Berkeley Parents Network: Fingernails & Toenails

Berkeley Parents Network

Fingernails & Toenails

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Advice about Health > Fingernails & Toenails

Glue-on nails

May 2003

I must have missed this day in ''How To Be a Woman'' class! I went to get my nails done and was amazed at all the choices of things to have done. What's the difference between acrylic nails, gel nails, silk nails, and crystal nails? Is one kind actually better than another?
destined for glamour

There is, indeed, quite a bit of glamour in nails. A word of caution, however, as you embark upon the beauty of glued-on stuff. A 1995 article by the Food and Drug Administration, and recently (beginning in 1997, and continuing in greater numbers) several outbreaks of disease in hospitalized patients (including the deaths of about a dozen newborns in one hospital in the midwest) have been associated with either long natural nails or artificial things stuck to one's nails. It is impossible to clean the potential space between the artificial nail appliance (gels, wraps, overlays, nails, jewelry, etc.) and the natural nail. The glue that sticks the stuff on is a food source for microorganisms, and protects them as they multiply. Perhaps it was better to have missed that day in the ''How to be a Woman'' class. There are other ways to have glamorous nails, such as buffing or polishing. A word to the wise healthcare consumer: The unwashed hand of the health care professional (dentist, doctor, nurse, practitioner, medical assistant, etc.) is the number one transmitter of microorganisms, and could put you at higher risk for healthcare-acquired infections. Ask your healthcare professional to cleanse their hands (with either soap and water, or with a waterless, alcohol-containing rub, gel, or foam) in front of you before every examination or procedure. Amy

I had fake nails for years, mainly acrylic and silk. Silk is thinner and less obvious when they start to grow out. They basically put a piece of silk over your nail and glue it down. WIth the other types, they put a synthetic liquid over your nail that hardens and makes your nails thicker. All of the above can be used over your natural nail or with a fake nail tip. Here are the drawbacks of all nail systems: 1. They reguire regular maintenance and look really bad when they start to grow out unless you get them maintained. If you don't do regular maintenance, you risk getting water under them and getting fungus. 2. They are way toxic--the fumes you breathe in the salon and the waste they generate. Definitely not eco- friendly. 3. They require having your own nail filed and eventually your nail gets paper thin. I have seen people whose nails have never recovered. Personally, I think you are better off getting a regular polish manicure and skip the overlays. Elizabeth

Splitting toenail

Jan 2003

i'm not sure this is worth going to a doctor for--my little toenail has started growing in split in two, and doesn't seem to be healing after several months. anyone know if there is anything i can do about it? lynne

Call your doctor. He or she can refer you to a pediatrist. It's not a serious problem, but when my big toenail did this, I was very glad to have it attended to. anonomous

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