Nail Care

Over the last hundred years, the nails have become more important for cosmetic reasons and less important for protection.

Keeping your hands looking clean, feminine, and polished does not require weekly trips to the manicurist! Find easy nail care tips to get the perfect nails you have always wanted..

Grime
No need for grimy mitts. Just give your hands a scrub with mild soap and warm water before you go out, using a nailbrush to get the gunge out from under your nails. Oil on hands and under nails can be got rid of with a bit of swarfega, or other cleansing agents.

Infections
If your nails go crumbly and whitish or yellowish and separate slightly from the nail bed then it could be a nail fungus infection. Speak to your doctor, who can prescribe an anti-fungal paint to get rid of it. If you get hangnails or loose skin down the side of the nail, trim it off with sharp scissors to reduce the risk of the skin tearing or infections getting into the skin.

Basic Nail Care

• Wash hands with mild soap, using a nailbrush.
• Soak the hands in warm water for a few minutes to soften the cuticles (the bits of skin at the bottom of the nails).
• Very gently push back the cuticles if they are long and ragged.
• Trim the nails to the same length, cutting off any snaggy or spiky bits.
• File the ends of the nails to smooth them off.
• If your hands are dry, apply some hand cream (it doesn't have to be the girly stuff that stinks of flowers, lads).

Don't Bite!
Nail bitting isn't exactly seductive, try an anti-biting nail paint. Tastes absolutely disgusting, but will stop you putting your fingers in your mouth so often.

• Beau's lines — Indentations that run across your nail. This can appear when growth at the matrix (nail root) is disturbed by severe illness such as a heart attack, measles, or pneumonia.
  
• Clubbing — Your fingertips widen and become round while the nails curve around your fingertips. Caused by enlargement in connective tissue as compensation for a chronic lack of oxygen. Lung disease is present in 80 percent of people who have clubbed fingers.
  
• Half-and-Half (Lindsay's nails) — Look for an arc of brownish discoloration. May appear in a small percentage of people who have a kidney disorder.
  
• Onycholysis — The nail separates from the nail bed. Most of the time, this problem is associated with physical injury (trauma), psoriasis, drug reactions, fungal disease or contact dermatitis from using nail hardeners. Sometimes onycholysis can be related to an over - or under-active thyroid gland, iron deficiency, or syphilis.
  
• Spoon nails — Soft nails that look scooped out. Depression is usually large enough to hold a drop of liquid. This condition often indicates iron deficiency.
  
• Terry's nails — The nail looks opaque and white, but the nail tip has a dark pink to brown band. This can be a symptom of cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, adult-onset diabetes, cancer, or aging.

Protect your nails from water. Keep your hands out of H2O, since water can actually dry out nails, causing them to split. Be sure to wear gloves when doing dishes or cleaning.

Apply hand cream religiously. Look for a rich formula, which will seal moisture into nails, making them stronger and more flexible. And be sure to slather on cream every time you wash your hands. Dermatologists often recommend Elon Lanolin-Rich Nail Conditioner.

Limit use of nail polish remover. It contains alcohol and other chemicals which make nails brittle. Use remover no more than once a week.

Buff instead of polish. Nail polish can have a drying effect on weak nails. To get a shiny, polished effect, try a buffer. The friction it creates actually stimulates nail growth.

Keep nail length manageable. Go for no more than a quarter-inch beyond the tip of your finger, and keep nails filed into resilient soft ovals.

If you try the above with no success, consult a dermatologist.

An ingrown toenail is caused by pressure of the nail against the skin on the side of the nail. Prolonged periods of pressure can cause irritation of the skin, swelling, infection, and pain. Ingrown nails are seen mainly in the big toes of people in industrialized nations. People in cultures that don't wear shoes rarely get ingrown nails.

Causes of Ingrown Toenails

There are several factors that can lead to an ingrown toenail. The first is an abnormality of the soft tissue on the side of the nail. Certain rare diseases can cause a laxity of the skin, but the most common soft tissue abnormality is that seen with tight-fitting shoes. The shoes cause overcrowding of the toes pushing the soft tissue against the edge of the nail. Another common factor that can lead to ingrown toenails is nail abnormalities.

