ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Nip... Don't Rip!</title> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='tab-interval:.25in'> <img alt="[Hand Logo]" align="left" src="./image002.jpg"> <H1><b><i>Nails Your Way</i></b></H1> <hr size=1 color="gray" width="100%" align=center> <a href="./index.htm" title="[Nails Your Way Home Page]"> HOME</a> | <a href="./aboutNYW.htm" title="[A Therapeutic Nail Care Salon]"> About NYW</a> | <a href="./articles.htm" title="[Articles from Chapel Hill News &amp; Views]"> ARTICLES</a> | <a href="./listserv.htm" title="[List of Services]">SERVICES & PRICES</a> | <a href="./Map-NYW.htm" title="[Location: Directions & Map]">MAP</a><br> <hr size=1 color="gray" width="100%" align=center> <H2>Nip... Don't Rip!</H2> <p>Dry, parched cuticles are a common nail problem. Most everyone has suffered from unsightly cuticles at one point or another. Hectic work schedules in an office handling all kinds of paper products will dehydrate the skin and dry out the cuticles. Not only are they unattractive but also dry cuticles can lead to another problem  hangnails. No matter what your daily routine, everyday life can take a toll on nails. That s why it s important to practice good nail health as part of your overall well being. If you are visiting a nail salon regularly, then you re already a step ahead when it comes to practicing good nail health.</p> <p>Sometimes, without thinking, your fingers go looking for something to play with, a bit of dry skin to tug at, or a stray scrap of cuticle, and then you say, "Oh no!" You picked, pulled, and ripped... now you re bleeding. It may not always be that severe, but many women with otherwise beautiful hands suffer from hangnails. These women don t bite their nails, but the sides of their fingers are often red and irritated.</p> <p>Hangnails start out as simple dry skin. A little fissure forms at the side of the nail, because dry skin loses its elasticity and tends to crack. Fidgeting and picking at the dry area worsens the fissure. Pulling off bits of dead skin often removes live skin, which becomes painful and easily infected. This need not happen.</p> <p>The first step in hangnail prevention is buying a pair of rubber gloves to use every time you do household chores involving water. When you do get your hands wet, be sure to dry them thoroughly; it s the slowly evaporating moisture that chaps your hands. Keep a bottle of hand lotion by the sink and use it every time you wash your hands. If you re using a moisturizer type lotion then you can leave your hands a little damp when you apply it, because it helps leftover water seep into you skin, which increases the moisturizing action.</p> <p>Apply cuticle oil when you get up in the morning and when you go to bed at night. Massaging the cuticles with oil stimulates the nail matrix and generates new healthy cells. Also use a cuticle cream at night; it will keep the skin around your nails soft and flexible, and less prone to splitting. It s best to use a cream specifically made for cuticles because the texture is stiffer than all-purpose hand cream and it will stay on longer.</p> <p>The best prevention though, is constant attention. When you notice a bit of dry skin, nip or clip it off immediately with nippers or cuticle scissors. Don t leave it for your other fingers to discover and mercilessly rip or pull off. Don t cut the cuticles; use only alpha-hydroxy cuticle remover and push them back with an orange wood stick. If the cuticles are cut they will grow back quicker and thicker. Remember the hangnail solution is <i>Nip... Don't Rip!</i></p> <hr size=1 color="gray" width="100%" align=center> <p><a href="./Map-NYW.htm" title="[Location: Directions & Map]"><img alt="[Look for the Hand]" align="left" src="./5900hand.jpg"></a> Read Jeanne's Latest Monthly Article In Chapel Hill News & Views.</p> <p></p><a href="./Map-NYW.htm" title="[Location: Directions & Map]"><img alt="[MAP]" align="right" src="./MAP-NYW1-tn.jpg"></a> <p><b>Nails Your Way</b><br> <i>Jeanne Grace Curtis</i><br> <i>5900 Orchard Road</i><br> <i>Douglasville GA 30135-4726</i></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>Look for the Hand Sign pointing at the gate!<br> (All the way at the end of Orchard Road)</p> <p align=right>Click on Map for Printable Copy. </p> <h3 style="color:red">By Appointment Only</h3> <TABLE border="3" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3"> <TR style="color:black"> <TD align=right><b>Sun-Mon</TD> <TD align=left><b>Closed</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD align=right><b>Tues-Sat</TD> <TD align=left><b>11am-7pm</TD> </TR> </TABLE> </b> <h2 style="color:red">770-949-3113</h2> <hr size=1 color="gray" width="100%" align=center> <a href="./index.htm" title="[Nails Your Way Home Page]"> HOME</a> | <a href="./aboutNYW.htm" title="[A Therapeutic Nail Care Salon]"> About NYW</a> | <a href="./articles.htm" title="[Articles from Chapel Hill News &amp; Views]"> ARTICLES</a> | <a href="./listserv.htm" title="[List of Services]">SERVICES & PRICES</a> | <a href="./Map-NYW.htm" title="[Location: Directions & Map]">MAP</a><br> <hr size=1 color="gray" width="100%" align=center> </body> </html>