I think that I have mentioned before that until I retired 12 years ago, I had been a lifelong nail biter. I also bit my pencils, truth be known. In retrospect, these behaviors were a form of self-soothing not unlike what children on the autism spectrum sometimes manifest. That explanation seems logical to me because I often think that we are all on the spectrum – some of us are just more neurotypical than others.
I no longer bite my nails, but they nonetheless break after reaching maybe 3/8″ length beyond the fingertip. Sometimes they tear perpendicular to the nail bed. Trimming the nail strops the progression of such tears, but it leaves the nail visibly foreshortened. Other times, they seem to break parallel to the direction of growth. I hate it when that happens.
A year or so ago, it occurred to me that applying nail polish to the specific nails that seemed most vulnerable to breakage might act as a dressing or poultice – adding some strength to the vulnerable nails. I purchased some clear nail polish at Walgreens and proceeded to apply it to the troublesome nails. It seemed to work. I now keep a bottle of clear nail polish handy just so that I can apply a light coat to the nails that break or shred most often.
I realize that nail polish is a cosmetic intended as an adornment, but what the hell? If is serves as a useful dermatological remedy, why not? I’ve been using tinted nail polish (white or black as appropriate) to mark the mechanical fittings of my astronomical instruments for years. It saves me a lot of time when I take them apart and later reassemble them. The little streaks or dots of mail polish that I apply to mechanical components as alignment marks are easy to see, can be readily removed, and are durable – some have lasted for years.