Improperly cutting the toenail, cutting it short and curved, can cause the nail edges to turn in. Certain conditions such as lung disease, advancing age, and poor circulation in the extremities from blocked blood vessels can cause the nail to curve. Other less common factors that can lead to ingrown nails are bone spurs under the nail, trauma to the nail, multiple infections, and drugs such as indinavir.

Appearance of Ingrown Toenails

There are three stages of ingrown toenails. In the first stage the skin on either side of the nail is red and painful to the touch. This is due to inflammation or irritation only - not infection. In the second stage the skin is infected and may bulge over the side of the nail. The affected area may ooze clear fluid or pus. In the third stage the skin has been infected for a prolonged time and is trying to heal itself. The skin does this by forming granulation tissue. This is heaped up extra red tissue that bleeds easily and migrates over the nail edge.

Diagnosis of Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails are diagnosed clinically by their appearance. If pus is present, it may be cultured to determine the bacteria involved, but this is not always necessary. Infections that involve the bone or joint space may need to be ruled out with an X-ray, but this extent of infection is rare.

Treatment of Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails are treated based on the stage involved. Toenails in stage 1 can be treated with warm soaks, a cutout shoe, and by elevating the nail with a cotton swab. Symptoms improve after a couple of days, but may not resolve for 2 to 3 weeks. Toenails in stage 2 can be treated with warm soaks and oral antibiotics. Closed-toed shoes and hosiery should not be worn for at least 1 week. If the toenail is especially painful, a portion of the toenail may need to be removed. This is done in the office under local anesthesia. Toenails in stage 3 need to be treated with partial or full toenail removal. For recurrent instances of ingrown nails, the nail bed can be ablated. This is done by placing phenol on a cotton swab and inserting it under the cuticle remaining after the nail has been removed. The phenol kills the matrix cells that make the nail plate.

Diabetics and Ingrown Toenails

People with diabetes must pay close attention to their feet. Diabetics can develop peripheral neuropathies and loose the sensation in their feet. They are also predisposed to getting unusual infections because of the changes in their immune systems. Finally, diabetes can cause the toenails to thicken and curve under leading to ingrown toenails. For all of these reasons, people with diabetes should report any redness around the toenails to their health care provider even if they don't have pain. Diabetics with thickened toenails should see a podiatrist to have their nails trimmed under antiseptic conditions.

Tip 1: Check your polish.
Old polish can become clumpy and thick, causing uneven application and bubbles. If your polish has become thick, add a few drops of polish thinner to the bottle and shake well. (Note: Don't use nail polish remover to do this!) Or treat yourself to a new bottle.

Tip 2: Start with clean nails.
If yours have traces of lotion or cuticle oil on them, polish won't stick evenly and will chip more readily. Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol or nail polish remover to clean the surface of nails before you paint.

Tip 3: Begin with a base coat.
A base coat smoothes out nail ridges, and allows polish to go on more evenly. A base coat also protects nails from becoming stained when you wear dark polish.

Tip 4: Watch your brush.
As you remove your brush from the bottle, carefully wipe one side of the brush along the bottle's neck. This removes excess, bubble-producing nailcolor.

Tip 5: Apply in minimal sweeps.
Apply color from cuticles to tips in three swipes: One in the middle, and one on either side of the nail. You may need to use more strokes, but keep in mind that the fewer sweeps of color, the more even the result.

Tip 6: Clean up as you go.
It's inevitable that you'll wind up with some polish on the skin around your nails. Use a wooden nail stick to quickly swipe away the excess as you go.

Tip 7: Finish it off with a top coat.
A top coat seals the polish onto your nails and gives a high-shine finish (which can camouflage streaks or small bubbles).

Tip 8: Allow ample drying time.
Set aside at least an hour of hands-off time for nails to dry. And remember that while they may feel dry to the touch after that time, nails can still be tacky and more prone to nicking for a few hours afterward.