Brittle nails due to nail polish
Nail polish does not always lead to a brittle fingernail. Many nail polishes contain caring and protective proteins and/or added vitamins. The dosage and application of quality-tested products are decisive.
Furthermore, it is useful to have a look at the ingredients of the nail polish. For example, synthetic resins can damage the nails and also trigger allergies. Furthermore, nail polish should be avoided if you are susceptible to fungal diseases or if you already have a fungal infection on your fingernails.
In these cases, nail polish would promote a brittle fingernail and further or renewed fungal infections. Often it is not the nail polish, but the nail polish remover, which can cause brittle fingernails. The reason for this is that nail polish removers contain acetone and alcohol.
These substances withdraw moisture from the fingernails. Consequence can be a brittle or fragile fingernail. In addition to these special treatments, there are also general recommendations to make sure that fingernails become brittle less quickly.
On the one hand, one should make sure that the nails are always kept moist and supple. Suitable for this are greasy creams, refattening washing gel or often even better refattening nail oil (pure apricot oil is particularly suitable, but alternatively you can also simply use oil from the kitchen, preferably olive oil), which can either be massaged in or in which you dip your fingertips for a few minutes. People with a tendency to brittle fingernails should avoid too frequent hand washing or extensive full baths as far as possible.
It is also not recommended to shorten the fingernails with the help of a nail clipper, as this practically “breaks off” the nails and existing cracks can widen. It is better to shorten brittle nails to the desired length with a nail file, although affected persons should generally prefer to keep their nails short. When filing, care should be taken to keep the file straight and not to go too deep under the nail.
Also, to prevent cracks, the underside of the nails should not be cleaned with a sharp object. In order to strengthen the nail structure in the long term, a “nail cure” with a nail hardener containing calcium is also recommended. Biotin or silicic acid (in tablet or gel form) can also be used to strengthen the nails.
Especially for women, there is also the option of using nail polishes with special ingredients to prevent brittle nails. So one should preferably use calcium-containing lacquers or lacquers with diamond dust, which practically puts a protective layer on the nail from the outside. Some companies even offer special lacquers that are explicitly designated for brittle nails.
To counteract the grooves that often cause brittle nails, groove fillers containing microspheres can be used. If a crack in the nail has actually already occurred, you can provide “first aid” yourself. The crack can usually be repaired by applying a special instant adhesive to the affected area.
Then the two parts of the nail can be pressed together and the crack is hardly visible. However, one must be extremely careful here so that the adhesive does not come into contact with the surrounding skin.There is also the alternative of sticking a certain transparent foil over the nail. However, this often does not hold optimally and tends to form air bubbles.
If you have a little more time (and money), you can also go to a nail studio with a torn nail. There you have the possibility to varnish the affected fingernail with a special gel, which can be hardened and shaped under UV-radiation. With a balanced diet and the regular use of these care products, a significant improvement of the nail structure should be achieved over time. If, however, one has taken all measures that can be carried out from home alone to combat brittle fingernails and there is no known disease that could explain the nail problems and the condition still does not improve after four weeks, one should consult a doctor to exclude certain diseases and discuss a possible therapy.
