Look at your nails. These 12 deviations can tell a lot about your health

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Changes in the color, shape and texture of nails are often a reason to see a doctor.

What is the norm

The nails of a healthy person are smooth, shiny, pale pink in color, with a pronounced whitish hole at the base. At the same time, the nail plate is constantly renewed, growing by about one millimeter in a week.

With age, the nail plate thickens and becomes more brittle. It is part of the body's natural aging process. Fragility is also characteristic of the nails of pregnant women. But within six months after giving birth, everything usually returns to normal.

It is acceptable if the nails break due to a lack of vitamins or turn yellow due to poor-quality varnish. Sometimes the nail plate may even turn black and fall off if the finger is pinched or hit.

In a healthy person, the nails on the hands are completely restored within 4–6 months, and on the legs - within 6–8 months.

But there are persistent pathologies that we often do not even pay attention to. But in vain. Some changes in the shape, color and texture of nails, as well as the skin around them, may indicate disturbances in the functioning of internal organs and the presence of a variety of, sometimes serious diseases.

What are the deviations

1. Excessive fragility

If a nail breaks just beyond the edge of a finger, it is likely that the body is deficient in vitamins A, E, and C, as well as iron and zinc. Sometimes fragility can be a consequence of thyroid disease and a harbinger of diabetes.

2. White spots

They are popularly considered a good omen, but in medicine this pathology is called leukonychia. Microscopic air bubbles form between the layers of the nail plate, which on the surface look like white dots and stripes.

Leukonychia is punctate (a couple of spots on several nails) and total (when the entire plate is affected). The reasons are varied: from injuries and unbalanced nutrition to exhaustion of the nervous system and heart failure.

3. Point grooves

In shape and color, the nails look as usual. But if you look closely, the nail plate is riddled with tiny indentations (as if pierced with a needle). Doctors even have such a term - thimble-like groove.

This is almost always a sign of psoriasis. Sometimes eczema or arthritis can manifest itself this way.

Olga Aleinikova nurse, master of manicure and pedicure

Having found this or any other nail pathology in yourself, you should not self-medicate. The first thing to do is make an appointment with a therapist and / or dermatologist, get tested. Only a professional doctor and clinical research are able to give an exact answer, what is the cause of the pathology. Maybe this is some stage of psoriasis, or maybe just a malfunction in the thyroid gland or gastrointestinal tract.

4. Large or small lunula

Lunulae or holes are a light crescent moon at the base of the nail. They should occupy about a third of it and be clearly visible.

Holes that are too large are used by athletes and people doing hard physical labor. Sometimes they can indicate malfunctioning of the heart and blood vessels, low blood pressure.

Small lunulae, barely peeking out from under the cuticle, can be a sign of a lack of vitamin B12 and iron, as well as circulatory problems.

5. Transverse grooves

These are the so-called Bo lines. The pathology of the nail plate in the form of transverse lines up to one millimeter deep was first revealed by the French military surgeon Joseph Honore Simon Bo.

Bo lines are formed due to damage to the matrix of the nail plate. When she lacks nutrition, the chemical composition of the nail changes and its plate deforms. Most often this happens due to strict diets bordering on fasting.

Also, these injuries can be mechanical (when the nail is struck in the area of the hole) or toxic in nature (due to potent drugs or chemotherapy). Sometimes Bo lines can appear against the background of cardiovascular diseases, fungal and other infections.

6. Longitudinal grooves

If for the elderly such a change in the relief of nails can be considered the norm, then for people under 50, protruding vertical stripes most likely indicate a lack of B vitamins and trace elements (zinc, iron, magnesium).

It can also be the result of a poor manicure or pedicure: the cuticle was pushed too far and the root of the nail was damaged. But in these cases, only a few vertical stripes stand out.

If more than 25% of the nails are affected by them, the health of the internal organs should be checked. First of all, the cardiovascular and digestive systems.

