NAILS DISEASE

You don’t always have to turn to the professionals at the nail salon to get healthy and beautiful nails. Sure, the pros do a great job and use the best products, but most of those items contain harsh chemicals that you normally wouldn’t want anywhere near you. If you’re more wary about chemicals coming into contact with your nails, there are plenty of do-it-yourself nail care recipes you can follow that are completely natural.

Suffering from unsightly yellow nails? Instead of spending money on products with hard to pronounce ingredients on the label, all you’ll need is whitening toothpaste and lemon juice. That’s it! In order to create your own nail whitener, simply mix two teaspoons of whitening toothpaste with one teaspoon of lemon juice until it forms a paste. Next, apply the paste to your nails. Leave the mixture on for about five minutes and then rinse off completely under lukewarm water. While the lemon juice works to remove the yellow tinge on your nails, the whitening toothpaste buffs the nail beds as well as brightens your nails’ natural color.

Everyone likes clean, well-manicured and polished nails. In fact, strong and healthy nails serve as the perfect representative of the overall health and fitness of a person. Though most of the people are unaware of the fact, nails too need to be taken well care of. Eating a healthy diet is as important for your nails as for the vital organs of your body. It is important to include certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in your daily diet to ensure that your nails remain healthy and look beautiful. At the same time, you need to make sure that you do not put undue stress on them, by using them as tools for picking, plucking, and so on. To get some more tips for healthy nails, go through the following lines.

• If your nails are too brittle and dry, you should increase the consumption of food that items rich in vitamin A (such as apricots, broccoli, carrot and cheese) and calcium (such as milk, yoghurt, cheese and almonds).
• Every night, before you go off to sleep, wash your hands thoroughly, wipe them dry with a towel and apply a hand moisturizer. Thereafter, rub a small amount of petroleum jelly into the cuticle as well as the skin surrounding your nails.
• Whenever you are indulging in any kind of housework, be it doing the dishes or scrubbing the bathroom, make sure to wear hand gloves. This will prevent unnecessary chipping and save your nails from the harsh cleaners as well.
• Drink plenty of water and fresh fruit juices. It will help keep your body, and in turn your nails, well hydrated.
• Carrot juice is rich in calcium and phosphorus and helps strengthen your nails. So, try to consume as much fresh carrot juice as is possible for you.
• Never ever use an acetone-based or formaldehyde-based nail-polish remover. Rather, stick to a remover that has acetate in it.
• Do not file you nails just after you have had a shower or have washed your hands. This is because wet nails tend to break easily.
• While filing your nails, make sure to go in one direction only. Do not move the filer in a back-and-forth motion, as it makes your nails brittle.
• If you want to keep your nails strong and shiny, resort to nail buffing. It augments the blood supply to the nail, in turn stimulating its growth.
• Stay away from artificial nails as much as possible. Apart from destroying the underlying nail with their chemicals and glue, they might also lead to fungal infection of the fingernails.
• If you are suffering from the problem of hangnails, it is advisable to eat food rich in protein, vitamin C and folic acid.
• Ensure that half of your diet is made up of fresh fruits and raw vegetables. This will supple your nails with the required vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
• Supplementing your diet with spirulina and kelp will help make your nails strong and healthy.

•  Nail Care
• Take care of your nails between salon visits.
• File your nails regularly and always keep them short.
• If your nails are exposed to chemicals, moisture, water, etc, it could result in split peeling nails or allergic reaction. Wear rubber gloves to protect your nails or coat them with some cotton.
• Never use something like scissors for both for infected and non infected nails

Beau's Lines are nails that are characterized by horizontal lines of darkened cells and linear depressions.  This disorder may be caused by trauma, illness, malnutrition or any major metabolic condition, chemotherapy or other damaging event, and is the result of any interruption in the protein formation of the nail plate. Seek a physicians diagnosis.

Onychorrhexis are brittle nails which often split vertically, peel and/or have vertical ridges.  This irregularity can be the result of heredity, the use of strong solvents in the workplace or the home, including household cleaning solutions.  Although oil or paraffin treatments will re-hydrate the nail plate, one may wish to confer with a physician to rule out disease.

Paronychia infections of the nail fold can be caused by bacteria, fungi and some viruses. The proximal and lateral nail folds act as a barrier, or seal, between the nail plate and the surrounding tissue.  If a tear or a break occurs in this seal, the bacterium can easily enter.  this type of infection is characterized by pain, redness and swelling of the nail folds.  People who have their hands in water for extended periods may develop this condition, and it is highly contagious.

A Hematoma is the result of trauma to the nail plate.  It can happen from simply trapping your finger or toe in the car door to friction from  improperly fitting or 'too-tight' shoes, to a sports related injury.  A hammer does a pretty good job at causing a hematoma as well!  The nail bed will bleed due to this trauma, and the blood is trapped between the nail bed and the nail plate.  A hematoma may also indicate a fractured bone.  Many people who participate in sports activities experience hematoma because of the constant friction from the shoes against the toenails.  Hematoma may result in nail plate separation and infection because the blood can attract fungi and bacteria.  If several days have passed and the blood clot becomes painful, the nail plate may require removal so the nail bed can be cleansed.

 exis are brittle nails which often split vertically, peel and/or have vertical ridges.  This irregularity can be the result of heredity, the use of strong solvents in the workplace or the home, including household cleaning solutions.  Although oil or paraffin treatments will re-hydrate the nail plate, one may wish to confer with a physician to rule out disease

 ronychia infections of the nail fold can be caused by bacteria, fungi and some viruses. The proximal and lateral nail folds act as a barrier, or seal, between the nail plate and the surrounding tissue.  If a tear or a break occurs in this seal, the bacterium can easily enter.  this type of infection is characterized by pain, redness and swelling of the nail folds.  People who have their hands in water for extended periods may develop this condition, and it is highly contagious.

Vertical Ridges are also characteristic of aging, although are not limited to the aged or elderly.  The nail plate grows forward on the nail bed in a 'rail and groove' effect, much like a train rides on its' tracks.  As we age, the natural oil and moisture levels decline in the nail plate, and this rail and groove effect becomes apparent.  Ridged nails will improve through re-hydration of the nail plate with twice daily applications of a good quality nail and cuticle oil containing Jojoba and Vitamin E.