May 18, 2021 

“Nail art has enjoyed a long reign in the spotlight and lately there has been a rise in increasingly extravagant styles, from pressed flowers to checkerboard print. But it isn’t all about fingers. From TikTok to Instagram, toenail art is flooding our feeds as the latest cute beauty trend and it’s actually pretty easy to DIY at home,” explains Jenny Brownlees in Refinery29.

But, for many consumers, the thought of baring their feet and showing off their toenails is an uncomfortable prospect. Luckily, the health and appearance of the toenails can be improved with glycolic acid, an unsung hero for nail care.

The toenails undergo many stresses, including from common pedicure tools like nail polish, acetone, nail files, and nail buffers. Additionally, soap and water from hot showers or hot baths can leach moisture from the skin on the feet and from the toenails.

Unfortunately for toenail-art curious consumers, many of the signs of damage to the toenails are physically obvious, making the new toenail art trend near impossible.

The most common signs of damage to toenails are:

• Peeling 
• Rough, uneven texture
• Split or cracked toenails
• Yellow discoloration

For consumers ready to dip a toe into the extravagant toenail art trend, pre-pedicure prep with glycolic acid offers a speedy route to healthier, more attractive toenails.

The nails undergo many stresses, including from common pedicure tools like nail polish, acetone, nail files, and nail buffers. Additionally, soap and water from hot showers or hot baths can leach moisture from the skin on the feet and from the toenails.

Unfortunately for toenail-art curious consumers, many of the signs of damage to the toenails are physically obvious, making the fun toenail art trend near impossible.

The most common signs of damages to toenails are:

• Peeling 
• Rough, uneven texture
• Split or cracked toenails
• Yellow discoloration

For consumers ready to dip a toe into the extravagant toenail art trend, pre-pedicure prep with glycolic acid offers a speedy route to healthier, more attractive toenails.

Despite its status as a skincare superstar, glycolic acid also offers a bevy of benefits for preparing for pedicures.

As the smallest, lightest molecule in the Alpha Hydroxy Acid family, glycolic acid is able to best permeate the toenail plate and cuticle to dissolve the bonds holding older, damaged skin cells together.

By rapidly working to shed off dry or dead skin cells glycolic acid can help to exfoliate off unflattering dry skin surrounding toenails, improve the appearance of the cuticles, and help to rejuvenate the health of fingernails.

In fact, in a scientific study where 22 of 31 patients had their nails treated with 70% glycolic acid on the nail plate for 45 minutes, 80% witnessed a noticeable improvement to the roughness or discoloration of their nails.

“In the 22 patients with dry rough nails, 80% showed good improvement, 10% showed average improvement, whereas 10% were non-responsive. Nine patients with thickened nail plate showed good improvement in 60% average improvement in 25% improvement and 15% were non-responsive, after multiple sessions.” “Glycolic Acid Peels for Nail Rejuvenation,” Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery

Consumers love the fun, unique designs of the modern toenail art trend. With regular chemical exfoliation, the health and appearance of the feet and toenails can become Instagram-worthy and pedicure-ready with glycolic acid.

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