If the pathology is not of an infectious nature, you know its cause and have already started treatment, then you can give the damaged nails an aesthetic appearance. Any good salon has spa treatments for nails. For example, Japanese manicure (P-Shine) or paraffin therapy can be done to nourish and moisturize. For smoothness - grinding and polishing the nail plate.

Olga Aleinikova nurse, master of manicure and pedicure

7. Spoon-shaped nails

This is koilonychia, that is, the deformation of the nail plate, in which its center bends, and the edges are turned upwards. It does not cause discomfort, color and smoothness are preserved, but it looks ugly.

The easiest way to detect koilonychia is to drip water onto the nail. Did the drop roll freely? Everything is fine. Is the drop stuck in the groove? There is a reason to think.

Most often, concave nails are the result of a lack of iron in the body and endocrine disorders. Acquired causes of koilonychia also include injuries, contact with chemicals, and sudden changes in temperature.

In addition, spoon-shaped nails can occur due to gene mutations and are inherited.

8. Drum sticks

Another name is the fingers of Hippocrates. This is a symptom in which the nail plates thicken and become like watch glasses. Moreover, if you look at the finger from the side, the angle between the posterior nail fold and the nail plate exceeds 180 °.

Drum sticks are always a sign of a serious illness. They can manifest themselves in diseases of the lungs (from tuberculosis to cancer), heart and blood vessels (heart defects, endocarditis and others), gastrointestinal tract (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and others).

9. Detachment of the nail

In medicine, this is called onycholysis - a violation of the connection between the nail and the nail bed, when a void forms between them, and the nail plate changes color.

Trauma is the cause in 60% of cases. When struck, the vessels in the dermis are compressed, the nutrition of the nail is disrupted, its chemical composition and elasticity change. Another 30% is accounted for by fungal diseases and allergic reactions. The remaining 10% of onycholysis develops due to systemic somatic diseases.

When the nail plate begins to rise up, it no longer covers the nail bed that feeds it. This can lead to infection. If you have bumped or had any contact with chemicals and suddenly noticed that the nail began to flake off, you need to use antifungal and regenerating agents as soon as possible.

Olga Aleinikova nurse, master of manicure and pedicure

10. Half and half

This is the name of a syndrome in which half of the nail plate is white, and half, closer to the tip, is brownish.

The most likely cause is kidney failure, due to which the number of blood vessels under the nails increases and they show through the nail plate.

Also, "half" nails are found in HIV-positive people and those who have undergone chemotherapy.

eleven. White, yellow and bluish nails

A change in the color of the nail plate is a signal that it is time to take care of health.

If your nails are suddenly white, it is worth checking the digestive and cardiovascular systems and paying particular attention to the liver. A yellow tint also provokes liver diseases, as well as pathologies of the endocrine and lymphatic systems. Cyanosis indicates a lack of oxygen, low hemoglobin levels, or poor circulation.

12. Single dark line

Most often, a black stripe appears on the nail plate due to injury or malfunction of the digestive system. And for some peoples, this is completely a feature of the natural pigmentation of the skin.

But if you eat normally, did not hit anywhere, and blackening suddenly appeared on the nail, it is better to consult a doctor. This could be a symptom of melanoma, a malignant skin cancer.

How to maintain the beauty and health of your nails

Here are some general recommendations made by Olga Aleinikova.

Proper nutrition, healthy sleep and exercise should be the default. Check your nail plates regularly and take care of your hands.

• Get a manicure and pedicure. Timely trim or file the free edge of the nails, process the cuticles.
• Don't bite your nails.
• Wear gloves when handling chemicals and when digging in the garden beds.
• Take vitamins.
• Apply a nourishing cream to your hands and nails regularly.
• Don't wear tight shoes, stick your toes in crevices, and be careful with a hammer.

When going out to crowded places, use liquid gloves (this is such an emulsion). The risk of contracting infectious diseases through the hands is now very high.

If you see signs of ill health on the nail plates, use antifungal agents and regenerating drugs. If the pathology is persistent, be sure to get tested and see a doctor.