Where does the stain of color written under the nail come from?

They do not represent your personal hygiene habits.

Wash your hands often throughout the day, but do the stains still appear under your fingernails? More frustrating, after each time you clean them they quickly returned. Have you ever wondered where the dirt that is accumulating under your fingernails comes from? Here is the answer for you:

Where do the stains accumulate under the fingernails?

Gray stains under the fingernails appear in many people. Fortunately they are relatively harmless. " These stains are formed from the debris of keratin (a component of nail protein), as well as cells in the skin under the nail, " said Dana Stern, a dermatologist in New York.

In addition, they can also include dirt from the environment, cloth chips, personal care products and anything else you touch and dirty wires inside the nail.

Often, smudges under the nail are gray and we already know that they are relatively harmless. However, pay attention to their color. A 2014 study published in Annals of Dermatology magazine found that when the nail deposits turn green, they actually have bacterial growth.

If bacteria grow under the nail, it will look like this

" Some microorganisms have great adaptations to live underneath the fingernails and around the nail folds ," Dr Stern said. For example, the Pseudomonas strain commonly found here is the culprit that causes the nails beneath the green.

Worryingly, Pseudomonas are also likely to cause infections and often occur in people with long fingernails or artificial nails. " The gap between nails and skin is a great shelter for bacteria, " Dr. Stern said.

How to clean nails properly?

Now, when you know the source of the smudges under the nail, how do you make them disappear? Don't think that just use nail clippers and shave them off. Sometimes, it is the habit of cleaning your nails that makes them come back faster.

First, you should keep your nail length limited. It is best to cut them short.

Next, these stains can be removed with a soap cake while you wash your hands. "Dig" them up with a relatively sharp tool, such as a pointed tip, for example.

Absolutely do not use improper tools, requiring you to dig deep into the nail. For example, a toothpick or nail clipper can separate the contact between the skin and the nail, push the grime into the inside and create more space for them. Many times, the grime will be easier to return.

Filling the nails with soap before gardening is a useful trick

Also, if using moisturizer, do not apply it too thick. A thick layer of moisturizer can trap dust particles and bring them inside your nails. If you have to do dirty contact work, such as gardening, scrape the front nail with a soap cake to fill inside them first. Done, you can wash the soap much easier than dirt.

Finally, regular hand hygiene is the common measure applied. But we also discussed that the grime will come back anyway. That's right, because keratin from the nail and dead skin cells always flakes off over time.

So sometimes you don't need to be too worried or shy about the stains under the nail. It does not represent your personal hygiene habits. Just don't let stains under the nail look too offensive.