Buzz
To maintain strong and beautiful fingernails and toenails, it's crucial to prioritize the health of your nail beds. Situated beneath your nails, the nail bed acts as a foundation that anchors and supports your nails. While the length of nail beds doesn't increase over time, you can promote healthy tissue growth and regeneration by adopting proper grooming practices and administering appropriate treatments following nail bed injuries.
Steps
Embrace Effective Grooming Habits
Keep your nails moisturized by applying lotion around the entire fingertip. Massage lotion onto the nails of your opposite hand using your fingers. Moisturizing regularly helps prevent nail dryness and promotes overall nail health.
- Cuticle oil is another excellent option for moisturizing. Utilize the included applicator brush to evenly apply the oil around your fingertips.
Put an end to nail biting.
If you have a habit of biting your nails, it's time to break free from it. Nail-biting can harm your nail beds and also introduce bacteria to the surrounding areas, potentially leading to infections.
- Apply a coat of foul-tasting nail polish to discourage nail biting.
Avoid opting for acrylic manicures. Refrain from getting acrylic manicures at the salon. While they may look stunning, the process is quite involved. Maintenance is required every two weeks, and eventually, you'll need to have them removed, which can be harsh on your nail beds.
- Gel nails that can be easily soaked off are a gentler alternative.
Prep your nails with vinegar before applying polish. Prior to applying nail polish, clean your nails with a cotton swab soaked in white vinegar. This ensures a clean surface for your manicure, reducing the risk of bacteria entering your nail beds.
Administering Appropriate Treatment Following an Injury
Consult a healthcare professional for treatment advice. Before attempting any treatment to heal or stimulate nail bed growth, seek guidance from a medical expert. There are various methods to promote nail bed health and regeneration, but the approach may vary depending on the nature of your injury.
Consider a nail bed transplant if a portion of your nail bed is lost. Consult a healthcare professional to undergo a procedure where a damaged or missing part of your nail bed is replaced with tissue from another nail bed. This approach can yield rapid improvement, kickstarting the growth process of the affected area. Nail bed injuries leading to such losses typically occur due to significant pressure or trauma, such as forcefully stubbing a toe.
- Nail grafts can be sourced from both fingernails and toenails.
Opt for stitches if the nail bed becomes detached from the finger. Seek assistance from a hand surgeon who can utilize specialized stitches to reattach the nail bed and realign the finger bone in severe cases. This procedure reconnects the nail bed to the fingertip, facilitating continued growth. Such injuries commonly result from intense trauma, like trapping a finger in a door.
- In some instances, a wire may be required to stabilize the bone.
Pointers
Essential Supplies
- Moisturizing lotion
- Cuticle oil
- White vinegar
- Cotton swabs
