Keeping your phalanges well groomed is a very important thing if you study a martial art. You don’t want to be the guy who just scraped the crap out of your training partner because you didn’t feel like spending a few minutes to trim. But even more than martial arts, finger nail grooming especially, can have a benefit in you career and how people perceive you in life.
Nobody likes a slob!
Imagine you’re reaching out to shake the hand of your company’s CEO and you stab his pointer finger with one of those claws you forgot to cut! Pretty embarrassing right? Imagine somebody mistakes you, a hard core dedicated code monkey fueled on adrenaline, dubstep, and Mt Dew for the receptionist because of the constant tap, tap, tap of those unkempt nails on the keyboard.
Whats more, longer finger and toe nails can be a health concern. According to the CDC, dirty unkempt nails “… can contribute to the spread of some infections, such as pinworms.”. Additionally, poor nail hygiene can lead to fungal infections. The cracks and crevices of your nails is an ideal place for anaerobic fungi to thrive.
So, not only is it inconvenient, dirty and viewed poorly by others, it can also be a health concern for you and others.
Good Habits
Cutting and trimming alone is not sufficient “good nail care” you also need to scrub under your nails regularly, removing dirt and debris that may accumulate there. Before trimming wash all your nail care tools to sterilize them in case something is still living on them from the last grooming session.
Aside from looks and diseases, good nail grooming habits can help to protect the health of your nails themselves. The Mayo Clinic reference link below outlines several conditions that can occur do to poop nail hygiene, including color changes, thinning or thickening, curling and deformations among other things.
So next time your thinking of skipping that nail trim and scrub do us all(yourself included) a favor and don’t!
References:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/hand/nail_hygiene.html
http://www.hygieneexpert.co.uk/nailcare.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/nails/art-20044954