If the beauty routines for the body and face are often developed with skill, the same is not always true for the hands and more precisely for the nails, which in any case also need care. But other than moisturizing them and applying cuticle oil (which is pretty good), what else can you do? The answer is simple: it is recommended to exfoliate them ! A gesture that is clearly not obvious, but which was introduced on video by one of the papisse of dermatology on Tiktok, Doctor Dray (with more than 252,000 subscribers to date).
The benefits of nail exfoliation
What’s the point of exfoliating your nails, when you can just leave them alone? Dermatologist Dana Stern answered that question Refinery29 United States :
“Your nails have layers of dead nail cells – also known as onycocytes – that dehydrate and become damaged by environmental exposures such as water, temperature changes and chemicals, with nail polish remover being the main culprit.
As a result, the onychocytes rise up and separate, causing peeling — it’s analogous to dry, rough, flaky skin. »
To solve this problem, exfoliation is a good method, because it will remove the scaling, as it would dead skin cells.
But what happens if we don’t exfoliate? In some cases, of course, the nail naturally regains its health and there is nothing more to be done. But Dr. Stern still cautions people who tend to keep their nail polish on for a long time:
“When polish is left on for too long and then the nail bits are washed off with the polish, white specks called keratin granules can form, which is especially common on nails where people tend to keep polish on for very long periods of time. long.. Not to mention that ridges can develop which is basically an atrophy of the nail matrix, also known as the nail plate that produces the structure. »
Beyond this catastrophic scenario, nail exfoliation can simply be useful to anyone who wants to take care of them to avoid phenomena such as splitting, streaking or brittleness. Issues that need to be medically explored first to ensure they are not due to a deficiency or other health issue.
How to effectively exfoliate nails?
To exfoliate the nails, Dip a cotton ball in the glycolic acid lotion (the one from The Ordinary works very well) e apply the product directly to the nails and cuticles. Next, simply moisturize with hand cream or for the body.
Why glycolic acid in particular? Dr. Stern explains it:
“The medical literature has demonstrated that glycolic acid can be an effective agent for nail rejuvenation. It is very common in skin care but quite revolutionary for nails. »
How many times ?
Obviously, doing it every day would cause brittle nails and cuticles. The right frequency? Exfoliate this area once a week to obtain good results over time (it takes at least 21 days to start seeing the first effects of a treatment). So a little patience, you will be rewarded.
Buy your exfoliator
One image credit: @allison christine.
Source: Madmoizelle
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
