The maintenance of the fingernails and toenails is important for health as well as for cosmetic reasons. Nail care can prevent fungus infections of the nails and painful ingrown fingernails and toenails.
Everyone must be concerned about their nails as it can help you determine the health of your body, and is essential to the health of your hands.
Our hands are being used virtually for everything, EVERYDAY! If you don’t show your nails some love and care, this could, later on, cause fungal or bacterial infections in the nail folds (the skin surrounding your nail), which could then lead to more severe health issues such as kidney disease, liver disease, and other health problems.
Nail care for diabetic patients
- Nail care services are essential for diabetic patients, as infections of the feet, in particular, are dangerous.
- Always keep your nails short and trimmed
- Keep your hands, feet and their nails clean
- Change your socks daily and wear pool shoes or other protective wear when you are in places like pools or gym showers where there are threats that you might get a fungal infection.
- Avoid nail biting
- Also, avoid wearing tight shoes and artificial nails. For care of hand nails and toenails, Diabetic patients are recommended to go to a podiatrist.
What are the symptoms of healthy nails?
Signs of Healthy Nails:
- Nail is of pinkish-white color
- Don’t cut them if cuticles are existent
- White tips and nails are even lengths
- The lunula prominent half-moon-shaped white section at nail base
Signs of Unhealthy Nails:
- Due to the deficiency of vitamins or peeling or splitting nails could cause dryness
- Tiny white spots occurring on nails usually mean you’re biting your nails often or painting them too much
- Horizontal grooves can occur due to stress, high fevers, or jamming your finger
- Removing or biting cuticles can form red, swollen skin around the nails
- Spoon-shaped nails are a sign of anemia or iron deficiency
How to get strong and healthy nails?
Always keep your hands clean.
Before you do anything, always make sure your nails and the skin around it is thoroughly dirt-free. Apply soap to a toothbrush and then gently massage and scrub your nails and skin. That will help in removing dirt and exfoliate any dead skin without the need for expensive scrubs.
Be kind on your nails.
Your nails are delicate, don’t scrub them too roughly as they can expose you to infection. Don’t use metal tools under the nail, as too much digging can often cause the nail plate to separate from the skin. It’s a common problem for people over the age of 55.
Always keep a nail file.
If you’re someone whose household work or gym routine causes a lot of wear and tear of nails, its recommended always to keep a nail filer to smooth away any rough edges that happen on the spot.
Don’t forget to take care of your nail tools.
Taking care of your nail tools as just as necessary as regularly cleaning your makeup brushes. Wash metal tools with soap and water to keep your nails happy and infection-free, and then wipe them off with rubbing alcohol. Regular nail care services are also important.
Guard your nails with a base coat.
To prevent and protect your nails from breaking, splitting, and peeling guard your nails with a base coat as many base coats are fortified with substances such as protein, vitamin E or calcium. These ingredients help in keeping nails healthier.
Wear gloves when doing dishes.
Whenever you’re cleaning, gardening, or doing anything that involves soaking or dirtying, don’t forget to wear plastic gloves. Cleaning dishes without wearing gloves can weaken the nails, which then results in cracked nails.
Likewise, when the weather is unpleasantly cold, remember to wear a pair of mittens or gloves so that the cold air and wind won’t leave your nails dry, flaky, or scaly skin.
Load up on protein-rich food.
Our nails are made you of a protein called keratin; you can take off your nails and improve them by tweaking your diet by adding vitamins and supplements like biotin, Vitamin E, and fish oil to your daily routine. In contrast, it is recommended to further adding up protein-rich foods like beans, fish, and nuts.