
Wearing gloves can lead to nail problems such as nail yeast overgrowth and nail troubles. The materials used in gloves don't breathe, creating a moist, warm, humid environment that is perfect for the growth of natural skin yeast. This can lead to nail thinning and peeling. To prevent this, it is recommended to remove gloves regularly, change disposable gloves, and keep nail surfaces coated with a base coat.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Materials | Nitrile, rubber, polychloroprene or vinyl |
Breathability | Non-breathable |
Duration of wear | Long periods |
Result | Moist, warm humid environment |
Result | Growth of natural skin yeast |
Result | Nail troubles |
Result | Sweating |
Result | Salty moisture |
Result | Nail weakening |
Result | Contact dermatitis |
Result | Cracked, bleeding fingers |
Result | Traumatic injury |
Result | Clipping cuticles |
Result | Biting skin |
Result | Aggressive cutting hang nails |
Result | Pulling peeling skin |
What You'll Learn
- Gloves made of nitrile, rubber, polychloroprene or vinyl don't breathe
- Wearing gloves for long periods causes a moist, warm humid environment
- The enclosed environment causes the hands to sweat
- The resultant salty moisture attacks and weakens the nail
- Avoid traumatic injury to the skin on the sides of your nail folds
Gloves made of nitrile, rubber, polychloroprene or vinyl don't breathe
Nitrile, rubber, polychloroprene or vinyl gloves do not breathe. Wearing them for long periods of time will create a moist, warm humid environment that's perfect for the growth of natural skin yeast that can cause nail troubles. As a dermatologist who has spent a career in surgical gloves for hours at a time I know personally and professionally that this leads to fingernail yeast overgrowth. There are two common types of nail yeast infections that are common and can increase during the COVID-19 crisis from wearing gloves.
As with Candida onycholysis you want to let your nails dry out as much as possible between the times where you need to wear gloves. In addition, you want to avoid traumatic injury to the skin on the sides of your nail folds. Most importantly, don’t clip your cuticles or the skin on the sides of your fingernails. Don’t bite the skin, try to aggressively cut hang nails or pull at peeling skin around your nails. Your cuticle is a natural seal protecting the proximal nail fold below. This is the space where you nail grows out from the skin of your finger.
The enclosed environment causes the hands to sweat. The resultant salty moisture can not evaporate and can attack and weaken the nail for the same reasons as above. When wearing gloves, remove on a regular basis to allow moisture to evaporate. If using disposable latex, change for a new pair on a regular basis. Keep nail surfaces and free edges coated with a quality base coat which will prevent water penetration. To prevent peeling, use Salon Sciences Base Coats or Salon Sciences Fortifiers and Hardeners.
The first time was when I worked in the automotive industry and I noticed my fingernails were getting pitted and thinner. It turned out that one of the solvents or oils we worked with was damaging my cuticles and I was told that I had developed contact dermatitis. The solution…I wore washable cotton gloves, avoided skin contact with all chemicals, and the problem went away. The second time was in a laboratory working with pesticides. I was responsibly wearing disposable nitrile gloves and I washed my hands regularly to make sure they were clean and free of any pesticides. But despite my efforts, my fingers were often cracked, bleeding and covered with Band-Aids.
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Wearing gloves for long periods causes a moist, warm humid environment
Wearing gloves for long periods can lead to nail problems and skin issues. The materials used in gloves do not breathe, creating a moist, warm, humid environment that is perfect for the growth of natural skin yeast. This can lead to nail troubles and nail yeast overgrowth.
The salty moisture created by wearing gloves for long periods cannot evaporate and can attack and weaken the nail. This is because the enclosed environment causes the hands to sweat, and the resultant moisture can penetrate the nail.
To prevent these issues, it is recommended to remove gloves regularly to allow moisture to evaporate. If using disposable latex gloves, it is important to change to a new pair regularly. Additionally, keeping nail surfaces and free edges coated with a quality base coat can prevent water penetration and peeling.
It is also important to avoid traumatic injury to the skin on the sides of your nail folds and not to clip your cuticles or the skin on the sides of your fingernails. Biting the skin, aggressively cutting hang nails, or pulling at peeling skin around your nails should also be avoided.
In summary, wearing gloves for extended periods can create a moist, warm, humid environment that can lead to nail problems and skin issues. To prevent these issues, it is important to remove gloves regularly, change disposable gloves, and take care of your nails and skin.
