9 everyday habits that are ruining your nails

According to dermatologists, the best time for your nails is now. It is in summer that they grow fastest and delight with their brilliance and strength. But some things can ruin everything. These are the habits you follow every day!

Habit 1: Biting your nails

Children and teenagers are not the only ones who suffer from onychophagia, the habit of biting nails. Many adults do this too. In addition to harming the beauty of the nails, it can cause more serious health effects.

Manicurist Jin Soon Choi says that over time this habit leads to the appearance of ridges on the nails, thinning of the nail plates. Not to mention that dirt and bacteria can additionally create problems.

On a note!

The color of nails, their shape, size and strength can tell a lot about a person’s health. For example, nails that are bluish in color may indicate lung problems.

Habit 2: Trim your cuticles

Once upon a time, a cut manicure was in fashion, today it has been replaced by another trend — the removal of everything superfluous with the help of a remover and an orange stick. However, not everyone has changed their habits — some people continue to wield sharp tools.

“This leaves the nail cuticles dry and inflamed, vulnerable to infection. And recent research by scientists suggests that trimming the cuticle provokes the formation of “waves” on the nails over time,” the manicurist warns Kathy Jane Hughes.

Fact!

The cuticle plays an important role in maintaining healthy nails. It protects the root of the nail from infection.

Habit 3: Scraping off chipped polish

“Many of the fair sex scrape off the varnish with their nails as soon as chips appear on the surface of the plates. And this is instead of removing it with a special liquid, ”says the manicurist Jin Soon Choi.

Ultimately, this habit leads to damage to the top layer of the nail, which is why the nails grow brittle and brittle in the future.

By the way!

Fingernails grow at different rates. The nail grows fastest on the middle finger, and slower on the thumb.

Habit 4: Wear gel polish for more than 3 weeks

Gel polish looks beautiful and lasts for a long time, but neglecting to change the coating in a timely manner harms the nails. Each “extra” day contributes to even greater adhesion of the varnish to the plate, and therefore its removal can cost her dearly. Recent studies also show alarming data. It turns out that when the coating is worn for longer than 2-3 weeks, dangerous substances are released that can lead to allergic dermatitis and bronchial asthma in humans.

“Removing such a coating weakens the nails, contributes to their damage, especially if the manicurist does this by filing. Acetone liquid, which is also used to remove the coating, serves as an additional source of problems, as it dries the nails and contributes to their thinning, ”explains the manicurist Kathy Jane Hughes. When removing a coating that has been overexposed, it takes not 15 minutes of exposure, as the technology allows, but 20-30 or even more.

Did you know?

During times of stress, nail growth slows down, and they may even stop growing completely. But as soon as the situation changes for the better, the nails grow back, however, transverse lines may appear on their surface.

Habit 5: Contact with detergents

Using cleaners and detergents without wearing gloves is a big mistake. “In the water, the nails expand, which leads to chipping of the varnish and weakening of the nails,” the manicurist warns. Kathy Jane Hughes. — If at this time you use cleaning and washing products, the nails become defenseless against the aggressive components in their composition. In addition, it leads to dryness and dehydration of the skin of the hands. A pair of good gloves is all you need to forget about these problems.

By the way!

About 10% of all dermatological diseases known to science are associated with nails.

Habit 6: Wear gel polish non-stop

“When you remove gel polish that has been worn for too long, you can see white spots on the nails, while the nails are very dry and thin,” says the manicurist. Jin Sun Choi. — This suggests that the plates are damaged and need time to recover.”

Many experts advise taking a break of 105 days after every six months of wearing the coating. During this time, new nail plates grow completely, which again provides a field for experimentation.

Did you know?

Men’s nails grow faster than women’s. But this rule has an exception: if a woman is in a position, everything happens exactly the opposite.

Habit 7: Polish your nails too often

For smoother and even nails with beautiful glossy tints, many women resort to the help of special polishing files — buffs. But a big mistake is to use them more than once every two weeks!

