Your nails tell a lot about your health or the lack of it! Many health problems have nails as the indicators or warning signs. If your nails are not healthy or pink and shiny, you might be in for some sort of health issue.  If you have cracked nails, discoloured nails, irregularities or very thick nails then you probably have some internal health problem.

Look for these indicators to get an idea-

1) Color of your nails : Pink or white nails are considered healthy. Dark spots on your nails? surface are not just a sign of aging but also indicate a risk of heart disease. Red color is a possible sign of heart infections and green colour usually indicates local fungal infection.

2) Brittle nails: If your nails are brittle and get cracked often, it is due to lack of folic acid, vitamin C and protein. In 10% of cases, psoriasis starts with the nails.

3) Furrow nails: Furrow nails are the ones which are irregular with a dent like appearance. It may indicate you of psoriasis or auto-immune illness which leads to hair loss. Thick furrow nails may signal a yeast infection.

4) Thick nails: Nails thicken in time. Thick nails are neither natural nor normal. If your nails are extremely thick, you probably it could be that your lungs are not healthy. It can also indicative of the fact that your body has poor circulation.

5) Curved nails: If your nails are curved and concave like shape it might signal either lack of iron or heart problems.



What Your Nails Tell About Your Health

People are often seen biting their nails in situations mostly when they are nervous or scared. But this habit of nail biting is extremely dangerous to health. Nail biting, also called onychophagy or onychophagia in a medical dictionary, is a sign of tumult and confusion, which leads to nervousness. In addition, this habit also disrupts the natural growth of nails.

Reasons why you must stop biting your nails:

Biting your nails helps the germs and bacteria enter directly into your mouth and then to your stomach. This is the reason kids are taught to wash hands properly with soap before and after meals.
This habit can raise the risk of ingrown nails (nails growing under the skin) or hangnails (open sores that can easily get infected), such problems are cured only through surgery.
It is bad for your oral health, as your teeth may start chipping or breaking. Plus, germs in your fingers could infect your gums, causing bad breath.
Biting can spoil the shape of your nails and slows down the actual growth.
If you have a wart, biting your fingernails raises the risk of spreading warts to other parts of your hands.
Now that you are aware of the harmful effects of biting nails, here are few tips to help you avoid biting your nails:

Keep them short: People tend to bite nails when they are long. Thus, keeping short nails will prevent nail biting. 
Keep yourself busy: Often people bite their nails when they are sitting idle. Keeping yourself busy helps you to forget the habit, and eventually overcome the habit.
Start using chewing gum: Another useful trick to prevent nail biting is to start chewing a gum.
Gradually stop biting your nails: Some doctors recommend taking a gradual approach in order to break the habit, begin with one set of nails, you can go ahead with your thumbnails first. Once you are successful, gradually move on to other fingernails.
Conclusion:
As per a study, it has been found that almost 70% of people have the habit of biting nails. After reading this article, they must realize the fact that nail-biting is extremely dangerous not only for your nails but for your overall health. Following the aforementioned tips can help you get rid of this habit. Of course, it will take time for you to stop this bad habit of nail-biting. But the fact is that it will save you from many diseases. It will also give your nails an even growth and beautiful appearance. In case of a query, you can consult an expert and get answers to your questions.

Nail Biting - Stop! Do You Know It Is Dangerous For Your Health?

Research has shown that nail paint contains chemical substances that can be harmful to the body. These chemicals can enter the body through the pores of the nails. The health eradication is applicable for people who are applying on their nails and salon workers who apply nail art to their clients, day in and day out. Here is one must know before applying the beautiful shades of color on the nails:

What are the harmful agent present in nail paint?
There are three dangerous industrial chemicals that are mixed with nail paint that is dibutyl phthalate, toluene, and formaldehyde. Owing to their notorious health implications, these chemicals are known as toxic-trio. Toluene is used as a solvent in nail polish that aids smoother finish and holds the pigment together from separating inside the bottle. It, however, affects the reproductive system and the central nervous system. Similarly, dibutyl phthalate and formaldehyde can cause a problem in breathing, internal hemorrhage etc.

Health Hazards: Regular to health care products-nail paint, in particular, can have a wide range of health implication. From skin irritation to an eye injury, allergic reaction to breathing problems once can face a lot of problems that are totally uncalled for. Research also indicate that regular exposure to nail paint crop up neurological problems, impair the process of body development, affect the reproductive system etc. Research conducted by the Cancer Prevention Institute, California showed that there is an increased risk of cancer for people who work at beauty care salon due to their increased exposure to beauty products.
Problems related to pregnancy: Frequent nail paint can lead to a premature pregnancy. Some other problems related to pregnancy include undersized babies, spontaneous birth of the baby and preterm delivery. There have been too many instances of failed pregnancies witnessed among beauty salon workers. Some other symptoms that are related to mail paint exposure that is seen during pregnancy include chronic headaches, very low appetite, lethargy etc.
Way forward: It is evident that nail paint can pose a serious threat to women in general. The best way to go forward is to choose a nail paint that has a low toxicity rating- preferably within 2. This can be a little challenging since most beauty products do not portray the toxicity rating. If the latter is not mentioned in the body of the product, go for a product, that states the absence of chemical product. Organic nail paints can be the best alternative to address the challenges of conventional nail paint.
However, the availability of organic nail paint is still a challenge. Not many companies sell it, the consumer base for these beauty products are thin as well.

