I have noticed how many of us have been painting our nails black and doing other clever things, and I think I can work out why we have to be careful about our nails splitting or falling off because of the treatment. But the websites I’ve been looking at don’t seem to be very helpful. I really need more of the science bit. Also what has worked for everyone? And is T (as in FEC-T) really the hardest on nails?
The chemo treatments affect your nails quite a lot. Mine had ridges and were discoloured despite the dark varnish - that became more to disguise them than to protect them. After I stopped chemo you could see where treatments had been given - like rings on a tree.
My last chemo was Nov 2012 and my nails are just getting back to normal. They split across where the ridges were and were so weak. After treatment it is not uncommon for nails to fall off - I have been lucky to keep my finger nails, but have lost 7 toe nails.
I had FEC-T and it was definitely T that was worst! I am still receiving herceptin which makes for brittle nails so it will be 2014 before I treat myself to a manicure!
Still, it is a small price to pay to win the battle.
Kahren
Kahren- absolutely. Thanks for sharing that. Did you try varnishing your toenails at all? I’ve been using one of those nail enrichment oils which are aimed at dry cuticles and seem to be largely almond oil and they seem ok but I can tell I am going to have to ratchet the treatment up a bit if I want to keep them. I heard somewhere the dark colour varnish is to mask the UVA rays of the sun (not sure it it’s true).
Hi Penny47…I had FEC-T Mar to Jun 2012. Chemo nurse said that with each ‘T’ treatment nails have a growth glitch, halt growing and then start again, hence the 3 ridges that become apparent afterwards. What happened to me (but not to everyone I’m sure) was that during July, August and September, bits of some of my nails fell off at each of the ridges as they got closer to the tips of my fingers. It wasn’t every nail and fingers worse than toes. I used lots of hand cream/oil during chemo as my skin was soooo dry, but didn’t paint my nails as chemo nurse said it wouldn’t stop nails breaking and it was better to see if there was any infection under nails. Best tip is to keep your nails really short as although it does get sore when nails fall off, it’s less painful if they’re shorter. I was also advised not to push or trim cuticles as it could cause infection…however all advice seems different!
By December my nails were practically back to normal, although my last toenail has just dropped off!!
Hope that helps…best wishes for the rest of your treatment (if you haven’t finished yet)
my nails are lifting from the nail bed , OPI nail envy is very good but should be used before treatment starts x my chemo is taxol and thats just one of the side effects I have xx
Hi
My understanding is that black nail varnish is to protect the nails from UV, particularly with Docetaxel (Tax - the T part of FEC-T). I also read somewhere that only black works. My nails were fine on FEC and before I started on Tax I started using a product called Evonail which is available online from France or Belgium, but not cheap and the postage was almost as much as the Evonail! See here: http://www.farmaline.co.uk/en/search/Evonail/?gclid=CI6Bo8fX5rcCFaTItAodPxgAmw
Or http://www.sospharma.net/EVONAIL-Solution-pour-les-ongles-12ml-p-912-c-15\_104\_156.html
I’m from the March thread and one if the ladies in the thread lives in France and kindly told us all about it! Some hospitals also provide iced mits for toes and fingers (works like the cold cap). Evonail is a clear liquid which you apply twice a day to your nails and the surrounding skin because the nail beds can be affected on Tax. I had my second Tax just over a week ago and so far all my nails are intact, no ridges and my nail beds aren’t painful - though with one more to go I know this can still change! I think you’re advised to continue applying it for a few weeks after chemo finishes as the drugs obviously remain in your system fr some time. You should remove it once or twice a week and I just use regular nail polish remover for that.
Also, if you’re lucky enough to still have eyelashes there’s a product you can get from Boots called Mavala (£11) which might help you keep them, though it’s not specifically for people on chemo. You apply it at night like mascara. I think I started using it too late as my long eyelashes have gone (apart from a couple on my left eyelid!) but all the time I’ve still got any lashes I’m going to continue with it! I can’t believe I’ve become such high maintenance!
Hope this helps and good luck with your treatment.
