All women love even, beautiful fingernails. Some understand it to mean nails filed in the form of fine filaments, perhaps decorated with a subtle varnish. Others prefer decorative, sometimes brightly colored eye-catchers, also like artificial specimens. However, if you wear such plastic covers permanently, you damage your nails – and possibly even your health. If no more oxygen reaches the nail, the quality of this horny layer deteriorates considerably. “In addition, gaps and cavities can form between natural and plastic nails, into which fungi and bacteria can penetrate,” explains Experts.
These pathogens remain undetected for a long time and decompose the roughened and softened horn structures. The hidden natural nail turns yellow to brown. Finally, it crumbles and dissolves. “Because of the humid environment, infections with yeasts predominate, followed by mold and thread fungi, but also bacteria,” says Professionals.
Only when the finger hurts and thus indicates an advanced infection do the women see a dermatologist. Sometimes there is a marked reddening around the nail accompanied by itching, and blisters form. “This marks a contact allergy. Above all, acrylates, which are contained in some nail modeling agents, pose a very high risk of sensitization,” explains Studies.
Dangerous Vapors And Dusts
In addition to the acrylate system, nail salons offer many other methods, such as stick-on mesh covers made of fiberglass or silk fabric and gel nails. There are also self-adhesive products.
Gel nails only harden after a few minutes under UV-A light. However, some women wonder with this method whether too much UV-A radiation could damage the skin. Bayerl calms down: “The risk of skin cancer is not influenced by artificial nails, not even by hardening with ultraviolet rays.” To protect themselves from the harmful acrylic fumes and the fine dust that arises when filing and adapting, nail designers work with face masks and extractor hoods.
So does it mean: stay away from artificial nails? “There is nothing to be said against decorating it for a special occasion,” says dermatologist Bayerl. “The artificial nail can even be of great help if women have lost their nails after chemotherapy .” Panels that women attach themselves with adhesive are significantly less dangerous. However, they do not seal very well and only last for a short time.
Unwanted In Medicine And Food Industry
Because of the risk of infection that artificial nails bring with them, employees in the medical field are not allowed to wear them. Because hands that are decorated with it cannot be properly disinfected. Finger jewelry is also undesirable in the food industry, but not clearly prohibited.
Meyer-Rogge wonders why it has to be an artificial nail at all. “Recently there has been a new material made of lacquer and gel, very compact and durable.” Although the doctor has already observed allergic reactions to it, she believes that the natural nail plate underneath is probably less stressed than with the adhesive variants. But: “It also has to be seen what the long-term results show.”
Also Read: Karl Lagerfeld – Remembering The First Fashion Designer