If the sight of your nail fungus makes you cringe, read this before reaching for nail polish!
Nail fungus is caused by a parasitic fungus, molds, or yeast, all of which need warm, moist areas to grow. Nail polish traps in moisture from your nail bed (the tissue below your toenail) and wearing nail polish may make a fungal infection worse. Therefore, it’s best to avoid wearing cosmetic nail polish on an infected nail.
The effect of nail polish on your nails
While your nails seem hard, they are in fact more permeable than your skin, and can absorb substances applied to their surface. This is noticeable when the pigment remains even after removing the nail polish. Nail polish can make your nails dry and brittle, making you more susceptible to a fungal infection.
If you’re used to wearing nail polish for weeks on end, once you remove it, dermatologists advise going without nail polish for a week or so, to give them a break and “breathe,” which helps keep them healthy.
Nail polish and bacteria
Nail polish does not carry fungi or bacteria when used properly on healthy nails as the chemicals contained therein don’t make it conducive for them to grow. If the nails are visibly infected, or you’ve accidentally brushed an infected nail, however, experts are more cautious and advise that the nail polish bottle should be discarded.
Other nail care tools
Other nail care tools (such as nail clippers and nail files) can spread nail fungus and should not be shared with others.
What about artificial nails?
If you’ve had nail fungus before, it’s best to stay away from artificial nails and don’t use them to cover up nail problems. Like nail polish, it’s advised to take a break from artificial nails every couple of months, allowing your nails to “breathe” and recover from the chemicals.
References
- Cleveland Clinic. (2020). Why You Should Give Your Toenails a Break From Polish. Cleveland Clinic [Online]. Accessed on 25 July 2023. Available from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11303-toenail-fungus
- Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Toenail Fungus. Cleveland Clinic [Online]. Accessed on 25 July 2023. Available from https://www.webmd.com/beauty/beauty-artificial-nails-overview#:~:text=If%20you%20already%20have%20a,and%20last%20longer%20than%20acrylics
- Fields, L. (2022). Artificial Nails: What to Know Before You Get Them. WebMD [Online]. Accessed on 25 July 2023. Available from https://www.webmd.com/beauty/beauty-artificial-nails-overview#:~:text=If%20you%20already%20have%20a,and%20last%20longer%20than%20acrylics
- American Academy of Dermatology. Nail fungus: who gets and causes. American Academy of Dermatology [Online]. Accessed on 25 July 2023. Available from https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/nail-fungus-causes#:~:text=These%20fungi%20thrive%20in%20warm,wear%20sweaty%20socks%20and%20shoes
- Patel Podiatry. (2022). Can Nail Fungus Spread Through Nail Polish?. Patel Podiatry [Online]. Accessed on 25 July 2023. Available from https://nailknowledge.org/blog/nail-polish-contamination
- Schoon, D. (2022). Nail polish contamination. Nail Knowledge [Online]. Accessed on 25 July 2023. Available from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/myc.12473
- Sigurgeirsson, B., Ghannoum, M. A., Osman-Ponchet, H., Kerrouche, N., & Sidou, F. (2016). Application of cosmetic nail varnish does not affect the antifungal efficacy of amorolfine 5% nail lacquer in the treatment of distal subungual toenail onychomycosis: results of a randomised active-controlled study and in vitro assays. Mycoses, 59(5), 319–326. Available from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/myc.12473