How To Take Care Of Nail Health 

Nails significantly reveal about your overall health.When well taken care of, nails not only look good but they also help you stay healthy.
Follow these tips for a shining nails.
1. Moisturize - Use a Hand-Nail cream regularly to avoid ragged cuticles and flakey skin. Moisture keeps your nails in a good shape.

2. Mild Soaps - Use specially formulated hand foams to wash your hands. Certain anti-bacterial soaps can strip away layers of essential oils from your skin, thus leaving your palms dry and even itchy.

3. Massage - Massage your cuticles regularly. This will help improve blood circulation to the tips as well as stimulate the entire nervous system promoting the growth of strong and healthy nails.

4. Manicure - Treating your hands once a month to a relaxing manicure is an excellent idea. Not only do your nails end up looking fabulous but the additional TLC will go a long way in ensuring that your hands don’t look twice their age. Scrubbing off the dead cells, applying a ‘hand mask’ and then some relaxing massage as you close your eyes to some soothing music, is just what ‘nail therapy’ is all about.

5. Maintain - It’s a common knowledge that the skin on our hands tends to age quicker as it is often left exposed to the elements such as the harsh sun or extreme winters. To maintain your manicured nails, use a sunscreen regularly and wear gloves in the winters and even while going about household chores such as doing the dishes or mopping the floor.

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 Are Your Nails Telling Others About Your Health?

Have you ever come across a person with usual toes, toes that are mysteriously curled or bend upwards, downwards or inwards? As strange and intriguing as it may appear, the condition can be quite painful and is known as toe deformity. In toe deformity, the foot bone is unusually and abnormally positioned, resulting in pain and discomfort.

Toe deformity in a person can be of different types. It can be:

Hammer toe: This is one of the most commonly observed toe deformity. A hammer toe is characterized by the curling or bending down of the second toe at the proximal interphalangeal joint (the middle toe joint). The toe may further bend up at the distal interphalangeal joint (joint adjacent to the toe tip) or the metatarsophalangeal joint (meeting point of the foot and the toe) as well. In hammer toe, the awkward alignment results in a slight elevation in the joint of the middle toe. A hammer toe is often seen accompanied by a bunion (a bony bump or a deformity formed at the joint that links the foot with the big toe).
Mallet toe: Mallet toe mostly affects the second toe (other toes may be affected). The deformity results in bending down of the toe at the distal interphalangeal joint (appears like a mallet).
Claw toe: The deformity affects all the toes, with the big toe being an exception. Here, the toes bend up at the metatarsophalangeal joint and bend down at the distal interphalangeal joint. The deformity results in the toes curling down towards the floor (appears claw-like).
What causes Toe Deformity?
There can be many factors responsible for toe deformities.

Toe deformity in a person may be congenital (present from birth).
It can also be an outcome of medical conditions such as arthritis (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis), stroke, heart attack, diabetes, an injury, an accident, or wearing wrong footwear.
Toe deformity can also be hereditary.
Signs and symptoms:
The symptoms for Toe Deformity (hammer toe, claw toe, and mallet toe) include

There is redness, pain, and swelling in the affected part of the toe. In claw toe, however, there may or may not be pain associated with the condition.
A person faces difficulties in straightening the toe.
In hammer toe, corns, and calluses appear on the middle joint (top) of the affected toe.
In mallet toe, ulcers may occur on the toe (in diabetic patients).
Treatment:
Initially, toe deformity appears flexible, where movement around the affected joint is possible. However, if left unattended, the condition can become severe and rigid, thereby restricting the movement (in the affected area). Treatment for toe deformity depends on how severe the condition is.

In most cases, the treatment involves wearing custom-made shoes, fitted with supports (cushions or pads) and wider toe box.
Using of tapes and splints may be helpful in correcting and repositioning the deformed toe.
Patients with excruciating pain benefit immensely from cortisone injections.
Corn pads can be used to deal with corns and calluses better.
Toe stretching exercises are highly effective.
If severe cases or extreme rigidity, doctors may opt for surgical treatments like arthrodesis, tendon transfer, arthroplasty, to name a few.

Toe Deformity- What Causes It And What Are Its Treatment Options?

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

1. Diabetes
2. Problems in your circulatory system
3. Age
4. Artificial nails
5. Swimming 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 enclosed toes

It is also worth noting that fungal infections happen much more frequently in your toenail as compared to your fingernails, this is because of two main reasons. Firstly, that the fungi can grow very easily on your toenails because of the position as 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.

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 some of 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 nail
8. An odor from the nail
9. Brittle or thick nails



Causes and Symptoms of Fungal Nail Infection

Many people bite nails when they are anxious or stressed. However, knowing its harmful effects will only increase their anxiety and stress. About 30% of children, 45% of teenagers and 25% of young adults have the habit of biting their nails. Nail biting is one habit which sets in due to various reasons and just continues due to nervousness, boredom, frustration or stress. People tend to unconsciously bite their nails and over a period of time, it becomes very difficult to get rid of the habit.

A good understanding of the harmful effects of biting nails, to the overall health and oral health, can be a good starting point to quitting the habit. The harmful effects of nail biting on oral health effects are listed below:

Source of infection: The fingernails are more difficult to clean than the fingers and the rest of the hand. Therefore, there is a good amount of bacteria residing there, which get into your mouth and your stomach when you bite nails. The next time you wonder why your stomach is upset, take a good look at your nails.
Tooth chipping: The enamel is thinnest at the tip of the front teeth. When biting nails, there is a constant pressure on this thin enamel which can chip after a certain point of time. Another way that a tooth chips is because of the pressure when biting a nail. The tooth can hit hard on the opposing tooth, leading to a fracture or chipping.
Altered shape of the teeth: In many cases, the front teeth appear worn off or are squared. This is because there is always pressure on the teeth from the nails.
Induce gap between the front teeth: When nail biting continues for years at a stretch, the two front teeth can develop a gap between them.
Tooth sensitivity: With the enamel wearing off, the dentin is exposed and this can cause tooth sensitivity in many people.
Joint problems: The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) near the ears helps in opening and closing the mouth. Constant pressure on the joint due to nail biting leads to inflammation of the joint which can cause ear ache, headaches, improper closing of the jaw and clicking sounds.
Delay treatment with braces: A person with braces with a nail biting habit will have very bad consequences. There is pressure from both the braces and the biting. This could also lead to the failure to correct the misaligned teeth.
How to manage this habit?

Identify the root cause of the habit
Identify alternate ways to manage stress (exercise, yoga, hobby, etc.)
A nail polish that has a bitter or offensive taste or smell
Well manicured and painted nails, which you won t feel like biting
Get family and friends to remind or chide you, whichever works.

Nailbiting - 7 Harmful Effects of it!

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:

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.

Onycholysis - How It Can Affect Your Nails?

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