Taking care of the nails is as crucial as taking care of other parts of the body. While some people are obsessed with having perfect nails and take every measures right from nail painting to regular trimming of nails to keep them in shape and in good health. There are also some people who continuously chew their nails which affects its overall health. Before we go deep into what to do to keep the nails healthy and perfect, it is important to understand the signs of healthy and unhealthy nails.

Signs of Healthy Nails:

• Nail plates are a pinkish-white in color
• Clear existence of cuticles
• The length of the nail is even
• A half-moon shape at the base of the nail

Signs of Unhealthy Nails:

• Unhealthy nails will have peeling and splitting hat is normally caused due to vitamin deficiency
• There will be small white spots which are an indication that the nails have chewed and bitten regularly.
• There can also be horizontal grooves as a result of excessive stress, fever, or an injury to the nails such as when getting the finger jammed on the door.
• Removing and biting the cuticles regularly can cause erythema and swelling around the nails
• An anemic individual will have nails that will have a shape of spoon to it.

Taking care of the nails is important, especially if any abnormality mentioned above is observed. It is best to consult a dermatologist or a Nail Care specialist for best advice. Below mentioned are five tips for healthy nails.

5 Tips For Healthy Nails?

Cleanliness: Ensure that your hands especially the palms and the area around the nails are kept clean. It should be ensured that before and after doing any activity with the hands that they should be cleaned thoroughly with soap and water. For females, it is important to remove any nail paint or color with an acetone-free remover. Some physicians also recommend applying a little soap to a toothbrush and gently scrubbing it on the nails. This completely eliminates all the dirt and any dead skin cells around he nails.

Handle Nails with Care: Nails are extremely sensitive and handling them harshly may not only injure tem but also may cause infections. Another thing that needs to be avoided is placing metallic tools under the nails. This may cause separation of the nail plate from the skin. This is seen quite commonly in people above the age of 50.

Regular Clipping: This is also extremely critical for healthy nails. Physicians recommend trimming nails every couple of weeks to keep them healthy.

Nail Length: Having long nails at times look pretty to the eye, especially in females. However, they can be sometimes a cause of worry especially in females who have a history of breaking of nails. For such people, it is recommended to have short nails for some time, as they are much easier to manage and take care of. During this time, the individual can work on building strength around the nail area so that longer nails do not break off and then keeping long nails can be considered.

Don’t Harm Cuticles:The cuticles perform an important function of protecting the base of the nail. Thus if this cuticle is cut or removed the protection to the nail is lost. This puts the individual at risk for many bacterial and viral infections. Thus it is crucial to leave the cuticles alone and protect your nails.