Nail supplements

The nails

The nails are "extensions of the" epidermis "that originate from the nail matrix; they are formed by hyperkeratinization (marked synthesis and structuring of a protein called keratin) of the skin and, like hair, penetrate deep down to the dermis.

The nails grow 0.1 millimeters (mm) per day and a full cycle of reproduction lasts 100-150 days.
NB. The nails are sensitive to physiological changes and slow down their growth in pathological conditions or with very low temperatures.

What are

Nail supplements are manufactured over the counter which, in conditions of nutritional insufficiency or specific deterioration (of the nails themselves), should favor the restoration of the physiological conditions essential for the synthesis of keratinized tissues.
Nail supplements are of two types:

1. Food supplements to be taken for OS (by mouth)
2. Emulsions and gels for topical use (local, on the nails themselves).

Ingredients and composition

Food supplements in capsules for the nails

Food supplements for nails to be taken by mouth are usually marketed in CAPSULES or tablets. It is recommended to take it with main meals for a total of 1 or 2 tablets a day (probably one at lunch and / or one at dinner). These are "nutritious mixtures" based on sulfur amino acids, mineral salts And vitamins. Taking as an example the composition of a well-known nail supplement, the ingredients most used to support nail health are: oils (soybean and wheat germ), amino acids in free form (L-methionine, L-cystine, L-cysteine , glutamic acid and glycine) especially sulfurates (L-methionine, L-cystine, L-cysteine), MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), LIPO-soluble vitamins (β-carotene [vit. A] and tocopherols [vit. E]), water-soluble vitamins ( biotin [vit. H] and pantothenic acid [vit. B5]), mineral salts (calcium [Ca], zinc [Zn], copper [Cu], sulfur [S], iron [Fe]) and glycerol.

Topical emulsions and gels

They are liquids used to nourish and combat nail fragility; in practical terms, while the "emulsion nourishes the nail and provides a" hydrophobic shield "thanks to the presence of lipids similar to those of the original horny tissue, the gel hardens the scale and protects it from external chemical-physical stress .
The emulsion should be applied twice a day while the gel only once a week; the latter is composed of three formulas to be spread in the following order: exfoliating, smoothing and polishing.
The MAIN ingredients of emulsions and gels for topical use are essentially water, cystine, lipids and additives. Specifically, taking as a reference the composition of a typical protective / restructuring gel for nails, you can find: isoexadecane, cyclomethicone, glycerin, cystinyl-disodium, disuccinate, wheat, ceresin (Peg-30), dipole-hydroxysterate, tricontanyl-pvp , cholesterol, tocopherol (vit. E), acetate, panthenol (precursor vit. B5), glyco-propylene, octyldodecanol, phospholipids, glycosphingolipids, lecithin, arachidyl-propionate, retinyl-palmitate, linoleic acid (ω6), linolenic acid (ω3) ), Disodium EDTA, imidazolidinyl urea, magnesium sulfate, methylparaben and propylparaben.

Utility

Food supplements for nails, despite the wording, do not act specifically on the growth or reconstitution of the nail.
Like all other tissues, nails also grow based on organic stimuli and physiological mechanisms. It is logical that, as for the hair, the hair and the skin, also for the nails some pathologies and / or malnutrition can negatively affect the integrity and the speed of growth; however, the ingredients used in the formulation of the capsules are NOT active ingredients that are decisive for this purpose.
Ultimately, assuming a state of malnutrition such as to alter the growth and maintenance of the nails, any supplement based on sulfur amino acids, mineral salts and vitamins can replace (perhaps more effectively) a food supplement for the nails.
For topical gels the situation is different; have a really restorative effect on the nail ... but this is not necessarily due to nourishment of the scale! Applying 3 layers of product undoubtedly determines a significant thickening and consequent chemical-physical protection from shocks and corrosive agents; however, we remind you that the nail is made up of DEKY keratinized tissue! Therefore, even if the ingredients of emulsions and gels were absorbed by "chemical diffusion", the keratinized cells would NOT be able to metabolize them in any way.