10 Do’s and Don’ts of Keeping Your Fingernails Looking Healthy as You Age
Aging doesn’t help any part of our body. It makes our skin wrinkly, it turns our hair gray, (what’s left of it), and it makes our firm bodies droopy. These are some of the most noticeable differences. As you age, your fingernails also change. They grow slower, at about the rate of a tenth of an inch per month.
They usually become thinner, brittle, and can even become dehydrated. While we can’t stop the aging process, we can minimize the damage it does. Read this informative article and learn 10 do’s and don’ts of keeping your fingernails looking healthy as you age!
Do!
1. Moisturize Your Hands
Moisturize your hands, including your fingernails, often, especially after you wash your hands and at bedtime. Apply a moisturizer onto your hands and rub it downward onto your fingernails. Dry fingernails crack and break-hydrated fingernails bend. Moisturize your cuticles too to help keep them in good shape.
Cuticles that are dried out produce hangnails.
2. File Your Fingernails In One Direction
Filing is another “do” in keeping your fingernails looking healthy as you age. Filing helps keeps the edges smooth so they don’t catch on items, especially material. Do use a fine emery board instead of a metal file, and file in one direction, not both. Filing in both directions actually weakens your nails.
To check the ends of your fingernails for smoothness, cup your hand so your fingernails are pointing downward. Then, run them slowly and lightly, left-to-right over a fuzzy piece of material, such as a blanket. If there are any rough edges, you’ll feel them catch.
3. Care for Broken Fingernails Immediately
Anytime you break a fingernail, trim it down with a pair of nail clippers if the break is far into the nail. Then, file it down until it’s smooth. If the break isn’t far in, you can simply file it down with a fine emery board.
4. Apply a Nail Hardener Keeping your fingernails looking healthy as you age means using a good-quality nail hardener, especially after you file them.
5. Super Glue® to the Rescue
Do place a tiny drop of Super Glue on any cracks that develop at the edge of your fingernails. The adhesive will help them heal faster.
Don’t! Don’t!
1. Use Acetone and Formaldehyde
Don’t use nail polish remover that contains acetone or formaldehyde. These chemicals can damage and weaken your nails. Honey Bee Gardens, for one example, has an odorless nail polish remover that contains beneficial Horsetail Extract, Vitamin E and Aloe Vera.
2. Take Hot Baths and Showers
In keeping your fingernails looking healthy as you age, it’s best not to subject them to hot baths and showers. The heat dries your skin and fingernails out.
3. Forget to Wear Rubber Gloves
Anytime you handwash dishes or work with any household chemicals, don’t forget to protect your nails by putting on a pair of rubber gloves first.
4. Forget to Feed Your Fingernails
One of the most important things you can do to keep your fingernails looking healthy as you age, is feed them. Make sure you include plenty of vitamin-rich foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. Eat foods that are high in calcium such as milk, yogurt, cheeses, Navy beans, salmon, fortified cereal and almonds to help strengthen your nails.
Foods that are high in Biotin include brown rice, cracked wheat, green peas, oats, soybeans, sunflower seeds and walnuts. Biotin can help thicken weak, brittle fingernails.
5. Bite Your Nails
Keep your fingernails looking healthy as you age by not biting or chewing on them. According to Wikipedia.com, 19% to 29% of young adults and 5% of older adults have this habit. Biting your nails, of course, damages them.
If you’re having a problem stopping this, talk to your healthcare professional. S/he can recommend useful products you can use. You may even benefit from therapy.
