Short nail beds issue affects many people. To understand what nail beds are, you need to look down at your fingertips. The nail bed is the pinkish-colored tissue underneath your nail plate.
They are different sizes and shapes, so no one has the same nail beds. Some people have short and others have long.
Understanding Nail Beds
Nail beds are part of the nail plate. That is the part of the skin that sits under the nail plate. It is a very delicate part of the nail that contains blood vessels and nerve endings. These blood vessels are nourishing cells around the nail plate, while the blood is responsible for the pinkish color underneath the nail.
What Determines the Size and Shape of Your Nail Beds?
Genetics mostly determines the shape and size of your nail beds. If your mother or father also have shorter nail beds, there are big odds you will have, too. Besides genetics, other factors can affect the size and shape of nail beds. Some of them make your nail beds appear shorter than they are. They include:
- Nail Biting
Nail biting is a bad habit. It can also cause many different problems. When you bite your nails, expect your nail beds to look smaller. This is due to little or no white tip.
- Fungal Infections
The nail bed and the nail plate can be separated when you develop a fungal infection. This also might be why your nail beds appear shorter or have strange shapes.
- Nail Injuries
Some nail injuries can cause the nail plate to separate from the nail bed, instantly appearing shorter. This happens when you hit the nail against the table or wall or while opening a can. When the nail separates from the nail bed near the tip, the white section will be longer.
Potential Problems of Having Short Nail Beds
Even though short nail beds don’t threaten your health, they can cause you to feel down.Â
Short nail beds don’t look appealing, but they also can show signs of bad nail care. Keeping your nails in good shape is as important as cutting your hair regularly or cleansing your face.
When you have short nail beds, your finger function might be compromised. Your fingers might be weak and prone to pain from firm surfaces.
How To Lengthen Nail Beds
Is it possible to lengthen nail beds? Different techniques can help grow your nails stronger, but you should also get rid of bad habits (like biting your nails).
Wondering how to lengthen nail beds? Here are some of the methods.
Grow out Your Nails
The first step would be to let them grow naturally. As your nails grow, you will have a long white tip, which helps elongate the whole nail bed.
So, instead of cutting your nails every 3 or 4 days, wait for at least 10 more days. You can also use a strengthening oil while waiting for your nails to grow out.
Push Back Cuticles
Pushing back cuticles is one of those easy yet effective ways of lengthening your nails. Before pushing the cuticles back, you must soak your nails in a bowl with warm water. This will soften the cuticles. You can also add a few drops of essential oils.
After five minutes or so, dry your hands and nails, and use a cuticle stick to push those cuticles gently.
File, Don’t Cut Nails
Cutting your nails correctly is one of the safest ways to maintain general nail health. However, if you are dealing with short nail beds, you should put clippers and scissors aside and use a nail file instead. When you file your nails, you will have better control over how much you want to remove.Â
Use a Nail Brush
Use a nail brush instead of a nail scraper. Using a nail scraper can cause damage and separate the nail plate from the nail bed. However, if you use a brush to clean underneath the nails, you can protect the nails and clean them properly simultaneously.
Do Manicure
A manicure can do a good thing for your nails. Especially if you have short nail beds and problems with fungus. However, experts suggest using toxic-free nail polishes.Â
What Affects Nail Growth?
If your nails grow slower, you can try out these home remedies to make them stronger and help them to grow quicker.
Take Biotin
Biotin is an important vitamin B type that allows the body to turn food into energy. However, it is also a great supplement for both hair and nails. You can take biotin supplements or find it naturally in:
- Cooked eggs
- Beans and soy
- Bananas
- Mushrooms
- Sardines
- Nuts and nut butter
Use Nail Hardeners
Nail softness makes nails prone to breaking. That is why it takes forever for your nails to regrow. To prevent them from breaking, nail experts recommend specially-made nail hardeners. They are similar to nail polish – you apply them the same way and remove them with a nail polish remover.
Even though nail hardeners can prevent breakage in the short term, some nail experts don’t recommend using hardeners for a long time. Prolonged usage can cause nail breakage and make your nails weaker.
Taking Good Nail Care
Regular nail grooming is crucial for keeping your nail beds healthy. It also encourages growth and reduces breakage. What you can do:
- Keep your nails dry and clean to prevent bacteria
- Avoid nail biting or clipping your nails too much
- Keep your nails and hands moisturized, and rub the moisturizer into the fingernails and nail beds.
- Use manicure scissors to cut your nails straight across, then use them to round the tips into a soft curve
Using Oils for Growth
You wouldn’t believe what a few drops of essential oil can do to your nails. You can use natural cuticle oils to promote growth. Examples of oils that can help your nails grow quicker are coconut oil, tea tree oil, olive oil, and lavender oil.
Avoid Toxic Polishes and Gel Nails
Regular use of gel nails, glue-on artificial nails and toxic nail polishes can weaken real nails and make them prone to breakage. You can switch to toxic-free nail polish options without harmful ingredients (toluene, formaldehyde, DBP). Make a break from gel nails.
Not Only Genes
Although genetics play an important role in how your nail beds (as well as hair and skin) will look, there are still ways to improve them. Avoiding certain habits or, even better, incorporating new ones surely helps.
Don’t skip treating fungal infections, and certainly don’t over-use nail polishes and gel and acrylic nails.
Altogether, these steps will give the appearance of longer nails, making you feel confident and your manicures fantastic.
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