Assist with nail treatments on the hands Nail analysis

Assessing the client Question the client Look at the nails Examine the hands and nails to assess their condition Discuss what you see with your client

Questioning Ask the client about how they look after their hands and nails at home What products do they use? Have they had a manicure before?

Visual inspection Have a look at the hands, nails, skin colour and texture Do you see anything?

Manual inspection Now you have had a quick look its time to do things in detail Have a feel of the hands – rough/smooth What condition are the nails in – smooth/broken/short What condition are the cuticles in – healthy/split/neglected

Assessing the condition hands Look at the back and front What colour and texture is the skin? Are the hands smooth or rough? Any sign of infection?

Assessing the condition nails What shape are they? Short or long Are all the nails the same length? Are the nails healthy looking? Any sign of disease or disorders?

Assessing the condition skin around the nails Are the cuticles hard and overgrown? Any sign of redness, inflammation or infection? Are the cuticles neglected and growing onto the nail plate? Are there any hangnails?

Dry nails Dull appearance Flaking free edge Dragging feeling To touch Superficial ridges Peels easily Very dry cuticles

Brittle nails Thicker nail Very hard plate Usually inflexible Often break or crack easily May become Curved. Tend to overgrow

Dehydrated/ageing Dull appearance Flaky & peeling Superficial ridges Sometimes thickened Nail plate Dragging feel to touch May be discoloured

Normal Flexible Very strong Healthy Pink colour Smooth ridges

Damaged Senstive to touch Slow to grow/ No growth Very thin Very weak Peels easily Extremely soft Free edge disintegrates on filing Evidence of bruising