Manicure Preparations

Abstract

The nails should receive regular treatment as an essential part of grooming to maintain them in good condition. They should be cut regularly, particularly if they show any tendency towards brittle-ness and may be shaped preferably with an emery board. Modern manicure preparations are designed to promote nail hygiene and offer protection by external means against the effects of solvents and detergents, or other materials which are normally handled during the daily routine. The general condition of the finger nails is also dependent on certain general physical conditions which affect their growth such as nervous strain and alterations in glandular function, or dietary deficiencies involving amino acids, vitamins, and essential fatty acids. The nails are a hard keratin somewhat similar to that of hair. The protein structure which is arranged in fibres contains a high proportion of the sulphur rich amino-acid cysteine, a smaller proportion of methionone together with other amino acids such as tyrosine, lysine, and histidene. The nail is, however, not a homogenous structure but is composed of three layers, a soft layer known as the ventral nail, with hard keratin forming the intermediate layer, and the external layer known as the dorsal nail.