The danger with keeping your nail polish on too long is that the pigment in the nail polish can soak into the top few layers of the nail and dry it out, Dr. Rowland says. When that happens, fungus, yeast, bacteria, mold and mildew can develop underneath the nail plate, which can lead to long-term problems.
Remove polish every two weeks and give your nails a breather for a day or so. Or switch to light polish, which doesn't need to be changed as often since there's a lower risk of it staining your nails.
“If you consistently wear nail polish, your nails may become susceptible to what's known as keratin granulation,” Mahalli notes. Keratin granulation is caused by nail polish drying out the nail beds, which can lead to keratin clumping together and forming white spots or stains on your nails.
Upon removing the polish you may discover some white spots on your nails and even some discoloration. Many of time the discoloration can actually be the beginnings of a fungal toenail infection. Studies have shown that fungus can be caused from wearing dark nail polish for too long without removing it.
While wearing nail polish all the time won't stop your nails from growing, it does damage your nail integrity. Even with blood supply, nails do still need air to “breathe”. That's why a break from nail polish every few weeks is a must. For keratin granulation, 3 to 4 weeks will be enough time to give your nails a rest.
Stained from Nail Polish
Removing weeks or months worth of polish can often result in an unsightly yellowish stain on your nails. Darker polishes tend to do the most harm, leaving nails stained with leftover dyes.
Wearing toenail polish can cause yellowing because of the stains left behind by the dyes. This is more likely to happen if you use darker shades of nail polish, but yellow, orange, or red polish may also turn your toenails yellow. It's also more likely if you do not apply a clear base coat under the darker shades.
Treatment: There is no treatment because the staining resolves on its own with time. To speed up the process, give your nails a break from use of polish, avoid acetone nail polish removers and soak your nails in diluted hydrogen peroxide (1part peroxide, 3 parts water) to help reduce the yellowing.
In short, the answer is no. But there are caveats. Nails don't need surface access to air because they get oxygen and nutrients from your blood. Keeping nails hydrated is important if yours are prone to breakage, and a pause in polishing to moisturize would help.
Wearing polish too often can actually weaken your nail beds. While naked nails can make you feel, well, naked, it's important to take breaks once in a while to let them “breathe.” A good rule of thumb is to go au naturel anytime you start to notice excessive peeling, dryness or chipping.
Jin Soon, a NYC-based manicurist, recommends up to three coats of nail polish for full color coverage and a smooth, finished look. "If you apply more than three coats in one sitting, the application will be prone to clumping off in one piece, almost like a shell" she says.
Keratin granulation
If you remove your nail polish only to find that part of your nail is white and dry underneath, you may have this common condition. It's caused by wearing toenail polish for too long. If you have this, it's best to let your nails heal for a while.
It's highly unlikely that fungus will directly spread from nail to nail via nail polish application because a bottle of polish isn't the most conducive environment for fungal growth due to all the chemicals present. However, while the risk is low, it's not zero either, so we would not recommend sharing nail polish!
When you apply nail polish to the surface of your nail, it can penetrate and stain deeper layers of keratin in your nail. Polish left on your nails for just one week can result in staining. Red- and orange-colored nail polish are more likely to cause discoloration.
Your best bet is to clean off the old polish after a week and repaint your nails. The one great thing about lacquer is that it's the least damaging to your nails. If you use an acetone-free remover, you can change the polish every week.
Usually, the pigments will have dropped towards the bottom of the polish bottle and a clearer liquid will be present towards the top. Try shaking the bottle slightly, or rolling it in your palms, to see if it will mix. If it doesn't mix easily, then your nail polish has been compromised and has most likely expired.
Waiting for your nails to dry can feel like forever and we get it, you have things to do. But the good news is, you'll only need a 2-minute drying time between coats. This works perfectly every time. These 120 seconds are crucial for your manicure so that the coats dry perfectly.
"Whether you're at a salon or at-home, cold air from a fan or blowdryer will help the polish harden faster," Gibson Tuttle says. If you go the blowdryer route, just be sure to press the cool shot button continuously while drying. Forgetting to do so and accidentally using warm air could actually melt your polish.
According to Stern, there are five main signs that your nails need a rest from your weekly manicure appointments: the appearance of keratin granulation (rough and white patches on the surface of the nail), peeling, ridges and splits, discoloration, and dehydrated cuticles.
Vitamin or mineral deficiencies can cause nails to appear yellow, and introducing a multivitamin supplement to your regiment may stop the problem. In some cases, nails that remain yellow despite repeated treatment can be a symptom of thyroid conditions, psoriasis, or diabetes.
Nails affected by yellow nail syndrome might lack a cuticle and detach from the nail bed in places. Yellow nail syndrome is often a sign of respiratory disease, such as chronic bronchitis. Yellow nail syndrome can also be related to swelling of the hands (lymphedema). Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
Yes, toothpaste! Whitening toothpaste, when applied, can lighten and brighten your nails in just a few short minutes. The same clinically proven natural whitening ingredients in products such as Tom's of Maine Luminous White Toothpaste can double as a treatment for surface stains on nails.