Your Nails and Your Appearance
Besides making your hands and feet look beautiful nails also have a function which is to protect your fingers and to improve dexterity. The condition of your nails can also tell you a lot about your health, and while you are ill your nails may be discoloured and lifeless in appearance.
During your daily life people will notice your hands and nails and today modern men and women take great pains in keeping their nails well groomed.
When you examine your nails closely what do you see? Do your nails look strong and healthy without unusual dents, ridges, discolorations and cracks? The shape of your nails should be even and the cuticles clear and neat on the edges.
Unhealthy and bad looking nails can be avoided through simple daily nail care routines, but if you notice fungus or other undesirable looking conditions then this condition may need medical attention.
Your nails are made from keratin which is the same substance that your hair and top layers of your skin consist of. The nails start a lot further back than where the cuticles of your fingers are, and back there are the nail roots or what some call it the nail matrix.
While your nails are growing from this point, the front part of your nails become hard and flat because of Keratin as we mentioned above. The nail bed is the flat surface along the top of your fingers and the new nail forming will grow along this bed which contains minute blood vessels which give your nails their pinkish appearances.
In healthy people nails can grow up to 3mm per month which means when a nail is completely damaged or torn off, it could take up to 6 months for a new nail to replace it.
Cuticles naturally protect the nail while it is growing from the root, and that light coloured circle just above the cuticle is called the ‘Lunula’ the name derived from the Latin word for Moon.
The Hyponychium is the most sensitive part of the nail and when exposed you will experience pain. It is also called the’ quick’ of the nail and if you cut your nails too far back this can cause bleeding.
Below is an image showing the proper make up of your nails for your information. When you have ugly looking nails on your hands and feet you will do everything possible to hide them. This guide will help you maintain stunning looking nails.
Regular care and grooming of your nails is important because your nails are a part of your body and they are alive. When you use your hands in everyday life then your nails are subjected to dirt, knocks, liquids and a variety of other external factors, all which take a toll on their health and appearance.
Occasionally you will come across women and men with exceptionally beautiful nails, and when you notice this, you may secretly wonder if they could possibly be real. Chances they are real if the owners have taken good care of them.
For some that are unlucky enough to suffer from recurring nail fungus infections read the chapter on this topic which will show you how best to manage it, and even get rid of it altogether. The same will apply to the way your nails look in overall appearance. If you take good care of your nails using the tips and knowledge in this guide, you too can have nails that you can be proud to show off where ever you go.
Keep a set of good nail grooming tools to look after your nails, and for women that love colourful nails, there certainly are tons of fabulous accessories on the market.
As a matter of fact, with some common sense, practicing some simple nail grooming techniques and patience, you can have stunning looking nails that look like they have been done by a salon, but have actually been done by you!
