Stripes on nails: causes, types and diagnosis

What do longitudinal stripes on nails look like?

Healthy fingernails You should always listen to your body.
He can tell us a lot. Thanks to external manifestations, you can determine what is happening inside you. Look carefully at your fingernails without varnish or any coating. In healthy people, the nail plate is smooth and shiny. Healthy nails are smooth to the touch and do not have any bulges or irregularities (see photo on the right). Stripes on nails

If you see longitudinal stripes on the nail plate, then this is a signal that should not be ignored. You need to understand the reason for the appearance of stripes on your nails. There may be several of them on one nail or on all of them, located in the middle or along the edges, and in some cases throughout the entire plate. The stripes can be white, black, or the same shade as the plate itself (see photo). Vertical stripes on the nails should not be ignored and hidden under a thick layer of varnish in order to preserve the aesthetic appearance. Perhaps the reason needs to be looked much deeper and measures taken.

French manicure with stripes

The simplest thing you can do is duplicate the smile stripe. But if the smile itself is wide enough, then it is also painted with stripes to suit the mood.

Diagnostics

Since nails are an ideal indicator of health, any pathological changes should be addressed to a mycologist, dermatologist or podologist (a doctor specializing in foot diseases). Diagnosis is based on a comprehensive study of the presence of diseases in the patient. The following examination methods will help you get an overall picture:

General urine and blood tests will detect the presence or absence of an inflammatory process.
Ultrasound diagnostics of the liver and cardiovascular system will help to identify or exclude pathologies of these organs.
A blood test to determine your vitamin and mineral balance will help you prescribe the right diet.

In addition to the initial examination, the following diagnostic procedures may be prescribed:

UAC and BAC;
general analysis of urine and feces;
endoscopic examinations of the gastrointestinal tract;
Ultrasound of internal organs;
CT;
MRI;
ECG;
immunological studies.

The exact diagnostic program will depend on the current clinical picture and the history collected during the initial examination.

Striped manicure in a marine style

Striped manicure with a marine theme is one of the most common. And when there is a conversation about striped manicure, many people associate it with a marine theme. Today, a manicure in a marine style is fashionable and relevant. The marine style of manicure is perfect for summer holidays, as well as for the summer city everyday bustle. The main thing is that it matches the chosen image.

Causes of longitudinal stripes

Many women, upon discovering stripes on their fingernails, panic and try to take action; others, on the contrary, don’t even worry about it. Why do these stripes appear and what does it mean, let's figure it out.

The appearance of longitudinal stripes on the fingernails in old age should not cause concern, as this is a normal phenomenon associated with age-related changes in the body. It is impossible to get rid of them, but you can still make them less noticeable.

If stripes appear far before the age of old age, then this may be due to the following reasons:

hormonal imbalance in the body;
metabolic problems;
deficiency of minerals: zinc, iron, vitamin B12;
functional disorder of the digestive or endocrine systems;
excess carbohydrates;
infectious diseases;
stressful situations, nervous overstrain;
injury to the cuticle or nail plate;
fungus;
decreased immunity;
cardiac and vascular pathologies;
damage to the central nervous system;
arthritis;
gout.

Regular use of low-quality varnish, manicure in which the cuticle or plate was damaged, provoke the appearance of longitudinal stripes on the nails. Also, nails may become streaky due to the extension procedure.

What does the color of the stripes mean?

An important feature of nail defects is color. The stripes acquire white, red, brown or black shades depending on the cause of their origin.

White stripes

White lines or dots indicate leukonychia, which is considered an external manifestation of a lack of keratinization of the nail plates. Usually found on the fingernails, the degree of damage varies:

dotted appearance, consists of white dots on the nails of all fingers;
a variety with limited symptoms, single spots appear on 1 or 2 nails;
white transverse stripes located over the entire surface of the plate;
total form, when the nails completely lose their natural color and are painted white.

Leukonychia can be due to a violation of the nail matrix and false, provoked by other factors.

Black

Longitudinal black stripes indicate the development of melanonychia. As an independent disease, it is extremely rare, mainly among representatives of the Mongoloid and Negroid races. In Europeans, the causes of melanochia may be related to melanoma in the nail bed.

Brown

Melanonychia may appear as brown longitudinal lines, especially in the initial stage when there are not enough melanocyte deposits to cause blackening. But more often, vertical stripes are associated with hormonal disorders, increased iron levels in the blood, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Such stripes on the nails can be caused by the specific diet, tight and uncomfortable shoes that pinch the toes. In this case, the nails of the thumb and little finger are more often affected.

Reds

If red stripes appear, the reason lies in injury to the capillary network. More serious causes are associated with problems of the cardiovascular system. In this case, the red lines and spots are more pronounced and arise from the base of the nail. The problem is equally characteristic of the fingers and toes.

