QuestionI had a manicure at my wife's beauty parlor. I believe that the manicurist filed my thumb nail down too low inthe R corner. Now i seem to get a callous that grows just under the nail.After a while it gets painfull and must be cut out by me.It keeps coming back, no one seems to know what to do. Do you have any suggestions?
AnswerDon't cut the callous. The callous is being caused by friction against the skin in that area. Everytime you cut the callous you trick the skin into believing it is being injured, which results in more callous. Your body builds the callous to protect the skin from friction. It's a vicious cycle.
You'll need to figure out what is causing the friction against the skin. Is the nail still too short? Is the friction from the nail rubbing against the skin as the nail tries to grow past that point? Or is the friction being caused by everyday activities, but there used to be a nail covering the area that protected the skin from friction?
It may not be possible to eliminate the friction, so you'll need to treat the callous properly to reduce its size roughness. Use a soft grit (180 to 240) grit nail file to gently buff the callous. Do not try to remove the callous completely, this will only result in soreness and increased callous production. Just buff it till it is smooth and not protruding or interfering with the nail growth. Rub some olive oil into the callous to keep the skin smooth and hydrated and this will help with the soreness.
Treat the callous delicately and buff and moisturize the callous on a regular basis. Once the nail has grown back to the point you were used to it, whatever friction that has been introduced should be eradicated and things should go back to the way they were before the manicure.
