It can be tempting to cover up discolored or unsightly toenails with nail polish so the feet look more attractive, but by allowing the toenails to be oxygenated and leaving them periodically unpainted, they receive the crucial air exposure they need to stay healthy.
The nail plate is the hard part of the nail that appears on top of the skin. By removing the polish from your toenails, you expose the surface of your nails to the air. This literally allows them to breathe — and keeps them healthy.
Unfortunately, it can be bad to wear nail polish all of the time. Nail polishes may have harsh chemicals that cause damage to your nails. Some of these chemicals might even make your nail polish toxic.
In short, the answer is no. But there are caveats. Nails don't need surface access to air because they get oxygen and nutrients from your blood. Keeping nails hydrated is important if yours are prone to breakage, and a pause in polishing to moisturize would help.
She recommends using a cuticle oil on your toenail cuticles and on your toenails when they are bare. Try to find a cuticle oil with vitamin E oil and rub it in to the toenail once every few days. Another great way to hydrate your feet is to slather lotion on your feet, then put on fuzzy socks.
But does nail polish help or hurt nail growth in any way? As it turns out, lacquer doesn't play a role in nail growth, but it can assist with overall nail health: It shields them: "Nail polish can act as a barrier against nails splitting or cracking.
A healthy toenail is a shade of pale pink, much like your fingernail. Any yellowing or tinges of black color means something is not right. For example, if your toenails become yellow, you probably have a fungal infection. Yellowing can also be the result of smoking or a side effect of diabetes or a liver condition.
Toenails don't get any nutrients or oxygen from the air; they get it from your bloodstream. So, they don't need to breathe, but they do need a break from polish for other reasons.
“Nails do not need to 'breathe,” says Dr. Dana Stern, an NYC dermatologist and nail specialist who also has her own line of nail care products and polishes. “This is a myth! Nails receive their nutrients, oxygen, and blood supply from the blood stream and not from the air.”
How long should you let your nails breathe between polish depends on the product you use and the condition of your nails. If you notice that they're not smooth, lost their colour and became weak, take a 3-4 week break.
Yet, most healthcare facilities have policies in place that ban nail polish and artificial nails altogether. The reason for that is the possibility of introducing germs to the patient and causing an infection.
Nail varnish may chip and tiny pieces end up in food, or on equipment, utensils and food wrappings. Strong smells from toiletries and perfumes may get into foods and change their flavour (taint). This means you will not be able to use the food and end up throwing it away which will be expensive for your business.
So remember to take a break every three or four weeks to help our nails restore and build back some strength.
That toenails are now purely cosmetic is a point of view that not everyone agrees with. “Toenails serve a purpose in protecting the tip of your toe and protecting the blood vessels and nerves at the tip of the toe,” said John Krebsbach, D.P.M., a podiatrist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Actually, he's my podiatrist!)
White nails could signal liver disease or diabetes. Pale nails could mean anemia.
Your nail has become dehydrated and the white spots you see are actually called Keratin Granulations. Nail polish can contain harsh chemicals such as acetone, which can dry out your nails leading to this appearance when your nail polish comes off.
Choose soak-off gel nails instead of acrylic nails.
While gel nails can cause nail brittleness, peeling, and cracking, they're more flexible than acrylic nails. This means your own nails are less likely to crack. You'll want to ask for gel nails that soak off rather than ones that must be filed off.
Long nails can cut into adjoining toes and this can lead to infection. Long nails are also more prone to pushing against footwear and this can cause trauma to the nail plate and lead to thickened toenails. Excess pressure on toenails can also lead to corns and callus developing underneath the nail plate, causing pain.
Keratin granulations are dehydrated superficial layers of nail cells that result in white, rough, and uneven dry patches on the top of the nail. Prolonged use of nail polish – as well as acetone-based nail polish removers – dries out the surface of your toenails and can lead to these keratin granulations.
Feet smell because they're home to over 250,000 sweat glands. This sweating can lead to smelly toenails. Although foot odor tends to be more common in people with certain skin conditions, anyone can experience smelly feet.
Speaking of protection, toenails serve a function similar to wearing armor as well. Nails are meant to protect the pointier bones beneath them from harm by adding a stronger, harder extra layer to keep them safe.
Nuances from the nude range such as cream or beige are considered particularly attractive. Well-kept nails with transparent polish or in light shades of pink are also particularly appealing to men.
Nail psoriasis sometimes causes too much keratin to grow under the nail. This overgrowth is called subungual hyperkeratosis. People with hyperkeratosis may notice a white, chalky substance under the nail. When this occurs in the toenails, the pressure of shoes pushing down on the nails might cause pain.
Bright Red, Coral Pink, Hot Pink, Turquoise, Cobalt blue, Navy, Emerald Green, Fuchsia, Black, and White in the brightest of brightest hues on your toes will marry back best of all.