Flu Prevention and Trimming Long Fingernails
Are Shorter Nails Health-Smart Fashion During Flu and Cold Season?
Sep 17, 2009 Ellen Freudenheim
Could the invisible flu virus, both of the H1N1 and regular variety, beget a new fashion trend toward a shorter-nail look?
Today, with everyone from President Obama to kindergarten teachers talking about washing hands to reduce possible exposure to H1N1 and other nasty viruses and bacteria, plus winter colds, it’s worth taking a closer look at hand hygiene, and one of today’s female fashion imperatives: long fingernails.
Sufre Por La Moda: Sacrificing Health to Look Good
The Italians call it “sufre por la moda,” roughly translated as suffering for the sake of fashion.
A 2007 report on Univision.com and attributed to an Italian fashion magazine said that most Italian women regularly risked comfort and good health just to look good. Tracking 986 women from 20 to 55 years old, the survey found that eight women out of ten reported having suffered blisters, wounds, allergies, irritations, eczemas and circulatory problems caused by ill-fitting clothes and accessories.
American women, too, go a long way to look good. But how many would trade a week-long bout of the flu for a few months of long, pretty nails?
Let it be said loud and clear as Americans wait in line to get the H1N1 or any flu vaccine: there's no proven scientific relationship between long nails and increased risk of getting the flu. Still, it's estimated that 80% of infections may be transmitted by hands, and frequent hand washing is known to be an effective way to reduce the risk of infection.
So, when talking about something as trivial as fingernail fashion, it's worth weighing commonsense prevention on one hand, and "sufre por la moda" on the other.
After all, nobody looks pretty when she's got the flu.
Short, Trimmed Nails are Practical, can be Attractive
Chicago-based pediatrician Lori Walsh, MD, of Glenbrook Pediatrics, says, “I am a big fan of short nails, short enough so there’s just a small sliver of the white a neat, neat looking nail.” She says she keeps her own nails short because, “I don’t see the point of carrying around debris under your nail bed.”
Female doctors, nurses and other medical personnel often keep their own nails trimmed to just above the skin-line. Shorter nails, if well trimmed, can’t be havens for bacteria and viruses.
Short nails can look just as gorgeous-looking as inch-long nails, when well-kept.
Hand Hygiene and Nail Biting
Of course, it's important to avoid biting one's nails, too, for both appearance and health. Putting one's fingers in one's mouth during flu season is to be avoided.
CDC on Fingernail Length in Flu Season
The CDC doesn’t offer guidance on the topic. When asked whether during people should keep their nails short during the flu season, Artealia Gilliard, spokesperson for the CDC, responded, “We typically wouldn't go so far as to recommend that. We recommend that people wash their hands frequently, and avoid touching their face with their hands.
CDC’s Recipe for Washing Hands, Applied to Long Fingernails*
- Wet hands and apply liquid, bar, or powder soap.
- Rub hands together vigorously to make a lather and scrub all surfaces including the skin under nails.
- Continue for 20 seconds
- Rinse hands well under running water, including the skin under nails
- Dry hands using a paper towel or air dryer, including the skin under nails.
Shorter Nails in Flu Season: A Seasonal Fashion
Though worth it, following the CDC recommendations to wash hands frequently to prevent contracting the H1N1 or other flu virus could quickly kill a manicure. So maybe the idea of making a healthy fashion statement of shorter nails in flu season isn’t far-fetched.
There’s already cross-pollination between the health and fashion worlds, even if the stethoscope-as-trendy-pendant hasn’t hit the fashion runway yet. Gear such as tight leggings and jog bras, once reserved for exercise class but never worn on the street, are fashion staples today. Meanwhile, hospitals are looking for better-looking hospital gowns; the Wall Street Journal reports that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has invested about $250,000 on a hospital gown makeover project.
And after all, everyone has to do their fair share to stay healthy. "The fact that vaccines won't begin distribution until October makes preventing the spread of flu even more critical," said U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in mid September, 2009.
Hand hygiene is essential during any epidemic or outbreak of infectious disease. Keeping fingernails trim and clean won’t provide full protection against contracting the swine or other flu, or even the common cold. But its easy to do, and maintaining a high standard of hand hygiene, including frequent washing and trim nails, can make a difference.
For further information, see www.flu.gov.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control
The Hospital Gown, Fashion Malady, Worries Would-Be Redesigner, Wall St. Journal, May 11, 2009
* Words in ital added by author to CDC guidelines.
Good Hygiene-Scrub Under Nails to Prevent Flu
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