Polish That is Good For Your Nails

Toenail fungus is ugly and unpleasant. Many medical experts warn that to prevent or treat it, you should avoid the use of nail polish entirely. For many women, however, pedicures and polished toenails are important for feeling pretty in open-toe shoe season. Is it really necessary to forgo nail polish altogether? Let’s consider why nail polish is so bad for toenails. Typically, there are three main culprits.

  • Formaldehyde is used to harden nail polish–and embalm corpses! This carcinogen makes nails brittle and susceptible to cracks and breaks, where any fungus your toenail encounters can settle in and make a home.
  • Dibutyl phthalate makes nail polish stronger. It also can cause reproductive issues and irritates skin around nails, again giving fungus convenient entry points.
  • Toluene keeps nail polish from separating but is drying to nails, causing brittleness, flaking, and other irregularities where fungus thrives. It’s also a neurotoxin at high levels!

It isn’t just the top coat that damages toenails. While many polishes are marketed as base coats that claim to be nail hardeners, no topical products are proven to actually strengthen nails. In fact, most of the products include formaldehyde or other damaging chemicals. Also, nail polish removers often contain acetone, which dries out nails. It isn’t good for cuticles or skin around nails, either, and can cause the kind of fungus-friendly irritation you want to avoid.

Recommended Nail Polish Options

Instead of using those damaging products, the experts at American Foot and Leg Specialists in South Atlanta recommend Dr.’s Remedy, a company that makes nail polishes with actual anti-fungal properties from natural tea tree oil. They’re the first (and so far only) nail polish with the American Podiatric Medical Association seal of approval.

Dr.’s Remedy offers more than 30 different nail colors as well as nail care products including top coat, base coat, and cuticle serum. Each product contains a special blend of ingredients created by the doctors who founded the company. Among its natural ingredients are wheat protein, tea tree oil, garlic bulb extract, and lavender oil. What you will not find in Dr.’s Remedy products, on the other hand, are formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor, or pthalates.

In general, it’s best not to wear nail polish on your toenails too often, but if you do, remember to use Dr.’s Remedy nail products to reduce problems. To check out the range of nail polish colors, or if you want more information about treating or preventing toenail fungus, you can always contact the staff at American Foot and Leg Specialists in South Atlanta.