Nailing Down Nutrition
by Skincare-news.com team
If you are constantly slathering your hands with lotion, yet your nails still look ragged and dry, read on! Nail health is dependent upon many factors, including diet. Find out how you can keep your hands and nails in tip-top shape with a few easy skincare steps.
Proper nutrition provides our bodies with an endless plethora of benefits, such as clear skin, shiny hair, strong bones, and a healthy physique. But consistent and good nutrition can also benefit an often overlooked part of the body-the fingernails. Whether you realize it or not, nails are strong indicators of health, so don’t let your skincare stop at the hands-remember the nails!
Take Your Vitamins
More than a few health problems can manifest symptoms on the hands so take a closer look. If you notice nail abnormalities, you may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency in your diet. A lack of B-complex vitamins is known to produce ridges along the nail bed, while a shortage of calcium causes dryness. A diet low in folic acid or vitamin C may create unwanted hangnails, and the dearth of essential fatty acids, such as omega-3, causes nails to crack and pit. Iron deficiency can cause thin, concave nails and with aging comes a sallow, yellowish color and slower growth. Perhaps not surprisingly, the list goes on and on.
Though we may not realize it, our nails are often an acute reflection of our health. Go ahead and take a peek at your nail beds. Ideally, they should have a rosy, pinkish tint with a smooth, curved surface and a half-moon shape at the end. But if you observe white spots, dents, discoloration, lines, ridges, or other irregularities, take heed because these could be telltale signs of a more serious disorder, ranging from a vitamin heart disease, to anemia, or even diabetes. If you notice any alarming change in nail thickness, color or texture, consult your doctor immediately. But for a bit of at-home prevention, consider the following tips.
Five A Day
For optimal nail health, the most important thing to remember is to maintain a balanced diet. For a particularly nutritious diet that will benefit your nails, make sure to include:
• B-vitamins. Choose organ meats like liver or kidney, fish, eggs, mushrooms, beans, and bananas to get adequate amounts of these important nutrients.
• Foods rich in calcium: almonds, dark green leafy vegetables, and yogurt or other dairy items.
• Vitamin C. Pick out citrus fruits like oranges or grapefruit, broccoli, kiwis, and strawberries.
• Folic acid. Opt for orange juice, whole grains, and green veggies.
• Essential fatty acids. Dine on fatty fish, such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, and herring, as well as nuts, seeds, and tofu.
• Consider adding a supplement to your diet that will conveniently supply you with many of these nutrients, such as Murad Wet Suit Cell Hydrating Dietary Supplement.
Mindful Maintenance
Eating well is not the only way to care for your nails. In addition to environmental damage from the sun, pollution and harsh chemicals and solvents, we inadvertently abuse our nails with everyday activities, such as opening soda cans or envelopes. This type of unknown damage can lead to bruises, fungal infections, cracks and dents. Follow these tips to maintain fingernail health and improve the appearance of your nails:
• Avoid nail polish removers containing acetone, which dehydrates nails and skin. If you must use acetone, use sparingly and limit exposure.
• Slip on a pair of rubber gloves the next time you’re washing dishes. You’ll be doing both your nails and hands a favor by protecting them from dish soap and hot water!
• Don’t forget to apply hand lotion to your nails as well. What’s the point of soft, smooth hands when your nails are brittle or damaged? Make sure to moisturize your cuticles too when rubbing lotion onto your hands.
• Creams with urea, phospholipids, or lactic acid may help prevent cracking.
• Try not to injure your nails by using them to scrape, peel or open cans, envelopes or anything else.
• Refrain from biting or picking your nails or cuticles.
• Don’t remove cuticles or clean too deeply beneath your nails. Over doing either one can lead to infection.
• If you have artificial nails or tips, check them from time to time for green discoloration, which may be a sign of bacterial infection.
Fortunately, there are many products on the market targeted at repairing damaged nails. NeoCeuticals Nail Conditioning Solution, formulated with an alpha hydroxy derivative, strengthens damaged nails and promotes growth. If you have sensitive skin, L’Occitane Shea Butter Nail & Cuticle Cream is ideal. The moisturizing shea butter softens cuticles and battles dryness. Another good choice for sensitive skin is Pevonia Multi-Active Hand Cream, with sunflower seed oil and chamomile. For extra dry hands, try NeoStrata Hand & Nail Cream - PHA 8, with 8% poly-hydroxy acid (gluconolactone) and antioxidants, this cream gently exfoliates and moisturizes both the hands and nails.
With balanced nutrition and a little bit of TLC, dry, ragged or damaged finger nails can become a thing of the past. Make the proper care of your hands a skincare priority today!