"Hands off": 7 mistakes that harm your nails and give away your age

 Alas, not only gray hair and wrinkles betray our age. It is impossible to look young without taking care of the beauty of hands and feet.

Young nails are shiny and smooth. The visible nail bed is pink and the free edge is white. With age, the texture, thickness, color, strength of the nails are no longer the same as before. However, you can also add age visually by choosing the wrong shade of varnish. But first things first. In this article, together with an expert, we will analyze 7 mistakes that harm your nails and obviously add age.

1. Bad color

It is tempting to choose the color of nail polish in accordance with trends and at the behest of the heart. But this will not save you from making mistakes that will make your hands look older.

• Light gray-blue shades are not suitable for owners of pale skin and protruding veins.Such a manicure will only aggravate the situation and further shade what I would like to hide.
• Intense purple and the color of wet asphalt is forbidden for those who would not like to draw attention to age spots on their hands.
• Nude is always in fashion and held in high esteem. But if you have cuticle problems and can’t beat the burrs, then a nude manicure will highlight the existing problems.
• Coral - good only if you have already received the first tan.Otherwise, initially pale skin will acquire an earthy hue. The same rule applies to neon and luminescent shades of yellow, orange, fuchsia.
• Green and brown polishes are taboo for those who have managed to “catch” a tan this year. They will not emphasize it, but will shade it into an ugly “dirty” color.

2. Nail biting habit

Hands with inflammation in the periungual area and burrs definitely do not look young. Meanwhile, onychophagia is a disease that occurs not only in children, but also in adults. The bad habit of biting nails and the soft tissues adjacent to them indicates an alarming state of a person. But at the same time, it is important to understand that this problem is not only psychological, but also physical. A carelessly plucked barb can lead to a number of extremely unpleasant and long-term consequences: inflammation and suppuration of the skin and even blood poisoning. Additionally, cracks and microtraumas that occur when biting nails can lead to their delamination, thinning of the nail plate, and even damage to the nail matrix. All this, of course, will affect not only the health of the nails, but also their appearance, and will additionally emphasize age-related changes.

A common salon prevention for "rodents" is the application of a special transparent coating on the nail plate, which has a very bitter taste. The coating itself is absolutely safe for the human body, but causes persistent rejection and getting rid of the habit of biting nails.

3. Lack of cuticle care

A neat cuticle is indeed the key to achieving a flawless manicure. Home care for her may include the regular use of a special oil with pomace from grape seeds or extract from wheat germ. Oil polishing can be done with a soft nail file. This simple procedure "seals" the keratin of the nail and makes it less flaky. But polishing can be done no more than once a month, so as not to thin the nail. But the oil itself can be used twice a day. Morning and evening, apply a little oil to the base of the nail and massage into the cuticles.

After a shower, gently push back the overgrown cuticle. It is better to use an orange tree stick for this. Also, once a month, you can use a special solvent-remover, which helps to get rid of the stratum corneum in the area of ​​the nail fold.

4. The habit of doing pedicures only in summer

Pedicures are not just for open shoe season. This is primarily a hygienic procedure necessary for the prevention of diseases of the foot and nails. Moreover, with the onset of cold weather, the natural processes of skin cell renewal slow down.

At home, it is good to make nail baths with Epsom salts (do not confuse it with sea salt).Make a solution at the rate of a teaspoon of magnesium sulfate per liter of warm (not hot!) Water. Another effective recipe: dilute two glasses of chamomile infusion with three liters of water, add a tablespoon of soda and salt. Soak your feet in the bath for 15-20 minutes, and then carefully treat problem areas with a special pedicure file.

Cut your nails parallel to the contour of your fingers. The ideal shape is the so-called "soft square" with smoothed corners.

5. The habit of wearing unphysiological shoes

Love for trendy narrow-toed, crushing shoes is fraught with the problem of ingrown nails (this condition is called onychocryptosis). As well as detachment of the nail plate from the nail bed (onycholysis).

None of these pathologies should be left without the attention of a specialist, relying on "self-healing" or home pedicure. You need to see a podiatrist or podiatrist. In some cases, surgery may be required, wearing a corrective bracket system (orthonyxia).If the doctor establishes the relationship of the pathology with violations in the habitual pattern (pattern) of walking, prevention with the help of full contact orthoses is recommended.

By the way, today it is worth forgetting about the once popular pedicure design with three-dimensional elements. Fancy rhinestones not only look out of date, but can also lead to nail injuries when wearing tight shoes.

6. The habit of peeling off gel polish

The ability to wear a stable coating gives us a chance to go to the salon once every 3 weeks and at the same time have beautiful well-groomed hands, but, on the other hand, essentially makes it impossible to deal with damaged varnish on our own. Shellac cannot be removed with a regular remover. At the same time, attempts to pick off the remnants of the coating, even on the hands, even on the legs, provide our nails with the most miserable look. Having lost the top layer, they will exfoliate and look very untidy. "Soaking" your fingers in acetone is also not the best option. We literally overdry both nails and cuticles.

As for the pedicure, podiatrists and podologists, in principle, do not welcome long-term coverage. The fact is that we often go to the salon before any event, and then calmly “grow” the pedicure until the polish is gone. This happens especially often in winter. But know that such a practice is very harmful. Overgrown gel polish creates a serious additional load on the nail, and in the process of walking, he can be injured. If the appearance of the legs after removing the shellac does not please you, try rubbing Monarda essential oil into the nail plate. It contains more than 40 biologically active components and can be recommended for use even to strengthen weakened nails after suffering a coronavirus.