Nailed it!

Healthy nails make good first impressions. Huge investments is not needed to get a good result and prevent infection.  

When it come to your nail health, one should be very careful about the treatments and products you are using.  The nail paint that you apply contains a lot of harmful chemicals that can damage your nails.  Healthy nails are uniform and consistent in colour, strength, smooth in texture, without any pits or discolouration. Health of the nail is determined when the nail plate and fold skin is free of inflammation and scaling.

One should look at some of these ‘toxic’ chemicals before buying a nail polish:
1. DBP (Dibutyl phthalate) used in nail polishes to minimise chipping is classified as endocrine disruptors. It has also been linked to cause reproductive issues and is banned in Europe.
2. TOLUENE: It helps keep the nail polish application smooth and gives it a great finish. However, it has been linked to causing neurological damage, decreased brain function, impaired breathing, headache, nausea and dizziness.
3. FORMALDEHYDE: This is considered as a ‘nail hardener’ as it helps harden and strengthen nail polishes, it is also used as a preservative that protects against bacterial growth. Large doses of formaldehyde can lead to throat, lung and blood cancer.

The nail cuticle protects nails and the surrounding skin from infection.

However, when it’s cut, it’s easier for bacteria, fungal elements and germs to get inside. This can lead to an infection. So instead of having them cut during your manicure and pedicure, you could rather just ask them to push back the cuticle and trim loose skin and hangnails.

Bugging the nail is like exfoliating the skin, if you do it too often and too aggressively it can certainly damage the nails plate and lead to the nails splitting at the areas of nails ridges.

–The writer is a dermatologist.