Hello Beautiful!

The Nail Unit: Deeper knowledge of our tiny powertools.

Nails provide a rigid backing to protect the delicate fingertip, which we use to grasp items and distinguish textures.  The nails themselves allow us to pick up small items and scratch itchy skin.

(Cross view of a fingertip)

Some quick fun facts:

-Fingernails grow 2x as fast as fingernails.

-Men's nails grow faster than women's.

-Nails grow at the same rate that the continents move.

-Nails grow fastest on your dominant hand.

-Nails grow faster when damaged or frequently bitten.

-The longer the finger, the faster the fingernail grows.

-Nails grow 20% faster while the body fights off flu.

 

 

The Guardians

 

This is a system of folds and seals designed to protect the nail matrix and nail bed.  Without these important components, the nail plate could not grow or function normally.  This is why they are rightfully called the "guardians." 

The folds include the eponychium and lateral fold, which are the living tissues that surround the nail plate.  In both cases, the skin appears to end when it reaches the nail plate, but in reality it makes a U-Turn and folds underneath.  The section of skin that folds underneath covers the new growth of the nail plate, and will not be visible until it grow past the fold.  It's purpose? To protect the internal parts of the nail unit from infection or attack by foreign substances.

As it grows, ithis seal is more commonly known as cuticle, and is removed during a manicure with a sodium hydroxide combination to break down the now dead tissue. This tissue "hitches a ride" with the nail plate as it grows and should be removed, up to the eponychium only. 

The seals include living tissue (hyponychium- nail bed seal), and the non-living cuticle (nail plate seal).  They work in conjunction with the folds to insure protection against pathogens and contamination.

The matrix guardian is the eponychium fold and the cuticle seal working together to protect the matrix, the root of the nail itself, while it is constantly incubating new nail cells.

The Nail Bed

The nail bed lies directly below the nail plate.  The bed begins at the front edge of the matrix, and ends at the eponychium.  The tissue under the nail plate is different from the skin covering your hands and fingers, and more closely resembles the inside of the mouth. It contains millions of tiny blood vessels with two basic functions:

-to carry food and oxygen to the nail.

-to carry wastes, toxins, and carbon dioxide from the nail unit.

This tissue, called epithelium, attaches firmly to the nail plate and begins to pull away from the dermis. 

The nail matrix, the "mother" of the nail, produces the nail plate cells.  It is located just under the eponychium and contains blood vessels to provide nutrition to new cells.  The matrix determines the shape, width, and thickness of the nail plate.  As long as the matrix recieves healthy nutrition and is undamaged, it will continue to produce healthy nail cells.  But if it becomes damaged or infected, the entire health of the nail unit is jeapordized.  Many serious nail disorders are caused my damaged or diseased matrix cells.

The whitish area of the nail plate, often called the "moon," is really referred to as the lunula.  It appears white because the matrix cells are white just before they are flattened into the nail plate.  Sometimes you can see it, sometimes you can't.  It is not an indicator of any disorder if it cannot be seen.

 

Product Chemistry

Nail enhancements became popular in the 1970's and included the use of dental polymers to sculpt on a form to lengthen and protect nails.  Back then, technology was very new, and not designed specifically for use on nails in a salon.  In fact, in 1974 the dental bonding monomer called methyl methacrylate was prohibited from sale by the FDA because it was found to be highly allergenic; it caused nail plate damage and numbness to fingertips.

Then in 1979, Dr. Stuart Nordstrom discovered a new technology in enhancement products and created the original "Solarnail," that has since evolved from crosslinks to advancements of what is called IPN technology (Radical(R) and Retention+(R).

There are so many types of enhancements available now: Fiberglass wraps, silk wraps, gel nails, acrylic nails.

So how does anyone choose WHAT to have applied to their own nails?

What is the darn difference?

Well, when you get down to basics, there isn't much difference at all.

While they all may seem totally different and unrelated, the main ingredients to make each of them are very closely related.  In fact, they all come from the same chemical family: acrylics.

The first artificial nails enhancements were called acrylic nails.  As you can probably imagine, they weren't very good by today's standards, but then again neither were the first cars, airplanes, or computers.  All new products need time to reach their full potential.  Unfortunately, many people still associate the word "acrylic" with those outdated products.  They don't realize that all artificial nail enhancements are ALL based on ingredients from the acrylic family.  But that doesn't mean they are exactly the same: think of it as different races among dogs.

Liquid and powder systems (often referred to as acrylic) are based on one branch of the acrylic family called the methacrylates.  Wraps, no light gels, and tip adhesives are based on another directly related branch, the cyanoacrylates.  UV gel products until recently were based strictly on ingredients from a third branch, the called the acrylates, but newer, more advanced products based on methacrylates have become available.  Each category has its advantages and its disadvantages, there are no perfect product types, and none is ideal in every situation.

Fiberglass and silk wrap systems use a single link polymer, or, "Linear molecular structure."  These products are inherently weak and will continue to breakdown as they age.  It generally can't stand up to the rigors of daily wear and tear. As a result, this type of polymer is characterized by:  good retention; breakage- no toughness; excellent clarity; non-resistant to water and solvents.

Liquid and powder uses random molecular chains of "cross-linked" polymers to form a tough material that can still be thinly applied for a natural look, offering strength and flexibility.  A few benefits: tough nails- a blend of strength and flexibility; color clarity and stability; resistant to solvents and water.

The latest in this cross link technology is an interweaving of these polymer chains, or "reinforced cross linked polymers," that is technically called "IPN Technology" (Interpenetrating polymer networks). The benefits beyond traditional cross linking include: tremendous toughness; enhanced retention; superior workability.  This combination of traits enhances the service for the client by preventing service breakdown (ie" lifting, cracking, discoloration). CND's Radical and Retention+ are excellent examples of this technology.

UV gels utilize initiators that rely on UV light as their main energy source: photoinitiators.  Photoinitiators absorb UV light and convert it into the energy needed to cure the UV gel.  In general, the more photoinitiator in the gel, the faster the cure.  But this is not a selling point!  Too much photointiator can quickly cause problems.  For example, UV gel products can very quickly heat up, to the point that a client will pull their hand from the UV lamp.  This can happen often with a formula containing too much photoinitiator.  It's more of a problem for clients that have nail beds with friction burns from being aggressively filed by their tech, and are very sensitive to begin with.  When the client pulls the nail out from pain, before it has cured fully, you run the chance of undercuring the UV gel, which leads to the clients exposure to uncured product, which leads to skin allergies and sensitivity to product.  Excessive photoinitiators can also cause yellowing or brittleness, and even after the client has left the salon, remaining photoinitiator in the enhancement can still react with UV light from the sun, tanning beds, etc.  Curing can continue for days, leading to severe age-related brittleness, forcing nail techs to remove the enhancements every 3-4 months and apply a new set.  Most UV gels also utilize gluteraldehyde and acrylic acid to help the enhancement adhere to the nail plate on top of excessive photoinitiators.  These two chemicals have a tremendous potential to cause allergic skin reactions, and should never be used in artificial nail products!   It's important when choosing to wear UV gel enhancements, that the gel being used does not contain gluteraldeyde, acrylic acid, or excessive amounts of photoinitiator.  Newer technology based on methacrylates has been created for UV gels, crosslinking and creating a permanent bond to the nail plate, using a higher UV output and a low amount of photoinitiator.