Carol xx
Hi there
I’d read previous comments about using black nail varnish so once I started the TAX I religiously painted my nails with Nail Envy and then the nail varnish. I finished my chemo in November and my nails were beautiful - long and strong, but after Christmas I started to notice that they were discoloured and by March they started to split and break. To be honest, I thing it’s the luck of the draw - some people won’t lose their nails and some will - my finger nails now seem to be getting back to normal but my toe nails (haven’t lost any of those so far) are still ridged.
Must admit though, I quite liked the black varnish!
My onc advised against the use of dark polish as it is important to know if anything is ‘going on’ under the nail ie infection. In my experience it really is the luck of the draw. I kept my nails short and polish free, and whilst they were softer than normal and prone to splitting, I never lost a nail. But I know girls who painted theirs black and lost loads!
I only had one session of T, but five of Fec (long story). I’ve finished chemo now (May 23rd) but my nails are atrocious. the tips of fingernails went soft and white. So I bit them off 
. Then I had brown patches appear. Toenails went the same but you’ll be relieved to know I didn’t bite them off!! Then a ridge appeared at the bottom of the nail where it lifted, and I could peel the top layer off both fingernails and toenails. I did use black nail varnish whilst having Docetaxel, but not for any other session as I didn’t think it was necessary.
I’m now eating a cube of jelly every day as they say that is supposed to strengthen nails.
I dipped my fingernails in ice during chemo - including Tax - and had very little problems. It works in the same way that the cold cap can save your hair. It’s not very pleasant but it seemed to work.
I wish I had been told about what you could do to prevent things before the damage was done.
I’m not convinced there is real evidence that any of this helps. Maybe the icing. But I have heard of people who take all the measures and still have issues, and people who do nothing and have none.
I even read that you should NOT paint your nails a deep colour because you could have an infection under the nail and not notice it!
If painting nails dark helps, then why would people who always wear shoes and socks lose their toenails?
Sorry if I appear a bit negative today. That’s probably because I am.
thats true who knows if you didn’t do all these things ,the outcome might be just the same x
thats true who knows if you didn’t do all these things ,the outcome might be just the same x
I don’t think you can predict the effects. I’ve met some ladies who had no nail problems at all and others who had lost all their nails. This is my own experience. I had 6 cycles of Taxotere (the T part of FEC-T) starting in May last year and religiously painted my finger and toenails with dark varnish either black or purple as advised by the nurses at my unit. I used lots of nail cream too. I really can’t tell whether it made any difference but it was something I could do for myself. My nails were a nightmare, first of all peeling, splitting and turning a nasty nicotine brown colour. I had a fungal infection that lifted the nails from the nailbed and made them weep and smell then formed scabs under the nails, the stuff of nightmares but apparently very common. The week after my last dose I had an infection under one pinky nail that wouldn’t clear and as I was neutropaenic I was admitted to hospital for IV antibiotics. Eventually that nail fell off completely as the infected nailbed healed. I thought that was the worst over but in the months following I lost more nails from both fingers and toes. As they grew each dose had produced a ridge across the nails and the new growth was still discoloured. The last toenail fell off in January over 3 months after the last dose of Taxotere and inconveniently on the day before we were due to go on holiday just when I should have been having them done for going away. Now a whole 9 months after finishing chemo I have a full set of nails again albeit a few very small ones and some odd shapes. They are still weak and won’t grow to any length before splitting and breaking and there is still some discolouration so I have to wear varnish but the newer growth looks normal again. The ridges and discolouration are now confined to the top third of each nail. I hope another 3 to 6 months will see them grow back completely normal. Whether they will ever be as strong as they were I just don’t know.
My nails are the best they have ever been been, they were always weak, but they look fab at the moment., I am on FEC only, so assume it’s the T part that causes the problems
I’ve just had my 7th FEC and my nails have never been better too 
I think it’s the TAX that makes them fall off
X Yvonne
yes its docetaxel and paclitaxol that are the culprits ,well certainly in my case 
My nails were great through FEC chemo too - agree it seems to be the T which causes the trouble. However, since taking Tamoxifen they split, flake and break continually. Anyone else finding this?
when your nails lift from the nail bed as mine have ,is there a softer nail underneath there appears to be with mine , but I’m trying to let them just grow out (the old ones) and keep them painted and put nail envy on any advice ? x