Uh-oh...Could Your Old Nail Polish be Hiding a Not-So-Pretty Secret?

You ever love a nail polish color  so much you don’t want to change it? That’s how I felt when Sunshine did my nails a few weeks ago, I wanted that godly polish job to linger on my fingertips forever like a lover’s kiss.

Unfortunately, keeping nail polish on your nails for longer than a week without a polish change, can lead to some unsightly circumstances. Nail Staining or Nail Yellowing is when the nail plate is temporarily discolored due to the pigments of nail lacquer. Dermatologist and nail specialist Dr. Dana Stern of Mount Sinai in New York, explains nail porosity varies from person to person, and sometimes, people with more porous nails are more susceptible to pigment migration. This migration is what causes the nail to become temporarily discolored.

Nail colors of darker shades are more inclined to have pigments that transfer over onto the nail plate. The speed in which you actually remove the polish makes a difference too. Make sure your cotton ball is well-saturated with remover, press down firmly and drag the polish off the nail in one swipe. Wash your hands immediately after polish removal.

If your removal process requires excessive rubbing, this can cause the polish to stain as well. If the nail does become stained, soak and gently scrub the nails with diluted hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice once a day 2-3 times a week. This should help speed up the process for the nail to return to the natural shade. Other than that, it’ll just take time for the nail to grow out and return to it’s correct color. Adding a second coat of base coat is a nice extra layer of protection to cover the nails.

Be mindful, if you notice this yellowness of the nails have lingered for longer than 2 weeks, the nail has significantly thickened and is accompanied by flaky debris under the nail plate, this is not a stain caused by polish you may have a fungus and you should consult a doctor.

Keep in mind, getting a manicure more frequently (you can do so at our D.I.D. Nail Studio) can prevent the nails from becoming that sickly yellow hue.

Has nail polish ever stained your nails? Tell us about it in the comments below.