11/30/11

The Truth About Nails

Nails undergo a significant number of changes as we get older, including discoloration, increased curvature, and a reduction in the growth rate. The nails also become very brittle, lose their flexibility and start to split, peel, crack and/or become ridged. 

Keep in mind the dryness is made worse with exposure to chemicals, with excessive hand washing, and if undergoing manicures too frequently. 

Interestingly, nail polish can be beneficial to the nails as it slows the loss of moisture. However, if you have your nails done too often, the acetone and acetone-free products used to remove the polish are also very drying. 

What about the new gel manicure? A gel polish has to be heat ultraviolet-cured between each layer of polish. The advantage is that some gel manicures last 2 weeks or longer. The disadvantages are that there may be increased nail thickening and dryness from the UV light and the gel nails require being soaked in acetone for removal. It is possible that long-term use of gel nails may make the nails thinner and weaker.

Some good tips to avoid drying out the nails:
1. Start by moisturizing your nails, just like you moisturize your skin. Take the same moisturizer you use on your hands and rub it on your nails as well.
2. Wear gloves while washing the dishes.
3. Stick with formaldehyde-free nail polish and acetone-free nail polish remover.
4. Avoid getting manicures too frequently and take breaks from gel nail manicures every few months.