PUT THE “MAN” IN MANICURE

Whether you work as a doctor or hotel receptionist, or you’re just the passionate thumbs-up type of guy, your grooming routine should extend past your hair and face to complete head-to-toe maintenance (arms included). Some jobs simply require you to take good care of your nails. But even if not, do yourself and mankind a little favor, because the state of your hands says a thing or two about how you care for the rest of your body. So the more hands you shake or the more you expose your fingers to others, the more crucial it is that your counterpart doesn’t see any black rims under your nails or get scratched by nails that resemble daggers or saw blades. You wouldn’t want that either, would you? And simple nail clippers are not too hard to operate, seriously.

HEAD-TO-TOE, REMEMBER?

Apart from lifeguards on duty and professional slackliners, there are not many professions in the world which need to be done barefoot. But that does not mean you should leave your toenails unkempt. In fact, the less air and light your feet receive, the more you should do to prevent them from turning into hobbit feet. Your feet might not grow themselves a sixth toe each, but the warm and moist climate in some shoes can be a real hotbed for possible fungus and other infections in your nails or feet once they have penetrated your skin through tiny injuries. Sounds unpleasant, right? It is.

Well-kept fingernails and toenails look nice. Period! You may already take good care of your nails by using nail clippers and files, but there is always room for improvement. And that’s what experts are there for. The cool thing is that many of them provide expert services that not only cover the cosmetics of your manicure and pedicure but are also trained to recognize health issues your nails may possibly reveal. And these might just be an indicator of something wrong with your hands or feet or elsewhere in your body. Of course, nail salon experts aren’t medical professionals, but they can certainly advise you to go see one if necessary. So when you get a manicure or pedicure for men, take their advice seriously, okay?

ONE MORE THING

Do you have a habit of biting your nails? Recent studies have shown that almost half of grown-ups do that at some point in their life. So there is nothing to be ashamed of here, but there is certainly reason enough to kick that pesky habit. It starts with the esthetic and hygienic concerns of biting your nails while riding a crowded subway train during rush hour or after doing the gardening barehanded. Under your nails is a hotbed for all kinds of dirt, debris and germs. But there are even more serious medical implications of chronic nail-biting, such as ingrown nails or hangnails (painful!), oral infections or warts (all bad!). A professional manicure on a regular basis can even help you to relax yourself and might thus indirectly help you to kick that habit of nail-biting once and for all.