{"id":94497,"date":"2021-02-16T16:44:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T23:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nailcarehq.com\/?p=94497"},"modified":"2022-07-21T11:22:06","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T18:22:06","slug":"covid-pandemic-nails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/covid-pandemic-nails\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Covid Pandemic is Destroying Our Nails"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you been dealing with more breaking and peeling nails <\/strong>than normal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you have recovered from Covid-19 and you\u2019ve noticed some deep horizontal grooves<\/strong>, called Beau\u2019s Lines, in one or more of your nails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it seems like there might be no end in sight, you\u2019re not alone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living through and surviving the Covid-19 pandemic has put the entire planet under more stress<\/strong> than we\u2019ve experienced in decades<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nail problems can usually be sleuthed out by looking at four categories; Stress, Health, Home, and Work\/Hobbies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of times, the answer is due to one cause, sometimes two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this pandemic has put ALL FOUR into play.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Magic Question<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When people ask me what\u2019s suddenly wrong with their nails, I start with one major question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What big thing happened to you 4 to 6 months ago?<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is that the magic question?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the nail tips you have today were created four to six months <\/strong>ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On average, the journey from creation in the matrix to where you finally see the nail at the keratinized proximal nail fold (cuticle line) has taken one to two months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes about another 4 months for the nail to continue growing to the hyponychium (where the nail leaves the pink nail bed to become the free edge.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at the 4 categories that have contributed to why you feel like your nails have \u201csuddenly gotten worse\u201d<\/strong> or seem like \u201cthey just won\u2019t get better.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether good or bad, stress is often the major reason for nail issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re living in a state of perpetual fear of loss<\/strong>; loss of income, possible loss of home, loss of connection to those we care about, and loss of freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We aren\u2019t sleeping<\/strong> well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More and more people are dealing with chronic anxiety and depression.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Divorce and substance abuse<\/strong> rates are rising uncomfortably fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents<\/strong> are now needing to support educating<\/strong> their children at home on top of juggling their work responsibilities<\/strong> from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our youth have lost <\/strong>one of the major things that help make school more bearable\u2014hanging out with their friends<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As of this writing in February 2021, 106 million people have caught the Corona Virus while 78 million have recovered. [Source: Worldometers.info<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the surface, that might sound positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we have no idea what \u201crecovered\u201d actually means other than \u201cstill alive and discharged from the hospital.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, this means it affects your nose, throat, and lungs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both my oldest son and best friend got violently sick at the beginning of  2020 while Covid was raging through China. It\u2019s now 13 months later and both have a persistent cough, have frequent episodes of struggling to breathe, and several other health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most people seem to be recovering, there\u2019s growing concern over a new group of people, \u201clong-haulers\u201d, who have lingering symptoms.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Long-lasting symptoms often include: coughing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, headaches, muscle aches, and diarrhea. But perhaps the most significant symptom that is being seen across the board in coronavirus long-haulers is fatigue. Oftentimes, this group feels very run down and tired. They can\u2019t exert themselves or exercise and simple tasks (like walking to the mailbox) will often leave them feeling exhausted. Chronic fatigue like we\u2019re seeing in this group can be incredibly debilitating and frustrating. Many long-haulers also report brain fog, difficulty concentrating, or feel like they aren\u2019t as sharp as they used to be. <\/em>[Source: Health.clevelandclinic.org<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t know yet<\/strong> if we will see a significant rise in asthma or functional breathing disorders (FBD)<\/a> in those who recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will asthma or FBD show up in your nails? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oxygen and nutrients <\/strong>are delivered to your nail matrix<\/strong> by your blood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your body\u2019s survival mechanisms<\/strong> will focus delivery of blood flow to your brain and internal organs before your extremities like fingers and toes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compromised oxygen intake<\/strong> will have negative effects<\/strong> on our nail health over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How has your home changed<\/strong> over the last year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re washing our hands<\/strong> with water and soaps significantly more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global hand sanitizer market<\/strong> is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 22.6% from 2019 to 2027. [Source: Grandviewresearch.com<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The active ingredient in hand sanitizers, ethyl alcohol, is very drying<\/strong> to hands and nails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Are you doing more cleaning<\/strong> because everyone is stuck at home and making more messes<\/strong> than when all of you went to work and school?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you wearing gloves<\/strong> when cleaning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have young children and constantly changing diapers<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you responsible for chores<\/strong> like laundry, making the bed, or yard work? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hobbies\/Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Water, paper, fabric,<\/strong> and other materials can strip away your body\u2019s natural oils, including the oil within your nail plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since we\u2019re spending more time at home, many of us may have dusted off neglected crafts and hobbies that can strip oils from skin and nails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting Back to Normal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So many of us are grieving<\/strong> for the life we had before 2020. We want it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After my first child died of SIDS at 9 weeks old, I asked my grief counselor, \u201chow long will it take to get back to normal.\u201d Her response hit me hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the new normal.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For us to get back to life as we knew it, 75% of the global population <\/strong>needs to be vaccinated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bloomberg\u2019s new calculator shows how long it will take states and countries to vaccinate 75% of their populations\u20147 YEARS!<\/strong> [Source: Bloomberg.com<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would appear that this is definitely the new normal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons from History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that this isn\u2019t the first time our planet has suffered through a pandemic. These are the top 10 worst pandemics since the death of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1981-2012) HIV\/AIDS PANDEMIC – Death Toll: 36 million
(1968) FLU PANDEMIC – Death Toll: 1 million
(1956-1958) ASIAN FLU – Death Toll: 2 million
(1918) FLU PANDEMIC – Death Toll: 20 -50 million
(1910-1911) SIXTH CHOLERA PANDEMIC – Death Toll: 800,000+
(1889-1890) FLU PANDEMIC – Death Toll: 1 million
(1852\u20131860) THIRD CHOLERA PANDEMIC – Death Toll: 1 million
(1346-1353) THE BUBONIC BLACK DEATH – Death Toll: 75 \u2013 200 million
(541-542) BUBONIC PLAGUE OF JUSTINIAN – Death Toll: 25 million
(165 AD) ANTONINE PLAGUE – Death Toll: 5 million
[Source: Mphonline.org<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Now?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So what are we going to do about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We could accept<\/strong> that our nails will be a hot mess for the next several years. I personally don\u2019t like that option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or we can accept the universal truth that change is inevitable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to find new ways<\/strong> to decrease our stress levels, improve our home and work life, and improve our health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Since we can\u2019t stop washing our hands and using hand sanitizers, we need to embrace the strategies that reverse the drying effects<\/strong> we experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to do intensive hydration treatments<\/a><\/strong> with a high-quality, jojoba wax ester-based nail oil, like Bliss Kiss<\/a>\u2122 and nitrile gloves to improve the strength and flexibility of the natural nail plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to use water-free balms and lotions<\/a> to soothe our overwashed and hypersensitive skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the best part? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ana's<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We need to wear polish to protect<\/strong> our nails from damaging water absorption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish provides temporary strength<\/strong> to help our nails survive this crazy, brave new world.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you found this article helpful, please share! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ana helps you understand why the chronic stress of living through the pandemic is causing weak, peeling, and brittle fingernails and how to fix them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[484,3,481,491],"tags":[476,24,16,473,474,475,10],"class_list":["post-94497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nailhealth","category-nail-problems","category-peeling-3","category-peeling-nails","tag-beaus-lines","tag-breaking-nails","tag-brittle-nails","tag-covid","tag-covid-nails","tag-pandemic-nails","tag-peeling-nails"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nailcareheadquarters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}