
But you’re pretty stuck with this until they heal. If significant swelling, go to emergency.
Idk, just keep washing your hands and cutting nails as usual and it should inevitably go away as the nail grows pushes it out?
The pointy end of a spudger usually works for me.
Spudgers in general are one of those tools that, at first, seem almost useless. Once you’ve used them for a dozen different things in the first few days/weeks, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them. I’m honestly shocked more people don’t know about them.
Need to pry something out of a tight space? Spudger.
Need to clean the speakers or charging port of your phone? Spudger.
Can’t quite scrape to the very edge of a squared indent? Spudger.
Can’t quite reach the reset button in that electronic device? Spudger.
Any time you’ve used a knife, pen/pencil, or screwdriver for anything other than their designed purposes, a spudger was probably the best tool for the job. I keep several in every room and use them all regularly.
I was about to suggest essentially what you already did : soap, warm water and a toothbrush. I have classical guitar nails so this is a common problem for me. About the inflammation, I would just apply some biafine or similar cream.
My nail clippers come with a fold-out, dull metal hook that’s the perfect shape for scraping out nail gunk.
Look for a pair like that, or usually nail files have something like it an the tip. In a pinch a dulled toothpick might work.
Maybe a pair of tweezers with thin ends too.
I don’t know if this is a good idea necessarily, but what I do to get grime out from under my nails is to (very carefully) scrape under the nail and across the quick with the tip of my pocketknife. it’s got a very sharp, narrow blade with a fine point. Between that and a heavy-duty degreaser soap, something you might find at a mechanic shop, I can usually get my nails clean enough to eat with in fairly short order.
I have cut myself under a nail using this method and that is very unpleasant so it’s probably not ideal, but it works well enough with a steady hand that I keep doing it. Been many years now since I’ve drawn blood.
If time isn’t a factor, I’ll just wash normally and let whatever doesn’t come off just sit under the nails for a while. eventually it’ll grow out and wash out on its own and I don’t have to go poking around. I only use the knife if I don’t feel comfortable letting whatever’s under my nails stay there. Garden dirt? Let it ride. Automotive fluid medley? Probably not great to absorb through the skin, gonna try to get that off quickly.
Most nail files have a pointed end that functions like your knife-tip, except it doesn’t have a razor sharp edge.
It might be a little late for OP, but I have a couple about the place for doing that sort of thing. Also actually filing my nails to discourage biting off sharp edges, which works about 75% of the time.
Utility knife for general scraping or a tweezers if something is actively poking me. But mainly I just try to keep my nails trimmed short enough that its not an issue.
Get a French manicure. Problem solved.
Fight fire with fire.
I use nails. Like a little penny nail.
Or something else equally skinny and regid. Paperclip. Staple. Steak knife. Whatever.
