Nail Care for Seniors: Soft Like Skin, Hard Like Diamond

As you get older, you might have some problems with how your hands and feet look. You have spent many years working and walking and have undoubtedly suffered from many injuries that you either treated or left them to heal by themselves. This problem can affect your current appearance, how much your skin shows the signs of ageing, and how your nails look. When you age, your nails grow slower, and because you may have problems with cutting your nails, you might suffer from not having regular nail trims. In the article top anti-ageing foods for seniors, we talked about foods that slow down the ageing process.

But as you grow older, it becomes more important to take good care of your nails. Nails tend to be sensitive after some time, so, likely, you would not be satisfied with your look until you take good care of them.

Infections You Should Be Aware Of

First of all, always keep an eye out for signs of infection. It is pretty common for ageing nails to be affected by medical causes. For instance, you might experience discoloured nails. But usually, it is not something you need to worry about if you regularly schedule meetings with your doctor. This way, you can notice the changes sooner and prevent more significant problems from happening.

Below, you can find a list of common nail problems in seniors:

Ingrown nails: Sometimes, the corners and edges of one nail grow into the skin near it, which is called an ingrown nail. It is a common thing to happen for seniors because the nails grow thicker as we age.

Calluses: Calluses often happen when an area of your skin is frequently injured in one place.

Fungus: These are white-yellow spots that exist underneath the finger or toenail. Various types of fungi that live in the environment are responsible for this.

Nail thickening, also called Onychauxis, is when the nails grow abnormally thick. Nail thickening happens because our nails grow more slowly as we grow older, and nail cells pile up in a reaction to this.

Another thing that may happen to older adults’ nails is nail texture which causes ridges and white lines to appear.

Senior Nail Cutting

Senior should take care of their nails as much as their skin; read here on tips for seniors to take care of their skin. Keep your skin moisturized and your nails clean and trimmed. Doing this can have a tremendous effect on your manicure and pedicure state and, at times, even exempt you from seeing the doctor. If you take constant care of your nails, you can quickly spot changes and report them to your doctor.

The frequency of nail trims depends on your nails’ growth rate but cutting them once a week or every two weeks might do. Please do not keep your nails long. Shorter nails and toenails are easier to handle, and there’s a lower chance of them causing any problems for you. Longer nails need more and better care, which can be tiring for you. Longer nails provide a better chance of suffering from ingrown nails and more frequent injuries opportunities. Also, the longer your nails, the better they can shelter bacteria underneath. You do not need long nails to be content about your appearance. Tidy, clipped nails can look as good as fancy-looking long nails.

Toenails

Do not get too busy taking care of your fingernails and forget about your toenails. It is true that at first glance, people usually see more of your fingernails, but taking care of your toenails also has a significant effect on your health and appearance. For toenails, you should pay more attention to your footwear. Improper or uncomfortable footwear might affect the state of your toenails. This attention includes wearing proper socks too.

To avoid infections or fungus, try your best to use clean and dry footwear. Another issue with the toenails is that they are generally hard to cut and reach. It might be even more challenging if you suffer from shaky or arthritic hands. But even if this is the case, you do not need to worry about it. There are finger and toenail clippers specially designed for seniors. By getting one of these clippers, you can solve both issues in no time.

The Best Routine

Wash your hands and keep every piece of equipment you use for your nail care sterilized to avoid infections. Then soak your nails in warm water for 10 minutes. After that, dry them using a clean towel. Before starting to clip your nails check for changes or damages. They are usually easier to spot at this step. Then proceed to cut your nails. It’s best to trim them straight across since it prevents ingrown nails from happening. Never cut or push back cuticles. The best way to handle them is to apply oil on them and then use nail files or buffers on the surface.

Best Nail Colors for Seniors

Hands are the first part of the body that shows signs of old age. These signs include blue veins, wrinkles, and dark spots. When it comes to ageing hands, there are specific colours you need to avoid. Take blue or green, for example. Both are gorgeous colours. But they magnify the blue veins and draw attention to ageing signs, like sallow skin on your hands. Black is also not a good choice since it highlights the dark spots. As opposed to these, you can also use specific colours to make your hands look younger. These mainly include warm colours that go with any skin tone.

If you want to make the signs of old age on your hands less visible, it’s best to use orange-based reds, white, mint or lime green, powder or bright pink, red, or copper. Gray is also a popular colour for seniors since it draws all the attention to nails and not the hands. Choose the colour wisely that compliments your skin tone. A mix of pink and red looks nice on darker skin tones. For paler skins, you can use brown or orange shades. Be aware that you can reduce the signs of ageing by consuming green tea both as a drink and using it as a substance to make a mask.

Can You Do It All on Your Own?

Keep in mind that while personal hygiene care is always a good idea, professionals might have a more precise idea of how to help you. So although you can take care of your nails and create your very own nail routine at home, it wouldn’t hurt to get appointments in nail salons and get a professional nail care service. If you find it hard to leave the house, there are many mobile nail care services you can find near you.