On days when you feel like a blob, a manicure or pedicure can be just the thing to lift your spirits. Having polished nails can make you look "put together" when you feel anything but.

You can do your own fingernails, or treat yourself to a professional service. Your toes can become a challenge as your expanding middle starts to get in the way of taking care of them yourself. Here's one way to look at it: you have to cut those toenails anyway, so why not indulge?

But is nail polish safe? Over the past few years, dibutyl phthalates, or DBPs, have been suspected of causing birth defects in animal studies. DBPs, which help to keep plastics pliable, are present in many household items, including nail polish. However, DBPs are not absorbed through the nail. Until more is known, it is sensible to polish your nails in a well-ventilated area, and not to chew on them!

So if you want a manicure or pedicure, go ahead! Your body is accomplishing a great feat and deserves to be pampered.

-Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.


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