I have suddenly developed hideously itchy fingers around my nails, just below the nail bed and underneath the nail tip. At first I thought it might be a reaction to my shellac nail varnish which hadn’t cured properly but I’m not so sure it is now as it’s kept going and wouldn’t explain how it also affects the skin under my nail tip where the varnish doesn’t touch.
It’s kicking off worse in the evening and feels like a burning itch and is almost painful but I can’t think of any common denominator when it’s flaring up to determine if it’s a dermatitis type reaction. The area isn’t particularly swollen or red - my little fingers have a bit of red inflammation below the nailbed edge but the others have nothing. The itching does go down to the first fingerjoint on some of the fingers but not all of them. One little finger feels like there is a Whitlow down the side with pressure but there isn’t anything there.
Does anyone have any ideas what it could be or the best way to get rid of it? It’s driving me insane!
Forgot to add that this all started about the time that I came down with a uti and I finished the antibiotics about a week ago - I’m not sure on the timing but I certainly linked both in my mind. Not sure if they can be connected or not
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Hello
Just thinking aloud here. Are you photo sensitive? Could it be a lupus reaction to the curing light for your gel manicure? A photo sensitive reaction. Hence the itching and witlow?
I am photo sensitive and have worried about the UV light used in gel / shellac manicures.
I don’t have it done very often. 4 times a year? So have limited my exposure and that number of manicures I can handle.
But i am also aware that I had a very strange reaction at the dentist a year ago?? Where he did a deep filling and used the blue UV curing light a LOT setting it many times as he layered the deep filling. Felt very ill that night and have since discussed this with him. He’d never experienced it with a patient before but us lupies are weird and wonderful.
I might be way off the mark but it was the first thing I thought of.
Wendy x
I’m highly photosensitive and bizarrely can’t get them done at the salon because of this but am ok with my home kit as long as I don’t over do it - I know I really shouldn’t do them at all but vanity wins sometimes lol
This has been going on for about 3 weeks though and my reactions tend to be limited to during the exposure. It is still definitely a possibility and was my first suspicion but after this length of time without repeating the exposure it would be most unusual. I will definitely avoid doing them again until this has settled for sure though.
I know what you mean, about vanity. Lupus makes us feel unattractive and lack self confidence at times, so a manicure as a little pick me up, does more good than harm, I am sure.
On the point of you questioning if it was the sun, as the effects have carried on over 3 weeks, I have a friend who has SCLE and so reacts very badly in the sun. Once the rash has been kicked of by exposure to the sun, the rash continues to spread for weeks/mnonths until the meds get it under control. So it was just on sun exposed parts to start, arms, chest, neck, but once that allergic reaction to the UV was set off, the rash spread rapidly to her back and body that had not been exposed to them sun.
Like I said, I might be way off and it might well be an infection but you should go to your GP either way.
Best wishes
Wendy