Joan Warren on thu 5 jun 97
Hi Clayarters'
A" raku "friend asked me to post this; __
"Do other potters have problems with nail infections? What I assumed was nail
fungus turned out to be, according to a dermatologist, nail trauma, probably
caused by working with clay and water. It started out under one thumb, and then
spread to four other nails. The nail thickens, discolours, and lifts. The two
liquid medications I was given have not worked. His other suggestion was to
remove the nails down to where the damage ends, but I can't bring myself to
trying it. Any suggestions? "
Thanks Joan Warren.
katepwa@raven.bc.ca
sent via UUCP from: Raven Net, Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada
Toni Martens on fri 6 jun 97
I had a nail infection for YEARS. Even removing the whole darn nail
only helped for a little while. Medications did not work either.
Finally in desperation I tried a twofold approach and voila!
1) I treated the infected nails with Sourfig; carpobrotus edulis
Family: Mesembryanthemacaea. I pulped the leaves and put it on like a
poultice....it cleared up in less than a week. After years!
2) I use gloves when working with clay. I get examination gloves from
my vet. He orders them for me by the box (100 ambidextrous gloves)
it is much cheaper getting them this way. I also make sure the
gloves stay dry inside by using talcum powder liberally.
If you can lay your hands on sourfig it is well worth a try
as it is good for many things.
I am posting to the list as I know a lot of clay people have nail
problems.
Toni Martens
Cindy on fri 6 jun 97
Joan,
If you can't bring yourself to work on your nails, have a physician do the
work for you. A podiatrist might be a good choice, as they have the
necessary equipment and skills to work on thickened toe-nails. Such a
physician may have suggestions as to how you could prevent future trauma as
well.
Cindy Strnad
Marni Turkel on fri 6 jun 97
After many years of warped and deformed nails, I found that simply keeping
clear polish on my nails helped a lot. Years of constant wetting and
desicating from hours of daily throwing seemed to be the problem.
Marni Turkel
Stony Point Ceramic Design
Santa Rosa, California
Louis Katz on fri 6 jun 97
My wife had a similar problem with her toes. She was told to apply tea
tree oil daily. It worked apparently, although it could have been
coincidence. I have no idea what the active ingredient in tea tree oil is
or if it is safe, but you can probably get some at a health food store.
Louis
Louis Katz
Texas A&M University Corpus Campus
lkatz@falcon.tamucc.edu
http://www.tamucc.edu/~lkatz
jetharrs@pacific.telebyte.net on sat 7 jun 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I had a nail infection for YEARS. Even removing the whole darn nail
----snippage------
>Toni Martens
Thanks so much for posting this--I've had toe fungus for years and will go
in search of sourfig. Just a note: Watch out for the talcum powder. It's
lethal on the lungs.
What a cheery note : ^)
Jeanette Harris in Poulsbo WA
Tiggerbus on sat 7 jun 97
As a high school art teacher, I had students that were allergic to
specific types of clay and they developed contact dermatitis and some did
have sore nail beds. Those who had the rashes I bought a white clay and
this ended the rash problem for the few. We had been using a Georgia Red
Clay (Lizella) and it was packed with raw minerals (?) and grog...very
harsh on the youngsters skin. Those who had the nail bed problems were
the girls who wore the acrylic nails or students that had some sort of
nail growth. I told them to cut the nails back and clean them really well
with a nail brush that I provided by the sink.
My hubby is a doctor and he suggests that cleanliness is the key to
keeping all infections down or get rid of the irritating agent. But we
all know how we artists are about our mediums!!! Old habits die hard!
You may want to keep your sink supplied with anti bacterial soap and keep
your hands dry as much as you can to prohibit fungi growth!
Good luck!
amy
Amy Gossett in "Peachy" Rome, Ga. where the "hobbiers"
are all out to get me....NOT!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Reality is merely a crutch for those with a broken imagination..."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Candise Flippin on sun 8 jun 97
This brings back some very painful memories. About 10 years ago, I
experienced this type of trauma on all ten fingers. I saw a dermatologist
and here's what was done:
1) Cut all nails off down to the point of damage and continued to do so
until the nails started to adhere to the nail bed again; (I can not
emphase enough how sensitive that tissue is. It was never intended to be
exposed, but my doctor said I did not have a chance of recovery unless I
did this.)
2) Had a very small radiation treatment one time; (This was considered
experimental at the time, but was thought to help stimulate new healthy
growth of the nails.)
3) Massaged Erythromycin (antibiotic) and Cortisone creams onto
nail beds every day for 6 months.
I was lucky and this all worked. I have health and only slightly wavey
nails. They still are not very strong, but then they never were which is
probably why they were susceptable to damage in the first place. Clear
polish is very helpful as protection as someone else on the list
suggested. I tried gloves, but it just isn't the same. I have to feel
the clay to work with it.
I hope this helps. Thanks, Candise
Wendy Hampton on sun 8 jun 97
I have to sound ignorant but is Sourfig a plant?
RDpotz on sun 8 jun 97
Tea Tree oil is great and readily available, but don't use it neat: it's
very strong stuff. Use a few drops in a few ounces of carrier oil (nut or
seed oils are fine, but any non-mineral oil will do).
I don't have an exact reference for this, but I can ask on
alt.herbs.folklore! Try a dilution of 2 to 3 percent of Tea Tree oil in
your carrier oil. Will get back to you if you're interested.
Dawn
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