Nail art has become a visual expression of personal style. Each month, Google gets 2.5 million searches for “nail art.” Nail artists have emerged with salon customers spending $7.47 billion in nail services in the the year 2012. Nail polish is made of several ingredients. Pigment is suspended in “film formers.” This allows the polish to “stick” to the nail. Another ingredient is used to prevent the polish from cracking. This is a form of formaldehyde , but now it has been replaced, as formaldehyde can be an allergen to many. Finally, there are some additional ingredients to allow the polish to keep flowing in the bottle. Today, every color you can think of is available, as well as patterns, crystals and all kinds of embellishments. Nail polish is pretty much safe, but can cause some nail related issues. Namely, these are nail fungus and allergic contact dermatitis.
Red and purple polish will cause a yellow hue on the nail plate initially lasting 14 days or so after the polish is removed. Relax, ladies, this is not fungus; it will scrape off.
Contact dermatitis would be seen where the nail folds were red and swollen and your eyelids were red. That’s because you scratched your eyes with your polished fingernail, hmm! If this happens, consider a patch test to know if you are allergic to some ingredient in the polish.
At Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center, we recommend and carry Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Nail Polish. Its blend of natural, organic, vegan friendly ingredients can help minimize dry, brittle nails, while hydrating cuticles and extending wear time of the polish. From now until the end of the year, Dr.’s Remedy Nail Polish is on special for Buy One, Get One 50% Off! Contact us today for more information!
Be careful if you go to a salon for a pedicure. A technician uses several steps and instruments in a pedicure. The hyponychium (end of the nail) and the cuticle together make the nail waterproof. Disrupting either of these structures can cause infections, some minor, and others requiring medical treatment. The technicians must sterilize instruments correctly, following CDC guidlines. My advice: if you want to get pedicures, buy your own instruments for the techs to use. Tell them not to break the cuticle or hyponychium “seal.” If you have diabetes, immunocompromised diseases, or are on blood thinners, be careful out there!
For more information on any of these conditions, or our special on Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Nail Polish, please don’t hesitate to contact us…and stay tuned for Part II: Treatment of Nail Infections.
Posted on November 12, 2014