Reasons for the appearance of stripes

The reasons can be very diverse, but they are all divided into two groups: internal and external.

External

Often external irritants have a strong effect on our body and nails, in particular. Such reasons include:

Incorrectly done manicure. If the skin at the base of the nail has been severely damaged, this can cause streaks to appear;
Use of many decorative means. Very often, nails suffer and become ribbed if the nails cannot breathe due to low-quality varnishes. Also, such manifestations can occur when a woman gets extended nails;
The appearance of fungus or skin problems.

Domestic

There are also internal reasons that affect the appearance of nails:

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Lack of B vitamins, iron and zinc;
Disturbances in the endocrine system. This occurs in people suffering from obesity, diabetes, and certain diseases of the digestive system;
With poor metabolism, nails become an indicator of an unhealthy position;
Nervous system disorders;
Diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Manicure with neon stripes

Fashionable summer cover. Pair bright stripes with negative space and black polish for a statement and bold look. Neon plays great on matte plates in contrast with black. Adjacent plates can be coated with one color of the neon spectrum.

Principles of treatment for striped nails

To get rid of stripes on the nail plate, it is necessary to establish the cause of their appearance. Your doctor will help you with this. He will prescribe certain examinations, after which he will be able to diagnose the disease. It is quite possible that these studies will not reveal any pathological changes in the body, then you will have to visit a cosmetologist.

Of course, you can try to solve the problem yourself: balance your diet, start taking a multivitamin complex, reduce your intake of high-carbohydrate foods. If there was a lack of nutrients in the body, then the stripes should disappear after some time.

You have adjusted your diet, lead a healthy lifestyle, are not nervous, and the stripes on your fingernails still do not disappear, which means you still need to consult a specialist. If the cause of striped nails lies in diseases of the body systems, then the main attention will be paid to restoring the damaged organ. If the problem of the longitudinal stripes turns out to be a fungus, the doctor will prescribe special antifungal agents. However, you should not forget about proper nutrition.

The problem of striped nails due to mechanical damage can be solved by a cosmetologist or special procedures that can be done at home.

First of all, the cosmetologist will recommend abandoning extended nails for a while and prescribe hygienic procedures for caring for hands and nails:

Use of specialized medicated lotions, moisturizers and oils.
Gentle polishing of nails. This procedure is carried out only in a beauty salon. It consists of three stages: leveling the damaged plate, applying a healing agent and coating with a protective agent.
Carrying out paraffin therapy. Paraffin sealing is beneficial for damaged fingernails. The procedure not only improves your health, but also serves as a prevention of diseases of the nail plates. Special cosmetic paraffin, saturated with beneficial substances, is applied to striped nails for two weeks. Paraffin resembles a colorless varnish, so it is not noticeable on the nails. During this period, nails should be protected from mechanical damage and direct sunlight.

Nail plate care

There are several rules, following which you can get healthy and beautiful nails.

You need to carry out the work wearing rubber gloves.
You should not cut or file nails that have been in water for a long time, as the plates swell and are easily subject to mechanical damage.
When caring for the cuticle, it is necessary to use massage, various baths, and rubbing in special oil or cream. The procedure is best done at night before bedtime.
You need to choose a hand cream that contains vitamins A, E, D.

Diagnosis of leukonychia

If stripes or white dots on the fingernails or toenails appear once and disappear as the nail plate grows, there is no reason for serious concern. Apparently it was microtrauma or short-term stress. If the nail on the toe or hand has turned white for a long time and gradually acquires a brown tint, it is necessary to take care of a complete diagnosis.

The doctor will conduct a spectral analysis and scrape the nail for pathogenic fungi. White superficial onychomycosis itself does not disappear, and its treatment in advanced cases can take many months. Without treatment, the nail plate will soon move away from the finger. If the doctor finds signs of serious internal pathologies, he will refer you to specialized specialists: a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist.

How to get rid of grooves?

If all efforts are directed towards eliminating problems in the body, then after treatment the nail plate will return to normal on its own.

If a fungus is detected, local and systemic antifungal drugs are prescribed.
If there are problems with the liver, a comprehensive cleansing is carried out with a gentle diet and biological supplements.
Diseases of the nervous system are treated with sedative herbs and medications. The patient is also advised to adhere to a rest regime.

Home treatments

You can eliminate unwanted manifestations on your nails at home. To do this, you need to know simple techniques that will help not only strengthen the nail plate, but also restore its structure.