With frequent use, a coarse buff removes the top layer of the nail, which makes the plates brittle and brittle. This quickly leads to damage to the nails and requires a long recovery. For polishing nails, you need to use only tools with a soft coating — they add shine to the nails without unpleasant consequences.

Fact!

Fingernails grow about 3.5 mm per month, while toenails grow only 1.5 mm.

Habit 8: Ignore hand protection

The living part of the nail, the matrix, is located at the base of the nail bed. Her health, and hence the proper formation of nails, depends on the condition of the skin of the hands. “Our hands age the fastest because we tend to neglect them,” says the manicurist. Jin Soon Choi. “Wrinkles, folds and age spots appear on them early.” It is very important not only to moisturize them in a timely manner, but also to protect them from ultraviolet radiation.

Research shared by the publication Archives of Dermatology, showed that drying nails for ten minutes under a UV lamp, when repeated, increased the risk of skin cancer! Therefore, you need to use a cream with SPF not only on the street, but also indoors if you are getting a manicure.

On a note!

Under the nail bed are tiny blood vessels called capillaries. The blood that moves through them helps the nails grow and gives them a natural pinkish hue.

Habit 9: Go on strict diets

If the eyes are the mirror of the soul, then nails can tell a lot about the health of the body. “The use of poor and harmful food contributes to the growth of thin and weak nail plates. The more varied your diet, the stronger the nails, ”says the manicurist Kathy Jane Hughes.

To improve the health of nails, you need to include healthy foods in the menu more often: fresh vegetables, berries, fruits and herbs, gelatin-based products and high-quality protein (fish, meat, legumes, dairy products). Do not forget about the correct drinking regimen and, if necessary, take complex vitamins recommended by the doctor.

Did you know?

Your nails are made of keratin, a special type of protein. It is keratin that protects the legs from accidental damage, makes them strong and elastic.

Expert comment

Irina Novikova, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Disciplines and Pharmacognosy, TSPU (Tula)

Today I will talk about the habits that are bad for your nails. I arranged them in order of occurrence, based on my practice as a podologist.

Smoking

Smokers tend to have yellow brittle nails. The nicotine is absorbed into the plates and skin, thereby causing discoloration. Undermining the health of nails and harmful resins that are contained in cigarette smoke. Toxic substances accumulate in the nail structure and destroy it.

Use of household chemicals without gloves

Chemistry destroys our skin and, of course, its appendages — nails. They become thin, brittle, brittle. This habit is present in 90% of women, it is a pity that ladies are so disrespectful to their hands.

Using nails as tools

How to rub the stove when the fat has frozen on it? Well, nails, of course!

But they are not designed for such use and quickly break down.

Nail biting

Not quite a habit, but rather a disease — onychophagia. This is a compulsive action, manifested by biting the nails and adjacent soft tissues. In this case, the nails lose their shape, grow in and grow much more slowly. By the way, this habit is dangerous not only for the nail plate, but also for the whole organism, since microorganisms can be under the nails. Once in the body, they cause a number of diseases: bacterial infection, colds, fungal infections.

Improve yourself! Give up such bad habits, and your nails will be healthy.

Expert comment

Evgenia Zaitseva, orthopedic surgeon, full member of the Society of the Order of Italian Physicians

One of the bad habits that ruins nails is the wrong choice of shoes. If you wear tight, uncomfortable shoes with a narrow toe, then discomfort will not take long. Due to the mechanical pressure on the nail plate, not only the nail itself suffers, but also small joints, which over time will begin to become inflamed from friction.

The greater the pressure of the shoe, the less oxygen the nail plate receives, which results in a decrease in the blood supply to this area. This directly affects both the growth of nails and the already grown nail, provoking the appearance of hematomas, as a result, a zone of lysis (destruction) can form.

If a mechanical traumatic effect occurs over several years, then this can also affect the shape of the fingers.

In addition, tight and uncomfortable shoes, shoes made of poor quality materials, can provoke the growth of infection (for example, fungal). It damages the nail and can become chronic. Comfortable shoes made of high-quality, well-ventilated materials solve this problem, plus it is necessary to systematically disinfect shoes. Especially carefully monitor this is for people with excessive sweating of the legs.