I like to look after my nails and personally speaking, it is an important part of looking and feeling smart and ready to face the world. When I moved to the USA from Britain almost two decades ago, I was deeply appreciative of the many nail salons offering acrylic nails and more recently powder dips which harden after application. I was an immediate convert to all this technology. In fact, I now consider this as essential maintenance and rarely a month a month goes by without an appointment at the nail salon.

As I was enjoying a nice manicure recently, I started wondering about the reason we have nails, what is a healthy nail and when did we start decorating them? Let’s start with nails’ science and purpose. Put simply, fingernails help protect the underlying skin from injury, and they also come in handy when you want to scratch an itch or peel an orange. Nails are an extension of the skin, made from keratin, a tough protein that shields the toes and tops of your fingers from trauma. The halfmoon shape seen at the base of the nail is called a lunula and it produces the cells that will eventually harden into the nail plate. This sits above the cuticle, a layer of cells that serve to attach the base of your nails to the skin.

Cuticles act as the nail’s security guard, stopping bacteria, fungi and other pathogens in their tracks. The condition of someone’s nails can provide clues to doctors about their patients’ health. ‘Clubbing’ of nails, where they do not appear to be firmly attached to the fingers (which are usually swollen) is a sign of low blood oxygen levels.

Sometimes this indicates infections or even cancer, so it is an important indicator for the doctor.

White flecks on the nail are often thought to be a sign of vitamin or mineral deficiencies but more often they are a result of nail trauma like trapping your finger in a door. However significant white discoloration can indicate psoriasis, heavy metal poisoning, liver or kidney disease or diabetes. Blue nails are a sign that the body might be lacking oxygen and this also needs to be checked out by a doctor as does bleeding beneath the nail that does not heal within a reasonable period of time.

So how did nail painting begin and evolve? The modern manicure came along in the 19th century, but there is evidence that ancient Chinese cultures stained their fingernails with gum, gelatin, beeswax, and egg and also used a form of artificial nail. The colors used represented social class: Chou dynasty royals wore gold and silver, with subsequent royals wearing black or red. Lower classes were forbidden to wear bright colors on their nails.

Other ancient civilizations from North Africa and India dyed their nails with henna. There’s a long history of nail art in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America, but in the United States and Europe, early nail aesthetics mostly focused on keeping them clean and trimmed in a pleasing shape. During the 19th century, Queen Victoria declared that make-up and painted nails were vulgar and should only be used by actors. However, coloring nails began towards the end of her reign and started with subtle rosy tints — although people who wanted to go further would pierce their nails and wear jewelry on them. By the 1920s, the ‘flapper look’ came into fashion for the first time and, with it, increased cosmetics use: dark eyes, red lipstick and of course bright red nail polish.

During this period, the first liquid nail polish was introduced making the application of nail color much easier.

In the midst of the Great Depression in the 1930s, brothers Charles and Joseph Revson, along with chemist Charles Lachman, founded The Revlon Company. This was after they discovered a unique manufacturing process for nail enamel, using pigments instead of dyes. By the mid-20th century, women began to own multiple bottles of nail varnish to suit their mood and outfit.

In 1954, acrylic nails were invented by scientists and by the 1970s they began to be used by nail technicians.

This trend continued during the 1980s and 1990s, especially in the USA and innovations continue with UV gels and hybrid systems. It seems to me that in today’s world any color, length or decoration goes when it comes to nail art.

While this freedom of expression must be a good thing, the practicalities of life such as using a keyboard or doing housework seriously limit the length of nails that I can personally handle!

There is more information at www. bbc.co.uk and www.cosmeticsinfo.org I say goodbye this week with a quote attributed to 20th century British actress and style icon, Audrey Hepburn,” I believe in manicures.”

God Bless America!

Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr. com