By: Dr. Melanie DeCunha

Did you know that the health of your nails can tell a lot about the general state of your health?

Changes to your nails such as white spots or lines, irregular texture, cracking or brittleness or dark spots could mean something benign such as a past trauma or damage from long-term polish use. On the other hand, it could also mean something more serious such as heart, liver or kidney disease, malnutrition or chronic illness. Just as health conditions can affect your nail health, damaging your nails could affect your overall health as well.

While many people tend to think of our nails as an extension of our bodies that don’t require much attention, the truth is that your nails will directly absorb what they are exposed to. This means that you can possibly ingest what they are exposed to (unless your hands have NEVER come close to your face/mouth, which is pretty unlikely), and you can be inhaling what you put on your nails. When you think of these multiple routes of exposure, it’s pretty easy to realize that it’s important to consider what we then put on our nails.

Whether it’s nail polish, artificial nails, cuticle treatment, nail polish remover, nail growth serums or nail stickers, you might want to give more thought to what ingredients are found in those products. Standard nail products are known to contain chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, acetone and phthalates which can cause conditions such as the following:

• headaches
• sleepiness
• irritated nose, throat and lungs
• kidney and liver damage
• difficulty breathing
• allergic reactions
• infertility
• birth defects
• cancer

You can minimize exposure to these chemicals however, by switching to a natural nail polish, and letting your nails go au natural for longer stretches between those manis! If your nail products claim to be “natural” or “organic”, make sure to read the ingredients listed to make sure harmful chemicals aren’t included. The Skindeep Database by the Environmental Working Group is a great place to start to check out your specific products or read up more on the individual chemicals and how they can impact your health.