{"id":92096,"date":"2016-02-08T16:58:20","date_gmt":"2016-02-08T23:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nailcarehq.com\/?p=92096"},"modified":"2017-08-30T12:53:32","modified_gmt":"2017-08-30T19:53:32","slug":"does-picking-polish-cause-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/does-picking-polish-cause-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Picking Polish Cause Damage?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Polish Picking Damage\"picking-polish-damage-nailcarehq-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Does Picking at Polish Cause Damage?<\/h1>\n

<\/h4>\n


\n <\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

They say a picture is worth a thousand words . . .<\/h3>\n

\"polish<\/a><\/p>\n

The Answer?<\/h2>\n

Uhhhh\u2014big fat yes!<\/p>\n

Really? I Did That?<\/h2>\n

We all have little things that we get OCD about…especially when it comes to our nails.<\/p>\n

Whether it’s picking, biting, or nipping<\/strong>, it can be hard to stop. Mine is picking.<\/p>\n

If polish starts to chip, I have to fight myself really hard<\/strong> to not keep working at it.<\/p>\n

In the photo above, I didn’t win\u2014in more ways than one.<\/p>\n

A corner of my polish started to lift and I absent mindedly<\/strong> kept working on it while watching a movie.<\/p>\n

The polish was lifting anyway\u2014it wouldn’t do that much harm\u2014right?<\/p>\n

When I removed the rest of my polish\u00a0I was shocked<\/strong> to see what I had done.<\/p>\n

My entire nail plate had been as smooth as the right side (under the arrow) when I applied my polish. But the peeled area now felt fuzzy and it took\u00a0four months for all that damage to grow out.<\/p>\n

Only For My Readers!\"Does<\/a><\/h2>\n

I snapped this photo, thinking it might be a good illustration for an article. I just about freaked out<\/strong> when this image was uploaded and viewed on my 27 inch iMac screen!<\/p>\n

There’s nothing like a ginormous photo to smack you upside the head!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Cuticle<\/h2>\n

On a tangent, the large\u00a0picture also has\u00a0a great shot of the cuticle. The cuticle is the skin on the nail plate that we want to remove before applying polish, if you don’t want it to chip near the cuticle line. Remember, polish doesn’t bond to skin. I have a lot more information about the cuticle at The Cuticle \u2014 Should You Clip, Push, or Scrape?<\/a><\/p>\n

The Solution\"opi-nail-lacquer-wipe-off-416x416\"<\/h2>\n

It seems like a no brainer\u2014stop picking. Many times this is easier said than done.<\/p>\n

The better solution is to remove that polish properly<\/strong>\u00a0as fast as you can.<\/p>\n

I carry portable polish remover pads<\/strong> with me everywhere. They\u00a0have a pad and enough acetone in the aluminum lined pouch to remove polish from all 10 nails.<\/p>\n

I’ve found them in US drug stores\u00a0near other polish removers\u00a0and OPI has some too.<\/p>\n

In Conclusion<\/b><\/h4>\n

So many people tell me, “Well, I pick my polish off and it doesn’t do any damage.”<\/p>\n

Hummmmm\u2014Really?<\/p>\n

After my brain dead moment, I did not\u00a0buff<\/strong> down the peeling layers to make the nail smooth. That would have thinned my nail even more causing it to be weaker. Ridges are the thicker, healthier part of our nails. We want to keep them.<\/a><\/p>\n

Instead, I applied my favorite high quality, jojoba wax ester based nail oil<\/a> to help bond some of those layers down. Then I applied ridge-filling base coat to smooth out the nail.<\/p>\n

We learn from our mistakes. All I have to do is think of this picture<\/strong> when my polish starts chipping.<\/p>\n

I hope many of you will learn from my mistake<\/strong> and remember to treat your nails like jewels.<\/p>\n