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The enclosed environment causes the hands to sweat
The enclosed environment of gloves causes the hands to sweat. The resultant salty moisture can attack and weaken the nail for the same reasons as above. When wearing gloves, remove them on a regular basis to allow moisture to evaporate. If using disposable latex, change for a new pair on a regular basis. Keep nail surfaces and free edges coated with a quality base coat which will prevent water penetration. To prevent peeling, use Salon Sciences Base Coats or Salon Sciences Fortifiers and Hardeners.
The materials of gloves don't breathe, and wearing them for long periods of time will create a moist, warm, humid environment that's perfect for the growth of natural skin yeast that can cause nail troubles. There are two common types of nail yeast infections that are common and can increase during the COVID-19 crisis from wearing gloves.
The first time was when the author worked in the automotive industry and noticed their fingernails were getting pitted and thinner. It turned out that one of the solvents or oils they worked with was damaging their cuticles and they had developed contact dermatitis. The solution was to wear washable cotton gloves, avoid skin contact with all chemicals, and the problem went away.
The second time was in a laboratory working with pesticides. The author was responsibly wearing disposable nitrile gloves and washed their hands regularly to make sure they were clean and free of any pesticides. But despite their efforts, their fingers were often cracked, bleeding and covered with Band-Aids.
As with Candida onycholysis, you want to let your nails dry out as much as possible between the times where you need to wear gloves. In addition, you want to avoid traumatic injury to the skin on the sides of your nail folds. Most importantly, don’t clip your cuticles or the skin on the sides of your fingernails. Don’t bite the skin, try to aggressively cut hang nails or pull at peeling skin around your nails. Your cuticle is a natural seal protecting the proximal nail fold below. This is the space where your nail grows out from the skin of your finger.
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The resultant salty moisture attacks and weakens the nail
When wearing gloves, the hands sweat due to the enclosed environment and the lack of breathability of the gloves. This resultant salty moisture cannot evaporate and attacks and weakens the nail.
The growth of natural skin yeast is perfectly facilitated by the moist, warm, and humid environment created by wearing gloves for long periods of time. This nail yeast overgrowth is a common type of nail yeast infection that can increase during the COVID-19 crisis from wearing gloves.
To prevent this, it is important to remove gloves on a regular basis to allow moisture to evaporate. If using disposable latex gloves, it is recommended to change to a new pair on a regular basis. Additionally, keeping nail surfaces and free edges coated with a quality base coat can prevent water penetration and help to prevent peeling.
It is also important to avoid traumatic injury to the skin on the sides of the nail folds and to not clip the cuticles or the skin on the sides of the fingernails. Biting the skin, aggressively cutting hangnails, or pulling at peeling skin around the nails should also be avoided.
In summary, wearing gloves for extended periods of time can lead to nail problems due to the growth of natural skin yeast and the resultant salty moisture that attacks and weakens the nail. To prevent these issues, it is important to remove gloves regularly, change disposable gloves frequently, and maintain proper nail care.
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Avoid traumatic injury to the skin on the sides of your nail folds
When wearing gloves, remove them on a regular basis to allow moisture to evaporate. If using disposable latex, change for a new pair on a regular basis. Keep nail surfaces and free edges coated with a quality base coat which will prevent water penetration. To prevent peeling use Salon Sciences Base Coats or Salon Sciences Fortifiers and Hardeners.
Fingernail problems from gloves during the COVID-19 pandemic need to be on your radar. If you are wearing patient exam gloves made of nitrile, rubber, polychloroprene or vinyl, the materials don't breathe. Wearing them for long periods of time will create a moist, warm humid environment that's perfect for the growth of natural skin yeast that can cause nail troubles. As a dermatologist who has spent a career in surgical gloves for hours at a time I know personally and professionally that this leads to fingernail yeast overgrowth. There are two common types of nail yeast infections that are common and can increase during the COVID-19 crisis from wearing gloves.
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Frequently asked questions
Wearing gloves for long periods of time can create a moist, warm, humid environment that is perfect for the growth of natural skin yeast that can cause nail troubles.
Wearing gloves can cause nail yeast overgrowth and nail yeast infections.
Remove gloves regularly to allow moisture to evaporate. If using disposable latex gloves, change for a new pair on a regular basis. Keep nail surfaces and free edges coated with a quality base coat which will prevent water penetration.
Let your nails dry out as much as possible between the times where you need to wear gloves. In addition, you want to avoid traumatic injury to the skin on the sides of your nail folds. Most importantly, don’t clip your cuticles or the skin on the sides of your fingernails. Don’t bite the skin, try to aggressively cut hang nails or pull at peeling skin around your nails.