What you should not do:
1. Bite the nails –
Biting the nails damages the layers of keratin making up the nails.
2. Pluck the cuticles –
You should not pluck the cuticles surrounding the nails. The cuticles hold the nails in place. Besides, being painful it makes your nails more susceptible to infections.
3. Pull the hangnails –
Hangnails should be cut with a nail cutter. Pulling the hangnails damages the keratin layers in the nails and cuticles.
4. Use for nails as a tool –
How many times have you used your nails to open the cork of a bottle, to pick at things, pull them or poke them? Don’t do it anymore. The nails are not designed for so much stress and therefore break easily.
5. Over manicure –
Over manicuring your nails can also be damaging.
6. Use nail polish remover in excess –
The use of nail polish remover should be limited to only once a week. Whenever you use nail polish remover, it should be an acetone free variety. Acetone tends to rob nails of their moisture and dries them up.
7. Nail deformation lightly –
We often ignore discolored or brittle nails believing it is a natural phenomenon and won’t cause much harm. However discolored nails (yellowish, green or black), dents and ridges, spots and lines, curled nails, swollen and pain around the nails are signs and symptoms of an infection and call for a visit to the dermatologist.
