| Ecrinal nail products What makes Ecrinal products unique? About your nails Nail care: what to do and what not to do! Nail care selection guide Nail care guidance Several times a day your nails are subjected to a variety of traumas, which make them fragile, soft, ridged, split, cracked, dry and brittle. Don't do house-work without gloves: gloves provide protection from harsh cleaning substances and damage to the nails and matrix over expose hands to water: just like the skin on your hands, nails become fragile; the protective lipid film is destroyed and then nail becomes soft overuse nail polish: some nail polishes use pigments that migrate towards the nail plate and deeply impregnate them with this discolouration; even after polish has been removed, the nail retains this unsightly colour use a formaldehyde-based hardener: even if the effect is striking from the the very first application, the nail very quickly becomes crumbly, brittle and yellow (formaldehyde destroys the structure of the keratin and diminishes the resiliency). use artificial nails: the nails cannot "breathe" and may be severely damaged by certain resin-based glues and harsh chemicals. In some cases they become subjected to fungal infections. use metal nail-files: as they are hard, they cause repeated trauma (striations). Use a pliable emery file instead.
Do stimulate the nail by massaging: massaging the tips of your fingers stimulates the blood and lymph circulations; tapping your fingers is also stimulating gives your nails a rest: if you must use nail polish, give your nails a holiday one week in every month. Nail polish gives the nail a hermetic coating which stops it taking in oxygen. eat a balanced and varied diet: with plenty of vitamins and minerals relax: a little relaxation to make up for long hours and stress is also good for healthy nails
[Back to top] About your nails Nails, hair, eyelashes and eyebrows are all considered superficial body growth. Nails are a smooth, semi-durable plate consisting primarily of the protein Keratin, which is rich in sulphur and sulphurated amino-acids (cystine, methionine). Nails also contain mineral ions (calcium, iron) and, of course, water. Their surface is protected by a lipid film, which gives them their polished appearance. Nails grow continuously along the surface of the finger (the nail bed) at an approximate rate of 0.1mm a day on fingers and half that for the toes. The horny limbus (the visibible part of the nail) is replaced every 6 months on the hands and every 12 months on the feet. Nails grow more quickly: Nails are produced constantly by the matrix, which is particularly visible on the thumb, as a whitish half-moon called the lunula. The hidden part of the matrix is beneath a fold of skin, at the base of the nail. The cuticle is the small piece of skin that frames the nail and protects the matrix. [Back to top] |
