Ladies who wear toe nail polish constantly are in danger of having their toe nails actually rot off. It is best to remove polish about once a week or more and allow the toe nails to breath, get fresh air. In our busy world, it is not always easy to find time to remove all the polish, so we sometimes cover the chipped areas with a fresh coat till we can get to the pedicurist or find the time to do a proper pedicure ourselves. However, the longer the polish remains on the nails, the less oxygen the nails get, and the more chance there is for actual decay of the nail tissue. This is the same decaying process that many women who have applied nail tips have experienced. The cure is an anti-fungal oral treatment that costs between $60 to $100 dollars, plus a doctor's visit to get the prescription. The over- the-counter anti-fungals work well on fingernail fungus because the nails are exposed to open air, get washed a lot more frequently, and medication applied more often than toe nails. The latter is especially true if an individual is a diabetic. Good foot care cannot be sought after too much, for these already compromised individuals. In summary, take that polish off your nails, except for that certain time when you are teasing him or wearing sandals and want pretty, colored toe nails. Even leaving a small spec of polish and covering it with a fresh coat increases the possibility of toe nail fungus. This is a little off the beaten track for me, but it actually has happened to several friends of mine. Some have had to have their nails completely surgically removed due to the amount of toe nail damage, which was caused by wearing the polish for an extended period and polishing it over and over. Polishing several times can form a seal so that no air could penetrate.
Note: I published this on Black Voices because it is a major health concern with bacterial micro-organisms becoming more virulent. I am a licensed nurse, but this is not an attempt at a diagnosis, just an FYI.