Springtime is here in Houston, TX! The wildflowers are out in force and coloring most grassy patches in and around town. It's definitely one of my favorite times to be living here. I also see the signs in my Houston podiatry practice. It's the official start of sandal season.

I have written in the past about taking a break from toenail polish during the winter months and I'm happy to report that many of my patients have heeded the warning. But now all bets are off! Try convincing a sandal wearing lady NOT to paint her toenails. Good Luck!

 With the season comes some ill-effects from using polish. Most polish has formaldehyde and other chemicals within it. These chemicals will dry and damage your toenails. There are commercial polishes that minimizes these chemicals, but most report them to be inferior. Most nail polish removers contain acetone, again damaging to the toenails. The removers without acetone are not as effective. You can see the results of all these chemicals with the white appearance of the nails' surface after you remove the polish. This weakens the nail, making it more susceptible to infection.

If you use any topical medication to treat toenail fungus, it cannot penetrate the layer of nail polish to get to the nail. One solution for this is to use a "healthy" polish that also can prevent and treat fungus. Most importantly, if you are concerned about the changing appearance of the toenails, come in to the office to get them healthy again.