Good remedies for healthy nails at home are:

Compresses. Oils are ideal for this: vegetable or essential. Olive oil is considered the most beneficial oil for nails and skin. It perfectly moisturizes and nourishes. Oils can be mixed to create an individual cosmetic product that must be applied daily to damaged nails.
Baths. There are a lot of recipes. However, the most useful is a hand bath with a solution of sea salt. Dilute 1 tbsp in warm boiled water. soda, 2 tbsp. sea salt and two drops of pharmaceutical iodine. Immerse your hands in the prepared solution for 15-20 minutes, then dry with a towel and apply nourishing cream to your nails. You can prepare herbal baths using infusions of pharmaceutical herbs: calendula, chamomile, oak bark, celandine.
Massage. This procedure will help normalize blood circulation in the nail plate and improve the supply of nutrients. For massage, use nourishing nail cream or cosmetic oil. The product must be applied to the nail plate in a circular motion until a feeling of warmth from the massage appears.
Lemon juice. Lemon is known to have whitening and restorative properties. You need to take the juice into a pipette and drop two drops onto each nail. Then you need to wait a while until the juice is completely absorbed into the plate.

Manicure with multi-colored stripes

Do not limit yourself to a rainbow palette; use transitions and combinations of fashionable colors of the season or simply “consonant” shades of the same color. For expressiveness, paint adjacent plates with one of the colors chosen for the stripes. By the way, the stripes don’t have to be clearly geometric; they can more closely resemble stems of grass or flashes of flame.

Solutions to the problem

Children often develop white dots and stripes on their nails. In this case, this is a manifestation of a lack of vitamins. It is enough to balance your diet and include more fresh vegetables and herbs in your diet or take a course of complex vitamins. It is worse if longitudinal or transverse convex stripes appear on the nail plates. This may signal serious pathologies. There are several accessible and easy-to-use methods that will neutralize external factors and relieve most symptoms of systemic diseases.

It involves carefully cleaning the surface of the nail with hardware in a beauty salon or independently using manicure tools. With deep stripes, the services of a specialist will be required; barely visible defects can easily be eliminated manually.

Paraffin therapy

The procedure is similar to a manicure, where the varnish is replaced with cosmetic paraffin. It is applied to a previously cleaned surface. The composition enriches nails with vitamins, eliminates bacterial flora, and promotes their healing.

Baths made from a combination of vegetable, cosmetic and essential oils are considered a good healing and strengthening remedy. The mixture is heated in a water bath to a comfortable temperature. The tip of the unhealthy finger is immersed in the mixture and held until it cools.

Massage

The diseased nail is pre-treated with a rich cosmetic cream or oil. The plate is then massaged with the tip of the thumb using light pressure. A feeling of warmth and redness indicates blood flow, after which the massage can be stopped.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice helps correct defects. It can be applied in drops to each sore nail or applied as a 10-minute lotion with the pulp. The juice must be absorbed, so the procedure is carried out before bedtime, interaction with water is avoided.

Iodine and soda

A strengthening and restorative effect is provided by baths with a solution of a few drops of iodine, 2 tsp. sea salt and soda dissolved in water. Baths are taken up to 2 times a day until the smooth texture of the nail is restored.

Beautiful nail design with stripes

Fantasy stripes created using cobweb gel look seductive and unusual. An ideal combination with colored, nude plates. Create geometric patterns in stripes, duplicating some of them with glitter or filling the space created in the design with different colors. Try narrow stripes of different colors in combination, for example, with circles (photo 1).

Preventive actions

The appearance of longitudinal stripes on the fingernails can be prevented, but to do this you need to properly care for them:

carefully handle the cuticles, do not use a metal file if you prefer to do the manicure yourself;
take multivitamin complexes twice a year;
eat fresh fruits and vegetables, eat nuts, use vegetable oils when preparing dishes;
do not get carried away with sweets and flour products;
do healing hand baths every three days;
prevent nail plates from contact with chemicals;
in the cold season, wear gloves or mittens;
to refuse from bad habits.

Now you know why longitudinal stripes appear on your fingernails and how to deal with them. You should not ignore this problem, as it can be much more serious than it seems at first glance. And a consultation with a specialist will not be superfluous; on the contrary, it will help to identify the true cause of changes in the structure of the nail.

Which doctor should I contact?

At the first alarming symptoms: the formation of white stripes and spots on the nails, it is recommended to consult a dermatologist. In the future, concomitant consultation with a trichologist, infectious disease specialist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, gynecologist, nutritionist, and dietician may be required. In some situations, complex treatment with the help of doctors of several specialties is required. To achieve the best therapeutic result, you must adhere to the recommendations of specialists and refrain from self-medication.

Choose a specialist, read reviews and make an appointment with a dermatologist online

How to deal with them

First of all, you need to consult a doctor to find out what caused the appearance of longitudinal grooves on the nails. Adjusting your lifestyle is important - you should avoid stress, start eating right, getting enough sleep, etc.

Diet

Eliminate easily digestible carbohydrates from your menu (primarily baked goods and sweets), fast food, soda, alcohol, overly salty and spicy foods.

