Human body hosts great number of microorganisms. Some are good and some are not. The constituent of such micro organism include fungi and bacteria. Some microscopic plant that lives in our skin also causes variety of fungal infections. Even the dead tissues of hair and nails are attacked by those fungus and micro organisms. There are a lot of nail irregularities and disorders caused by many factors. Some people may ignore the abnormalities in the nails. But, it becomes very dangerous if you ignore these drastic conditions in nails.
List of nail problems and infections
Paronychia infections
This is the infection in nail that can be a cause of fungi or bacteria. Sometimes some virus may also attack to produce this type of infections. The lateral nail as well as proximal nail creates a fold which acts as the seal or barrier between the nail plate as well as the surrounding tissue. There are situations when individuals get a break or a tear in its seal. This is the inlet of the finger and nail where the bacterium can easily enter. This infection causes swelling, pain and redness in fingers.
Pseudomonas bacterial infection
This is an infection that can take place between the nail bed and the natural nail plate. Most popularly it can be named as a happening between the natural nail plate and the artificial nail coating. People suffering from such nail infection can get a green discoloration in nail. It is quite common to have discoloration in nail due to the infection taking place in the nail. The cause of this infection is basically due to the iron compounds.
Onychomycosis
It is another form of common nail problems that is caused due to yeast or fungal infection. It is quite visible with tear inside the lateral nail folds. After infecting with this type of infection, your fingernail will have an appearance of white or yellow color. You can also see changes in the texture and shape of the nail. The keratin protein is digested by the fungus in such situation.
Thickened nail plate
This condition of nail is seen in many individuals which may be the cause of trauma. In such situation the nail plate will curve inside which will give a pinching effect to the nail bed. Sometimes, it will be eradicated with surgery.
White lines or spots
Sometimes people may also come across the white lines and spots over the nail surface. The scientific name of the disease is known as Leukonychia. This can be cause due to tiny bubbles of air which are spectacularly trapped inside the bails. It is not a very serious disorder. This nail condition is caused to individual through their genes. It does not require any type of medications.
Beau’s lines
Another common disorder of nail is known as Beau’s lines. This can be realized with the horizontal line in the nail plate. The line so formed over the nail is darkened with the linear depression. This condition can be caused due to chemotherapy, disease and illness.
Don’t pick or tear
Taking care of our nails is an important thing which most of us do not pay attention to. But nails too are an important part of our entire physicality. Having good nails does not only complete our entire look but it also helps in shaping a good personality in a social world. Nails can be an easy room for catching up many infectious bacteria and germs, so it is a good option not to pull or tear hangnails. This leads to an open gateway for germs and bacteria coming into contact to our body. So this should be avoided and also in case if you are suffering from ingrown nail or Onychocryptosis then it would be a good option to soak the fingers in a solution of salted water for about few minutes and this will give some ease.
Care for your cuticles
Treating our cuticle in a proper way is another key to ensure of having good nails. So taking a proper and good care of the cuticles is important. Cuticles should not be cut down too much since it ruins the basic protection of the nail and becomes vulnerable to the extreme levels of germs and bacteria. In the market there are quite a lot of variety of products that are easily available for curing our cuticle just like the most common ones; the orange nail sticks. But it should be kept in mind that these orange sticks are not good for our nails since they dry up the natural moisture of the nails. Instead soaking the cuticle in water for sometimes and then using a soft towel gives a better result.
Moisturize your nails
Just like moisturizing our skin is a big deal, it is also a very vital role to moisturize your nails. We often tend to forget to take care of our nails, but it is a big blunder to do so! Just like our skin, even our nails require constant care and moisturizing. So it is a good option to soak your nails in lukewarm water for sometimes and then apply a subtle moisturizer and gently massage the nails in circular motion. Try applying a moisturizer containing lactic acid or even phospholipids. This will soften the cuticle and provide enough moisture.
Avoid the culprits
Nails are extremely delicate objects, even more than our skin to some extent. So if you engage frequently in a lot of household duties, then it may not be very good for your nails. Working with detergent and cleansing liquids are not very good for your nails since they are full of high level of harmful artificial chemicals that do not gel well with the human skin and nails. A constant usage of such harsh soaps and liquids can cause major damage to the nails which might be even long term. So in order to prevent our nails from such disasters, it is a must to take some healthy precautions. These precautions are as followed down below:
- Vinyl gloves – This one goes for the ones who are constantly exposed in working for wet conditions. Vinyl gloves are great for keeping the natural moisture of the hands intact and not harming the skin with too much of chemical and harsh detergents. Harsh detergents and soap contains extreme level of chemical which disturbs the balanced pH level of the skin and our nails, thereby leading to brittle nails. So vinyl gloves keep the hands dry and safe from all sorts of external extremities. An extra level of tip would be to dab some baby powder before slipping into vinyl gloves for a better protection.
- Cotton gloves – In case if you are engaged in doing household works that do not involve the usage of water or any fluid, then cotton gloves are a good option. These gloves are amazing for providing a great extent of protection to the hands and it will also keep our nails afar from bacteria and germs. This will also be very effective for preventing ingrown nails or Onychocryptosis as well.
