In case your nails are something like mine, they grow to be flimsy and papery after a gel or acrylic manicure: They peel, tear, and fold over themselves after I achieve this a lot as clasp a necklace. Plainly with the intention to have nice-looking nails, I would as properly get a mani each week—however I don’t have the disposable funds for that.
Lately my inbox has flooded with magnificence manufacturers touting the advantages of their new topical nail strengtheners. In response to Ivy Lee-Keltner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and the medical director of Direct Dermatology, most nail strengtheners create a protecting, hydrating movie on high of the nail, which ought to make it much less prone to peel, break, or break up. However are these merchandise definitely worth the hype—and your cash? Dr. Lee says there isn’t vital scientific proof that proves the efficacy of over-the-counter nail strengtheners (most of it’s anecdotal). Nonetheless, something that hydrates or protects your nails most likely gained’t damage—simply keep away from any topical merchandise which can be formulated with formaldehyde, she says, because the chemical may cause severe irritation in some individuals.
In my quest for hand-model-worthy nails, I realized that there’s an affordable, extra versatile different to those merchandise that I already had in my medication cupboard: Aquaphor. “Making use of an ointment like Aquaphor or Vaseline to the cuticles may help seal the cuticle and promote wholesome nails,” Fatima Fahs, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and the founding father of Dermy Doc Field, tells SELF. Apparently, TikTokers referred to as this “nail slugging” in 2022, however that is one “development” that doubtless gained’t go away. Dr. Lee notes that she additionally recommends merchandise like Aquaphor or Vaseline to her sufferers who’re involved about brittle nails. “In my medical expertise, I’ve had sufferers self-report improved sturdiness of their nails after they hydrate the nail fold with a moisturizing ointment,” she says.
How does petrolatum strengthen your nails?
The primary ingredient in ointments like Aquaphor and Vaseline is hydrated petrolatum (a.okay.a. petroleum jelly). “[It’s] an occlusive moisturizer, which types a barrier that seals water in,” Dr. Lee says. “Making use of this to the proximal nail fold and cuticle helps hydrate the realm the place the nail plate begins to develop. This ends in a smoother and extra sturdy nail plate.” (The proximal nail fold is the pores and skin bordering the decrease finish of the nail; that is the place your cuticle grows over the nail. The nail plate, usually simply referred to as the nail, is the half you paint with polish.)
Petrolatum-based ointments may help your cuticles maintain onto moisture, which is vital for general nail well being. “Open, irritated, or ragged cuticles can contribute to weak nails and a weak nail mattress,” Dr. Fahs says. Your first intuition could be to seize the cuticle nippers and snip extraordinarily dry pores and skin across the nail or push the cuticles again, however your greatest transfer is to maintain them moisturized and in any other case depart them alone. “The cuticle is crucial to defending the nail from micro organism and different germs coming into the physique [that can] trigger infections,” Nada Elbuluk, MD, a medical affiliate professor of dermatology on the College of Southern California, beforehand instructed SELF.
