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Having perfectly manicured nails is a major concern of mine. I’m admittedly obsessive over my nails, and I always make sure they look nothing less than perfect before heading out of the house. I get manicures at least once every two weeks, and I was so enamored with the thought of having long, beautiful nails that I ended up getting acrylic nails for years. Little did I know, acrylic nails are one of the worst things you can ever put on your fingers.
My acrylic nails may have looked good, but they were far from healthy for me!
Acrylics are one of the most popular options at any nail salon, and tons of people (such as my former self) pick this in hopes of covering up brittle and cracked nails to give the appearance of stronger, healthier ones. But, these faux nails can actually do much more damage than good.
So, what exactly are acrylic nails? Well, according to board-certified dermatologist and nail specialist Dana Stern for The Huffington Post, they’re a concoction of a liquid monomer and a powder polymer that fuses together to create a hard shell over your natural nails. Nail polish is applied over it, and it gives the appearance of a real nail.
Sounds pretty good so far, right? Well, according to Dr. Stern’s commentary, acrylic nails can actually wreck your natural nails! Dr. Stern noted that acrylics contain harmful and harsh chemicals, such as resins and formaldehydes, which can cause nail separation, burning, pain and/or swelling.
As if that’s not scary enough, acrylics also dry very stiff in comparison to the flexibility of a natural nail. If you bump your acrylic nail hard enough, you can break or separate your actual nail off of your nail bed! Don’t think this can happen to you? Well, it happened to me, and believe me, it’s definitely not fun to deal with part your nail ripping off of your finger.
Artificial nails can also heighten your risk of infection. “Bacteria that is not completely removed from a nail plate prior to the application of an enhancement can lead to Pseudomonas (bacteria that produces a green pigment, hence the term ‘greenies’) to grow in the space between the nail plate and the enhancement,” Stern to The Huffington Post. “Also, damaged nails that have areas of separation can predispose a salon-goer to this issue.” Just think about it; they’re fake, chemically-produced nails, does this tidbit of information really surprise you?
Personally, one of the worst parts of having acrylic nails was the effect it had on my nails when I decided to take them off. My nails were left extremely thin, brittle, and prone to breakage when I got rid of them. It took months for my nails to fully repair from the excessive damage and trauma brought to them by acrylics, and I’m glad to say that I will never turn back to that toxic product ever again.
So, take it from the facts and a self-proclaimed manicure veteran: ditch the acrylics. They have no benefits to your actual nails, and there are much better options to have healthy nails that are actually real.
One of the best ways to have longer and stronger nails is to start from within and take some biotin pills. Biotin not only helps your nails, but also assists in speeding up hair growth and clearing skin. A bottle of biotin pills is also a lot cheaper than a new set of acrylic nails (this bottle of biotin pills from Walmart is less than $10!). So, save your health and your bank account by taking these Biotin pills!
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[Photo: @inailsbyhelen]