Nail Paints - 3 Reasons You Must Stop Using Them!

Toenail fungus is a medical condition that begins as a yellow or white coloured spot under the tip of your toenail but goes on to discolour, thicken and crumble your toenail as the infection grows. If left untreated, the condition can go on from being mild to severely painful. Here are some sure-shot ways that can help you to get rid of your toenail fungus.

Non-surgical methods

1. Oral anti-fungal medications

Such drugs not only replace the infected part in the old nails but also help new nails to grow free from infection. The treatment may be time-consuming but it is definitely reliable. Oral anti-fungal drugs when combined with topical anti-fungal therapies serve to solve your ailment in the best possible manner.

2. Medicated nail polish

Anti-fungal nail polish is another non-surgical medical treatment for toenail fungus. It can be applied and re-applied on the infected nail at regular intervals.

3. Medicated nail cream

Topical anti-fungal creams prescribed by the doctor can be used to get rid of toenail fungus. It works best on thin nails.

Surgical treatment

1. Nail removal

Severe and painful toenail fungus can be best treated by removing the infected nail altogether. A new nail naturally and gradually grows in its place.


How to Rid Yourself of Toenail Fungus?

Fungal infections in nails are caused by an overgrowth of the fungi in your nails. When the growth of fungus happens on the fingernails or toenails, it is known as onychomycosis or tineaunguium. Here are the probable causes of why you might get a fungal nail infection:

Causes -

1. Diabetes
2. Problems in your circulatory system
3. Age
4. Artificial nails
5. Swim in public pools
6. Nail injuries
7. Skin injuries surrounding the nail
8. Fingers or toes which have been moist for an extended period of time
9. Immune system problems
10. Wearing shoes which have toes enclosed

It is also worth note that fungal infections happen much more frequently in your toenail as compared to your fingernail. This is because of two main reasons. The first reason is that fungi can grow very easily on your toenails because of the position. Your shoes are dark, warm and moist and therefore, perfect for the growth of fungi. The second reason for more fungal infections on your toenails as compared to your fingernails is because toes have less blood flow than fingers, thus making it harder for the immune system to fight off the infection.

Symptoms

Fungal infections in your nails are one of the easier infections to diagnose. This is because there are several symptoms which indicate you have this condition. Here are those symptoms.

1. Scaling underneath your skin
2. White or yellow streaks on your nails
3. Corners of the nail may crumble
4. Flaky surface of the nail
5. Yellow spots at the bottom of the nails
6. Loss of nail
7. A nail breaking off from the rest of the nails
8. An odour from the nail
9. Brittle or thick nails

Fungal Nail Infection - Know Symptoms Of It!

Nails are an important part of your physiology, although they are mostly used for either utilitarian purposes such as gripping or for beauty purposes such as nail decorations. Nails themselves can go through infections which need not have underlying causes and thus can cause damage to that part of the tissue. One such disorder of the nail is onycholysis.

What is onycholysis?
This is a disorder where the nail on the finger or the toes starts to separate from the skin below. This happens little by little and usually starts at the tip and then progresses backward. The further back it progresses, the more nail tissue it destroys. While the entire nail may not be detached from the nail bed, parts of it may chip off, showing the tissue underneath.

Symptoms of onycholysis:

Jagged border between the pink flesh of the nail bed and the yellow edge of the nail
Detached nails become opaque, yellow or may turn green in color
Nail may become irregular in shape and size
Bits and chunks of nails can break off easily
Primary causes for onycholysis:

Let's look at some of the primary causes of onycholysis:

Frequent trauma - if you have a profession or work at home where you constantly require tapping away, it might cause minute injuries to build up within the nails and the fingers. Tapping on keyboards is one area where you could get repetitive trauma like this.
Manicure problems - many salons may aggressively try to clean the underside of the nails and in the process, slowly dislodge the nail form the nail bed and cause onycholysis. This has known to be the case with many people.
Water immersion - if you have work where your nails are immersed in water for long periods of time, this could also affect the development of onycholysis.
Skin diseases - certain skin conditions can also end up giving onycholysis. Psoriasis and contact dermatitis are other conditions that may lead to onycholysis as a consequence.
Allergy to nail glue - many makeup artists and customers have complained that certain brands of nail glue can also cause allergies resulting in onycholysis.
Medications - medications meant for the treatment of other ailments within the body can have the unintended consequences of causing onycholysis.
Treatment-
The underlying problems need to be corrected which may cause onycholysis. Once the underlying problem is corrected, onycholysis usually corrects itself. The nail may take some time to re-grow but will grow back on its own eventually and may take 4 to 6 months to cover the entire affected area again.


All About Onycholysis

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