Nails and nails

Not As Hard As Nails

Tuesday 21 May 2013

I was about to write about something completely different this week, then I noticed the date – just over four years to the day since I published my first article at Suite101.com.

What happy, innocent times those were! The ceaseless stat-checking, the thrill of my first page view, the unbridled joy when I earned my first cent!

I couldn’t let the occasion pass unmarked, and what better way than to reproduce that very first article here!* This was just the beginning of a whole series of pieces on nail health and care; I got so keen on the subject, I even considered collecting them together on a dedicated website, though like most of my Big Ideas, that went nowhere. Just like my career at Suite, really.

Cosmetic Cuticle and Nail Problems

Red fingernailsWell maintained fingernails look good and help you feel great, but as extensions of the skin they are easily damaged. Nails are made of keratin, one of the body’s strongest tissues, but they are surprisingly vulnerable to careless treatment.

Cuticle Care Helps Prevent Nail Damage

Many nail problems begin in the cuticle – not surprising, as this where new nail growth appears. White spots are a common nuisance. They are usually caused by minor damage to the nail, including too much prodding and poking of the cuticles. Avoid pushing back the cuticles when giving yourself a manicure and the spots should disappear, though it can take six months for new nail to grow from base to tip.

Hangnails, ridges and pits can also result from rough use of manicure tools. Remove hangnails with sharp cuticle scissors (never bite them off), then regularly massage in a cuticle moisturizer to help prevent them in future. Ridges and pits can occur when growth at the cuticle is interrupted. They will grow out in time, though they can have other causes that you might want to see your doctor about (see below).

Nail Polish and Acrylic Nails Can be the Problem, Not the Cure

You might decide to apply nail colour or false nails to hide cosmetic flaws, but these can cause problems of their own. Prolonged use of coloured nail polish can cause yellow staining, though this can be avoided by applying a clear base coat.

More seriously, constant use of nail polish can interfere with the natural evaporation of moisture through the nails, and this can create the ideal conditions for nail fungus to grow. Peeling, thickening and even loss of the nail can follow, so it is important to see your doctor if any discoloration spreads over the surface of a nail. Acrylic nails can have the same effect. If you use artificial nails, always remove them carefully to avoid damaging the nail plate.

Tips for Nail Manicure

A few simple rules can help you achieve beautiful nails without problems. Always make sure your manicure tools are clean before you start. Keep your nails short and follow the natural curve of the fingertip when filing them; long, pointed nails are more likely to break. Never try to clean under the nail with metal tools – this can cause the nail to separate from its bed, which can lead to infection.

Above all, be gentle. The saying is “hard as nails”, but those nails are delicate structures that need proper care and attention to look their best.

Never Ignore Signs of Fungal Nail Disease or Other Disorders

People often think of nails as “lifeless”, but their colour, shape and condition can reflect various health problems.

  • Fungal nail disease is common. It spreads from person to person and can cause discoloration, crumbling and thickening of the nail, but is easily treatable with tablets prescribed by the doctor.
  • Pitting, thickening and lifting of the nail can be a sign of eczema, or the inflammatory skin condition psoriasis.
  • A form of malignant melanoma can develop within the nail, causing dark streaks, pain and bleeding.
  • Changes in the shape or colour of the nails can indicate problems with the circulation, the lungs or even the liver.

Most nail problems are harmless and easily treated by attention to hygiene and proper nail care. If you are worried about any problem, however, do not hesitate to see your doctor for advice.

For Beautiful Hands, be Kind to Your Nails

You may think your nails are in urgent need of attention when you spot a cosmetic problem such as peeling or a hangnail, but this is not always the case. A gentle manicure, done with care and using the proper tools, always gives better results than hasty prodding and poking.

*I originally wrote this article as an exercise for a writing course (another endeavour that fizzled out), so this is its third incarnation. People say you should never throw away anything you write, though maybe that’s not always true…

Nails and nails by Gracey
Red fingernails by J. Durham

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I had a tooth out last week. Apart from a couple of wisdom teeth under general anaesthesia, this was my first dental extraction since I was sixteen, so I was looking forward to sweetening (quite literally) the occasion in the traditional manner, with large amounts of (dairy-free) ice cream.

And then I couldn’t.

Because three days before my dentist appointment, I learned from my doctor that I probably have type 2 diabetes, and healthy eating (i.e. no ice cream, dairy free or otherwise) was suddenly very much on the menu.

Not that my diet is that unhealthy. As a vegan, it’s difficult to eat too much cholesterol, for example. I’d hoped my diet might save me, but genetics have clearly triumphed and I have followed various relatives down the path of insulin resistance. And of course, eating a vegan diet reduces your diabetes risk by 60%, not 100% (if it did, everyone would be doing it, wouldn’t they? wouldn’t they?)

Never mind, I’ve always been vegan “for the animals” rather than for my own benefit. I’ve survived for ages without cheese and dairy ice cream, as I survived without fish and chips when I went vegetarian 20 years ago – and as I think I’ll continue to survive with a few fewer cakes and chocs. Well, that’s the idea, isn’t it?

Apparently, stress can worsen type 2 DM. So I’ve started May with a mid-year resolution to chill out more and worry less about many things, including how often I write on this blog. I blame the dearth of posts last month on my general fatigue and rundownness, so you might find me here more regularly now – you lucky people, you! And with my new relaxed attitude, I might not be so obsessed with achieving perfection in every post.

What do you mean, you’ve never noticed that before?

Image by G. Fonseca

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Spring Forward, Step Back

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Thursday 31 January 2013
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Our beautiful, darling cat Snofru died last Thursday, a few weeks short of his 17th birthday. We were together since he was 10 weeks old and I always felt we were the perfect human/feline companions: both a little bit scratchy and odd, neither of us understood – except by each other. In the darkest time [...]

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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Sunday 20 January 2013
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I hadn’t heard of The Next Big Thing Blog Hop before the lovely Alison Strachan from Writing My Truth very kindly nominated me for that honour in a post on her blog last week. Now I know it’s an opportunity for writers to tell the world what they’re working on. Alison’s current WiP (working title [...]

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Y, Oh Y?

Thursday 10 January 2013
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Unlike normal, comfort-craving felines, Dottie (the Grubbiest Cat in the World) enjoys nothing better than cramming himself into the smallest, hardest space he can find and crouching there for days on end, as if punishing himself for some misdemeanour long past but not forgotten – committed in Paris, perhaps, or during his carefree Québécois kittenhood [...]

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