Do you think nail polish can harm our nails?

I can't say I've experienced anything I'd label as "side effects" so much, as that word connotes some sort of negative health issue resulting from use. When I leave toenail polish on for a long time (which is to say, always) it does turn my toenails yellow, but I figure it doesn't matter because I'll pretty much always have toenail polish on, haha.

As for my fingernails, I think mine tend to be healthier when I regularly keep them painted. For one thing, they don't dry out as easily. They don't tend to chip and break either. Winter has been especially hard on my nails, and add to the weather the daily grind of washing things (hands, children, clothes, dishes) and my nails could easily look terrible. I seriously think it is better for me to keep a fresh coat of polish on most of the time.

 

I guess that nail polish somehow harms our nails. I noticed that back when I changed my polish every few days or so, my nails get brittle. When it gets snagged on clothes, it breaks easily. The color becomes yellowish, too. These are some of the reasons why I no longer color my nails.

 

Nail polish can stain the nails, but with all chemicals there is always a small amount of risk. Some people are allergic to formaldehyde and can cause a reaction, but nails are dead cells, so they can't harm the nails, but maybe the toxic fumes may affect people or a reaction with the skin around the nails.

In general nail polish can protect nails if they are long, but I would avoid strong dark colors that stain.

 

I think that nail polish could possibly be hazardous to your health and nails. When you open a bottle of nail polish, it has a really strong chemical smell. So, I can only imagine that the chemicals could have some effect over the years. One thing that I noticed when I used to wear nail polish was that it used to stain my nails and make them yellow. This used to bother me because my nails would look really bad if they were not covered in nail polish. I have read that there are new kinds of polish that do not have all these chemicals in them, but they are not in my country. If they were, I would like to try them.

 

I have not had problems with the polish, but with the remover. If I let nail polish wear off my nails, there is no evidence of damage, but if I use remover, after several uses my nails start to peal and they are essentially ruined. I did this to myself in the spring after thinking I had gotten a gentler remover, but it took all summer for my nails to regrow from the nail bed and stop pealing and breaking.

 

As there are just as many people who wear nail polish continuously that have perfectly healthy nails - as there are - those whose long term use of nail polish leads to brittle nails that split and break easily - I'm more inclined to think - that it has more to do with the type of polish used, the quality of the polish, the overall health of the nails and whether or not a base coat is used - as to whether nail polish would be harmful to the nails - as well as how often it is removed - particularly as acetone removers are way more likely to damage the nails than the nail polish itself.

So realistically speaking - as the health of our nails can be protected to some degree - by always applying a base coat prior to the polish - which not only protects the nails from the drying effects of the polish but also avoids the problems of nail discoloration - as well as - always wearing good quality non gel polish, using an acetone free remover and giving nails a breather every now and again - there isn't any reason why wearing nail polish should be harmful - if nails are cared for and looked after as they should be.

 

I doubt it's that harmful. People have been using it for decades with no ill effects. The only real problem you're likely to incur is drying or staining - both of which can be avoided with a half-decent base coat. Remover which contains acetone can be very drying but there's plenty of alternatives available at a similar price.

 

When we were in high school, our teacher in home economics subject advised us against applying nail polish on our nails. She said that it's not really the nail polish that is harmful to our nails but the acetone, that liquid used to remove the nail polish. Acetone can abuse the nails that it can lose its natural glow. Sometimes we have that thing called dead nail that according to our teacher is mostly caused by the abuse from nail polish removal.

 

Like others have said, I think the remover is probably more damaging than the polish itself, especially acetone. Doesn’t stop me using it because it’s the only thing that’ll remove things like glitter, but it does dry the nails out. I have had polishes stain my nails as well but that was probably more because I was using a sub-par base coat.

 

I don't think it's too harmful. The one I really worry about is the remover which already feels toxic by the smell alone, but even then I doubt they would be sold if they weren't safe so I personally just tend to still use it but I try to wash it off as soon as possible afterwards. I don't think you will get too much trouble from nail polish, I have grand parents who have been wearing nail polish all their lives up until old age and it didn't seem to affect them much.

 

When I was a little girl I had to have red nail polish on. I took off the polish one day let's say after a month of repairing the polish till it looked like you just polished it and my nails were reddish color. I just waited until my nails came back to normal looking by putting on just clear nail polish. My nails came back to normal in about 2 weeks. I didn't put on color nail polish for a long while after this experience. I like clear nail polish and I do put on clear nail polish from time to time. I buy color nail polish and wear it occasionally now. After this experience I do think that nail polish is harmful if worn all the time. Clear nail polish these days protect your nails from chipping or splitting.

 

I use nail polish very so often in the past. I buy from the most affordable to the cheapest brands. And I think that's my mistake. I never checked the labels of these polishes and so I was very unknowledgeable about their ingredients. I got some allergic reaction from one polish that made my fingers blister. They are blisters that are itchy and painful. From then on, I stopped wearing nail polishes as I got traumatised.

Though I'm sure there are good quality nail polishes out there. Choose those that are formaldehyde free and paraben free. Always check the labels and ingredients! Invest in quality ones that won't hurt your health!

 

I have never had a problem with it except for vanity reasons (the polish chipping). I think as far as makeup goes, it is probably the safest to use. Like others said it is clearly a chemical so you do have to be careful. While the human body tends to be fragile I think nails are one of our strongest body parts. It's like having armor for your skin so you don't have to worry if you want to use it unless you've had a reaction before obviously. If you give your nails time to "breathe" by not constantly going back and forth from your polish to your remover you should be fine.
I'm a sensitive person too and only thing that bothers me is the smell. Once it dries I am fine.

 

In my opinion and based on what I remember from cosmetology classes (wish I had my text book to refer to but it's at my parents' house in storage) here's what I can offer.
The acetone remover (and even non-acetone removers!) IS more damaging than the polish to the nail bed, cuticle and skin around the nails.
There's a way to minimize the damage when removing polish, however. Use vaseline or petroleum jelly (or if you are super health conscious, use coconut oil or some other oil or balm) to protect around the nail. After removing the polish, wash your hands and then use oil to recondition the nail.
I always wait AT LEAST a few hours if not a day or two before re applying to give time for the nail to "breathe" and I've personally had good success with that.
Make sure you are in a well ventilated area whenever using polish or remover. Being sure to use a good base coat and keeping your nails clean and filed will increase your chances of having healthy nails.

 

I don't use nail polish now as compared to before, but I checked and it is quite harmful to our nails if you use it often. Take a look at this site for more info:

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