Nail care tips?

ILCMom · October 2014

Adrimyacin/Cytoxan done but now on Taxol. I have lost feeling in my thumb, index and middle fingers to the first knuckle -and of course the tingles in feet and hands!

My question is what to do for my nails - discolored and ridged. Rub on Vit E? Put clear polish on? What worked or helped you? I am not a nail polish type but if there is something easy I can do I should try it!

Moderators · October 2014

Hi again ILCmom -

In addition to the great advice you're sure to receive here from other members, you may want to check out the main Breastcancer.org site's side effect page on Nail Changes for some helpful tips.

We hope this helps!

--The Mods

Kicks · October 2014

What worked for me was Nail Envy by OPI.. This was suggested at the Look Good Feel Better class and was given sample of it. My nails have,never been the greatest but came out of 4 DD A/C and 12 Taxol looking good.

LovieLovie · October 2014

Sorry you are going thru this ILCMom- Taxol was really rough on my nails too. My nurse navigator recommended I put tea tree oil on them everyday. Its an antiseptic and you want to avoid a fungal infection as they change.

I used vitamin B6 for the neuropathy. It took about a week till I got ahead of it and then I took them through the day as I noticed the tingling coming back.

ILCMom · October 2014

will try tea tree - we have a whole foods near us do will check there.

B6 has not done very much yet - been in it daily now for 3 weeks. Thanks for the help!

vlnrph · November 2014

I had permission to ice my fingertips during chemo infusions. We took freezer bags packed in a cooler and I stuck my hands in between the gel packs while the IV was going in. The theory is that cold constricts the blood vessels which means there is less perfusion of those tissues and a corresponding decrease in amount of poison getting to the nail beds. Metastasis in those areas would be quite unusual so it was thought to be safe in terms of fighting the cancer. People who try to save their hair rely on the same principles...

CAS4 · November 2014

I just completed ac then taxol 4 weeks ago and am starting to get some feeling back in my left foot and leg. The upside of losing feeling was my feet felt small, I am a size 10- so feeling like a 6 was kinda great! Also when I ran into the door jam I couldn't feel it so that was ok as well. The neuropathy is fading for the most part now.

My nails got thin and ridges but I religiously applied Horse Power nail fertilizer by Butter of London- you can find it on amazon- friends of mine along the same journey swore by it- maybe I just got lucky but I never lost a nail nor had pain in my nails. I applied 2 coats a week and then once a month would use a gentle, natural polish remover and carefully take it off- my nails were like paper. The I would reapply two coats and start over. My nails also grew quite well Which befuddled my oncol team. I wasted more money than I wish to admit on the freezing gloves and booties but my oncologist freaked and said no no. Kudos to anyone that can keep them on, I hauled them to my ACs and tried to wear them- 4 sets in all bc you put frozen ones on every 45 minutes.

Keep your chin up you can do this! This is my first post, I just joined- I've leaned upon it from the outside so it was time to join

blondiex46 · November 2014

Aftrr i stopped chemo in july i wondered about my nails i put fingernail polish on them 4 the fist time in about 3 years. This from someone who spent the prior 14 years getting my nails done cause of chemo the first time

april25 · January 2015

Anyone know if vitamin supplements help? Biotin?

smidgen · March 2015

Hi ILCMom,

Hope you are doing well! I second the recommendation of tea tree oil. I had the same chemo regimen as you and after my third Taxol the nails on my thumbs and index fingers started to lift up, and I had terrible discoloration under all my nails. Following my onc nurses' suggestion I started swabbing them with tea tree oil (a nail-specific formulation, not the essential oil by itself) 2-3 times a day. It seems to have made a huge difference - I was really worried they were going to fall off (ugh, yes, it was that bad) but now, after several weeks of tea tree oil, they are almost back to normal. I am two weeks out from my last Taxol, hooray.

FWIW I also started using the same tea tree oil on my tween daughter, who has been biting her nails almost to the quick lately (scared about my situation) and also has horrible hangnails - and it seems to have helped her poor little nails and cuticles heal too!

Lastly, my onc suggested I use nail polish to disguise the discoloration if it bothered me, so I did - but I looked for formulas that were free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP etc. I was surprised at how many there were! And I got pretty religious about my nail care in general for the first time in my life, because I was so desperate to keep my fingernails. Now to my complete shock my nails look the best they ever have, and people actually ask me where I get my manicures done. Now if my eyebrows would just grow back already...

Good luck and best wishes to you and to everyone reading -

smidgen

Karz72 · March 2015

Hi All

I start Taxol end of the month. Get chemo at my onc's rooms & they provide the frozen mittens & booties & have advised I use a dark nailpolish as sunlight reacts with the drug. Have such brittle nails at the best of times I'm going to be pedantic about looking after them through this!

Karz

Moderators · March 2015

Dear Karz72, Welcome to the community and thanks for posting. Here is a link to Nail Care during Chemo on our website. We are wishing you the best. The Mods

april25 · March 2015

Karz72 -- That's very cool that your oncologist provides the ice mittens and booties!

I'd heard about the dark nailpolish thing.

Best of luck with it!

...

I'm in the middle of my 6 cycles of chemo... I've just been using nail-strengthener. So far I've got those white bands. And my nails that have been susceptible to splitting are doing it a bit, but so far the nails seem OK otherwise. Still a ways to go, of course...! I really hope they don't get worse!

---

Just got my 5th cycle of 6 total... my thumbnail is starting to hurt a bit! Hopefully that's all there will be! ...yikes.

Nadia260 · September 2015

If anyone going through cancer treatments please use Nail Pro it's oils I been using Wille I been doing my pedicure and my nails been done every 2-3 weeks i newer had problem with nails and I did not loose them to its protect from infections and helps you go through treatment. Help me allot!!!

Nail Pro I got from Internet

Good luck to everyone and God bless!!!

Gabby56b · September 2015

I have had artificial nails for years (nail buyer). I had them taken off for surgery. I assume I cannot put these back on until after all treatment, chemo and radiation, are completed....

april25 · September 2015

I think you can do stuff to your nails IF they don't risk infection in any way (mani/pedis in salons where it is possible things might not be as sterile as possible), or drying them out or damaging them (like using non-acetone polish remover). I'm not sure what wearing artificial nails would mean as far as being hard on your real nails or risking infection, since I've never had them...

--

I'm 5 months past chemo and my toenails are still a little bruised-looking. Nothing too bad. They looked mostly normal until 3 or so months post chemo!

And of course my hair is still not much more than a fuzz! gah... It will take FOREVER to grow back to any decent length, it seems!

But, hey... SO glad most of the drastic treatments are now over!!!

And that none of my nails fell off, even though they did seem like they might for a while there!

Sjacobs146 · September 2015

gabby, I had acrylic nails for years, but I had them removed prior to chemo. My nails were ok during chemo, but about a month after I finished, my nails,turned dark (like a bruise underneath) and they started lifting from the nail bed. I cut them short immediately, and started polishing to cover the darkness. I kept them short until the new nails.grew in because if I caught them on anything, they could have torn off (I lost half a nail that way before I cut them). So I would not suggest artificial nails of any type. My toe nails were also affected. They are taking longer to get back to normal

april25 · September 2015

I definitely kept my nails short, too. And, yes, the nails were OK during chemo but definitely got a bit discolored and started lifting a month or so later--fingernails. Toes were fine until 3 or 4 months later--then same thing, color and only slightly lifting towards the tips... but not as bad as the fingers.

My nails did change color during chemo--just got lighter (slight white lines coming up from the base, blurring so they made the whole nails start to look pale). Got the darker spots, and only on certain nails, after.

Nail care tips?

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