Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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finger split

altoclef
altoclef
I have had a split in the tip of a finger for two or three weeks now, and it just won't go away. I saw a doctor the other day who asked why my finger was bandaged. When I told him, he asked if any of my meds could be causing it. Other than things being slower to heal on meth and a biologic, does anyone know anything?
hawkeye53
hawkeye53
Yes, used to get these every winter usually on multiple fingers and would take months to heal, not sure if related to RA meds as got these prior to starting RA meds. What I found that has helped the most was starting on a good amino acid supplement
51percent
51percent
My hubby gets horribly split fingertips in the winter. He's a trucker and holds on to a steering wheel all day...stress on fingers. And he doesn't have RA...just fingertip stress. But I get them too....suspect it's more age realted than RA.

What we both do it use Aquaphor. I buy 2 small jars of it in the fall and we both just dip our fingertips into the jar before bedtime and then rub it in and neither if us has had a single split finger this winter.....a first in over 30 years. I swear that by sticking our fingertips in, it gets under the nails and really hits the cuticles. Rubbing in on the entire hand relieves the chapped hands we both get. I've also put on light gloves after to keep it on the hands all night. Works equally well on the feet.

slippery hugs...........Jen..........Jen
51percent
51percent
Forgot...I buy a small jar for him and one for me so I don't accidentally pick up something from his hands I don't want.

Jen
AtHomeNow
AtHomeNow
Good suggestion: rub a thick cream into nail tips each night. Bag balm, Nivea or something equally thick. For splits I recommend New Skin. It's like a nail polish for skin. First thing in the morning, it'll guard you all day. May sting a bit at first, but it really helps. I hate playing the piano with those splits. Bloody keys are NOT my thing.
altoclef
altoclef
I've tried the superglue stuff, without much luck. It has worked for other things, but not this time. Current treatment has involved Neosporin and bandages 24/7. It will seem healed, but as soon as I try to leave it uncovered it opens up again. Annoying.
nonightshades
nonightshades
I used the liquid skin and it didn't do anything for me. I now use the "stick thing" you buy at the drug store (saw them in wally world the other day) to stop the bleeding from a cut received from shaving. Look in the men's shaving section, it looks like a piece of white chalk. Easy to muse and works really fast. For cuts that are deep and wide most likely not a good thing. Hope this helps.