Nail Health
Unfortunately, I was not blessed with long and strong nails. I have always worn them short and they always broke easily. After my first week of chemotherapy I started to see that the wear and tear of my nails was going to be on the decline. Not only does chemotherapy affect your hair, but it does a number on your nails. “ Just as chemotherapy affects your hair because of the rapidly dividing hair follicle cells, it also affects your nails.” I was informed that there could be some changes to my nails, but I was never made aware that my nails would never be the same again.
https://www.breastcancer.org/tips/hair_skin_nails/nails
Pre-cancer diagnosis I damaged the middle finger on my left hand twice. Once in a paper folder and another time in a car door. Both times, my nail fell off but it has grown back and is healthy. Unfortunately, both ring fingers and pinkies on both hands took the chemotherapy the worst. The nails changed to a yellow color and became very brittle with the tops (near the white of the nail) detaching from the nail bed. I never lost the entire nail, but I did have very very short nails.
“Treating cancer with chemotherapy kills cancer cells, but unfortunately many patients also have unwanted side effects, such as hair loss, dry skin and brittle nails.” I had all the above and the brittle nails would continue well after I completed my treatment. Even now my nails are not strong. They do say that in some cases, nails never return to their pre-chemo state. Mine weren’t pretty to begin with, but now they are far from pretty.
WebMD.com/cancer/features/appearance-during-chemo | Verywellhealth.com/nail-problems-during-cancer-treatment-2249230
I was fortunate to have been introduced to manicures and pedicures. It was nice to get one every so often, however it wasn’t something that I had to have done. After treatment I felt like I needed to cover my nails up so tried to get them done a few times to cover them up and “WOW” it hurt. The scraping of the nail file on my nails was the same feeling I get when I hear nails screech across the chalkboard. I’m giving myself the chills as I write this. As much as I wanted a manicure, I really couldn’t tolerate how uncomfortable it made me. It wasn’t until a few years after I completed chemotherapy that I came across collagen and what it does for your skin and nails.
Collagen - What is it and what is it good for?
Collagen is the most plentiful protein in the body. It’s one of the major building blocks of bones, skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Collagen is also found in many other body parts, including blood vessels, corneas and teeth.
Three important facts that I found would make me look into collagen and what it could do for me.
Taking collagen may increase the strength of your nails by preventing brittleness. Additionally it may stimulate your hair and nails to grow longer.
Your bones are made mostly of collagen, which gives them structure and helps keep them strong. Just as the collagen in your body deteriorates as you age so does bone mass.
Researchers have theorized that taking collagen supplements may help reduce the risk of heart retaliated conditions. Collagen provides structure to your arteries which are the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body.
www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen-benefits#5.-promotes-heart-health
As already mentioned a few times, my nails are brittle, frail, and detach from my nail beds pretty easily. In addition to this, with family history and removal of my ovaries when I’m 40 (due to breast and ovarian cancer), I am at a very high risk for bone loss and heart disease. So wow, this collagen thing can help me with all three!
It wasn’t until I was at a Chicago street fair that I found Vital Proteins Collagen water. I didn’t know what it was all about, but after tasting it I new I could enjoy it and it’s benefits. I then was at a Chicago Breasties event and they had Vital Proteins shots. I had never had this before but gave it a “shot.” Later that same year, one of the founders of The Breasties posted a story about Further Food and the Chocolate Collagen Peptides. So, here goes nothing. I ordered a Further Food Chocolate Peptides Plus Reishi Mushroom and bought some Vital Proteins.
I’ve started to try mixing a Further Food’s “hot chocolate” here and there as well as having a Vital Proteins water or smoothie with Vital Proteins powder. I certainly don’t think I will have a collagen drink every day, but I’m going to try have at least a few a week. The benefits seem like they will bring more positive than negative and doesn’t seem like it can hurt. If you or anyone is looking for nail support after chemotherapy check out these two companies or at least ask your doctor for more information.
Additionally after treatment, I read that some patients cool their hands and feet with special cooling gloves during the infusion of the drugs. “For home care, patients with signs of infection in separated nails can soak their fingers or toes in a solution of white vinegar and water for 15 minutes every night. It kills the bacteria and dries the area out.”
please ask your doctor and/or a dietician for more information before trying collagen and the cooling gloves as I am not an expert.
Along with collagen, I’m going to work on taking better care of my nails in general with some products I’ve found over the past year as well as at home organic manicures and pedicures with natural polishes.
Some of the products I have discovered:
French Girl Nail and Cuticle Oil
French Girl’s Nail and Cuticle Oil is an enriching blend of dynamic botanical extracts and essential oils to improve and maintain the health of nails and cuticles.
Violets Are Blue Beloved Facial Serum
Volets Are Blue’s gentle serum is perfect for treated, tired, dry, and/or mature skin. You'll find Evening Primrose, Argan, Rosehip oil, Jojoba, and a handful of essential oils such as Carrot Seed and Lavender in this easily absorbed, highly effective serum. It also helps to combat splitting nails (both hands and feet) and to keep the re-growth of new hair manageable. Use on your lips for extra protection.
Not only does Côte make the cleanest nail polish products available, but they also advocate for the cleanest safest beauty standards. Côte's takes the “toxins” out of the nail treatment experience; from the shop environment to the technician/guest interaction, to the actual products themselves. With that in mind, all of Côte's polishes are created free of the major toxins and allergens that are often associated with nail polish: formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, camphor, formaldehyde resin, TPHP, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, parabens, and gluten.
ManiMe has created accessible, healthy and easy-to-change manicures — all words that rarely describe traditional manicures. Their solution is the first-ever custom-fit stick on gels developed with proprietary 3D technology. They can be self-applied or removed in moments, making time-consuming and damaging treatments a ritual of the past.
Don’t mind the very dry hands!
I’d love to have weekly manicures and pedicures at this amazing organic nail salon a few blocks from me in Chicago, Blossom Nail Spa, but let’s be real I don’t have time or the extra funds for that right now! It’s a treat when I get to get my nails done. For now I’ll take the treat here and there and start working on my at home care!
If you have found processes, products or vitamins that have helped strengthen the growth of your nails and even hair, please share them and I will pass them along to the community. Maybe one day we can all gather and have a mani/pedi party!