Be sure to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration. You need to drink about 1.5-2 liters of clean water per day.

What foods are recommended to include in the diet:

leafy vegetables, beans, lentils (magnesium);
red fruits - apples, pomegranates, currants (vitamins C, B, E, manganese);
black radish (retinol, glycosides);
rabbit meat, poultry (iron);
dried apricots, nuts, sesame (calcium);
fish oil (vitamin D);
herring, mackerel, squid (selenium);
oysters, wheat bran (zinc);
oatmeal, brown rice (silica).

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Special care

You definitely need to start taking care of your nails:

rub a mixture of vitamins A and E into the cuticle and nail plate overnight;
Apply a cotton pad soaked in apple cider vinegar to your nails . You can secure it on top with a plaster, put on cotton socks or gloves. Leave overnight. In the morning, wash the treated areas with laundry soap. The procedure should be carried out 2 times a week until the problem goes away. Vinegar gets rid of infection and strengthens the nail plate.
It is useful to make baths with oils - almond, olive, jojoba, sea buckthorn or linseed (it needs to be heated until warm). Soak your feet or hands in the water for 10 minutes. Carry out a course of 10 procedures. This will improve the nail structure.

You can also apply vitamin creams and ointments to your nails, for example, Radevit.

Diet during treatment

To improve the condition of your nails, you need to reconsider your diet and include foods that help strengthen your nails. Food should be rich in protein, vitamins, macro- and microelements . It can be:

Chicken and quail eggs.
Carrot.
Nuts.
Broccoli.
Beef liver.
Brewer's yeast.
Sunflower seeds.
Fruits, greens.
Tomatoes.
Fermented milk products.
Seafood.
Oatmeal.
Corn.
Lentils.
Mushrooms.

Also, to nourish your nails, it is important to include foods rich in iodine in your diet.

This:

fish;
seaweed;
iodized salt.

In this case, you need to drink at least two liters of clean water to regulate the water-salt balance in the body. It is also advisable to exclude from use:

fatty and fried foods;
flour;
sweets.

The menu should include foods rich in calcium, such as:

sesame seeds;
cheese;
yogurt;
almond.

Calcium is also found in spinach and white cabbage.

It is recommended to consume vegetables in the form of salads dressed with vegetable oil.

Reference . Irregularities on the nails should not be hidden with varnish and sanding. This will only make the situation worse. The sooner treatment begins, the faster recovery will occur.

Nutrition for healthy nails is discussed in the video:

Longitudinal stripes on fingernails: causes. Treatment

The appearance of transverse stripes on the nails may be due to:

presence of kidney disease;
malnutrition of the nail;
injury to the nail plate;
improper manicure;
pathologies of infectious nature;
lack of vitamins and minerals due to frequent diets.

Transverse stripes on the nails can be a signal from the body about the presence of cardiovascular diseases. Most often, such indentations appear on the thumbs. In addition, the formation of transverse stripes almost on the nails is often observed in people of the older age category. Therapy can be prescribed exclusively by a specialist after examination and identification of the root cause. The main goal of treatment is to eliminate the underlying disease.

Along with taking medications that help strengthen the immune system, vitamins, and medications for the treatment of the underlying disease, the use of creams, ointments and baths is prescribed to eliminate stripes on the nail plates. Transverse stripes on the nails can disappear on their own if you start eating normally and the body has enough of the substances it receives.

Most often, a specialist will prescribe complex treatment.

If the cause of the appearance of unevenness on the nail plates is associated with a disease of the internal organs, then the main therapy will be aimed at treating the disease that caused such external manifestations. Only after complete recovery will it be possible to restore healthy nails. In parallel with the main treatment, a complex of vitamins is prescribed.
If the appearance of such a defect as longitudinal stripes on the nails is caused by fungal diseases, then antifungal agents are prescribed. Simultaneously with such treatment, it is necessary to balance the diet. A good result is ensured if therapy is accompanied by daily consumption of a large amount of vegetables, and especially greens.
Overweight people are more likely to have metabolic disorders. Particular attention should be paid to carbohydrate metabolism. You need to give up sweets and baked goods. It would be a good idea to check your blood sugar levels at the same time.
During treatment, you must avoid using nail extensions and false plates. Low-quality nail care products must be replaced with high-quality ones.

We discussed why longitudinal grooves appear on nails, the causes and methods of treatment. Now let's talk a little about preventing such manifestations.

Manicure with gold stripes

Sometimes they alone are enough to create an expressive coating. A bright and dramatic option - gold on a scarlet plate. Noble color scheme - gold on deep blue or green. On yellow it will look like a celebration of life, slightly flavored with elegance. Like other stripes, gold stripes can be vertical, diagonal, or horizontal.