Effects of two types of surface treatments on the structural elasticity of human fingernails.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The human nail has a three-layered structure. Although it would be useful to quantitatively evaluate the changes in deformability of the nail due to various surface treatments, few studies have been conducted. METHODS: The effects of two types of surface treatment-a chemically acting nail softener and a physically acting nail strengthener-on the deformability of human fingernails were investigated. The Young's modulus of each plate of the nail samples before and after softening treatment was determined by nanoindentation. The Young's modulus of the strengthener was determined by conducting a three-point bending test on a polyethylene sheet coated with the strengthener. RESULTS: Young's modulus decreased in order from the top plate against the softening treatment time, and the structural elasticity for bending deformation (SEB) of the nail sample, which expresses the deformability against bending deformation independent of its external dimensions, decreased to 60% after 6 h of treatment. The Young's modulus of the nail strengthener was 244.5 MPa, which is less than 10% of the SEB of the nail. When the nail strengthener was applied to the nail surface, the SEB decreased to 73%, whereas the flexural rigidity increased to 117%. CONCLUSION: Changes in nail deformability caused by various surface treatments for softening and hardening were quantitatively evaluated successfully.