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. irecommend.ru
With age, the nail plate thickens and becomes more brittle. This 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 nails break due to a lack of vitamins or turn yellow due to poor-quality varnish. Sometimes the nail plate can even turn black and fall off if the finger is pinched or hit.
In a healthy person, fingernails are completely restored within 4-6 months, and toenails - within 6-8 months.
But there are persistent pathologies that we often don’t 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.
Treatment of nail plates on hands and feet
The deformed surface of the nail plate is not an independent disease . This is a clinical manifestation of pathology or some factor.
- If the reason lies in poor-quality manicure, then you should treat your nails with special products that will help them recover.
You can also make nail baths.
- In case of injury to the nail, which occurred due to stress, it is necessary to take medications to relieve nervous tension (for example, Afobazol). You can take pills only as prescribed by your doctor.
Help : during the treatment process, it is recommended to follow a diet, diversifying your diet with foods that contain vitamins A and B.
- In case of a fungal disease, the type of pathogen is first identified, then topical medications are prescribed: gel, ointment, cream.
- If the cause lies in hormonal imbalance, therapy with medications that contain hormones will be needed.
- If a systemic disease is suspected, a thorough diagnosis is performed. You should visit a cardiologist or gastroenterologist.
When determining and leveling the factor, the wavy surface on the nails will disappear over time.
What are the deviations?
Excessive fragility
yalmashop.ru
If the nail breaks, barely looking beyond the edge of the finger, the body is probably experiencing a deficiency of 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.
White spots
polzapost.ru
People consider them to be a good omen, but in medicine this pathology is called leukonychia. Microscopic air bubbles form between the layers of the nail plate, which look like white dots and stripes on the surface.
Leukonychia can be spotty (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.
Point depressions
dingyue.nosdn.127.net
The shape and color of the nails look as usual. But if you look closely, the nail plate is riddled with tiny indentations (as if poked with a needle). Doctors even have such a term - thimble-shaped wear.
This is almost always a sign of psoriasis. Sometimes eczema or arthritis can manifest themselves this way.
Olga Aleynikova
nurse, manicurist and pedicurist
If you discover this or any other nail pathology, you should not self-medicate. The first thing you need to do is make an appointment with a therapist and/or dermatologist and get tested. Only a professional doctor and clinical research can give an accurate answer as to 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.
Large or small lunulae
ofigenno.com
Lunules or craters are a light crescent moon at the base of the nail. They should occupy about a third of it and be clearly visible.
Athletes and people involved in heavy physical labor have holes that are too large. Sometimes they can indicate malfunctions of the heart and blood vessels, low blood pressure.
Small lunulae that barely peek out from under the cuticle can be a sign of a lack of vitamin B12 and iron, as well as problems with blood circulation.
Transverse grooves
dermline.ru
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 identified by the French military surgeon Joseph Honore Simon Beau.
Beau's lines are formed due to damage to the matrix of the nail plate. When it lacks nutrition, the chemical composition of the nail changes and its plate becomes deformed. Most often this happens due to strict diets bordering on starvation.
Also, these injuries can be mechanical (when the nail is hit 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.
Longitudinal grooves
womens-blog.ru
If for older people such a change in the relief of nails can be considered the norm, then for people under 50 years of age, protruding vertical stripes most likely indicate a lack of B vitamins and microelements (zinc, iron, magnesium).
This could also be the result of a bad manicure or pedicure: the cuticle was pushed back too much 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, the health of the internal organs should be checked. First of all, the cardiovascular and digestive systems.
If the pathology is not infectious in nature, you know its cause and have already started treatment, then you can give the damaged nails an aesthetic appearance. Any good salon offers nail spa treatments. For example, for nutrition and hydration, you can do Japanese manicure (P-Shine) or paraffin therapy. For smoothness - grinding and polishing the nail plate.
Olga Aleynikova
nurse, manicurist and pedicurist
Spoon nails
el-corazon-ek.ru
This is koilonychia, that is, a deformation of the nail plate in which its center bends and the edges are turned up. This does not cause discomfort, the color and smoothness are preserved, but it looks ugly.
The easiest way to identify koilonychia is to drop water on the nail. Did the drop roll freely? Everything is fine. Is the drop stuck in the groove? There is reason to think.
Most often, concave nails are a consequence of a lack of iron in the body and endocrine disorders. Acquired causes of koilonychia also include trauma, contact with chemicals and sudden temperature changes.
In addition, spoon-shaped nails can occur due to gene mutations and be inherited.
Drumsticks
dermline.ru
Another name is Hippocrates’ fingers. 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 rear nail fold and the nail plate exceeds 180°.
adst.mp.pl
Drumsticks 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).
Nail peeling
zdnogti.ru
In medicine, this is called onycholysis - a disruption of the connection between the nail and the nail bed, when a void forms between them, and the nail plate changes color.
In 60% of cases the cause is injury. When struck, the vessels in the dermis are compressed, the nutrition of the nail is disrupted, and its chemical composition and elasticity change. Another 30% is due to 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 nourishes it. This may lead to infection. If you hit yourself or had some contact with chemicals and suddenly notice that your nail begins to peel off, you need to use antifungal and regenerating agents as quickly as possible.
Olga Aleynikova
nurse, manicurist and pedicurist
Half and half
media.caak.mn
This is the name of the syndrome in which half of the nail plate is white, and the half, closer to the tip, is brownish.
The most likely cause is kidney failure, which causes the number of blood vessels under the nails to increase and become visible through the nail plate.
Also, “half” nails occur in HIV-positive people and those who have undergone chemotherapy.
White, yellow and bluish nails
A change in the color of the nail plate is a signal that it’s time to take care of your health.
If your nails suddenly turn white, you should check your digestive and cardiovascular systems and pay special attention to the liver. A yellow tint is also caused by liver diseases, as well as pathologies of the endocrine and lymphatic systems. Blueness indicates a lack of oxygen, low hemoglobin levels or poor circulation.
Single dark line
kratko-news.com
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 a feature of natural skin pigmentation.
But if you eat normally, haven’t hit yourself anywhere, and suddenly blackening appears on your nail, it’s better to consult a doctor. This may be a symptom of melanoma, a malignant skin cancer.
How to keep your nails beautiful and healthy
Here are the general recommendations given by Olga Aleynikova.
Proper nutrition, healthy sleep and exercise should be the default. Regularly inspect your nail plates and take care of your hands.
- Get a manicure and pedicure. Trim or file the free edge of the nails in a timely manner, and treat the cuticle.
- Don't bite your nails.
- Wear gloves when working with chemicals and when digging in garden beds.
- Take vitamins.
- Regularly smear your hands and nails with nourishing cream.
- Don't wear tight shoes, don't stick your fingers in cracks, and be careful with the hammer.
When going to places with large crowds of people, use liquid gloves (this is an emulsion). The risk of contracting infectious diseases through your hands is now very high.
If you see signs of illness on the nail plates, use antifungal agents and regenerating drugs. If the pathology is persistent, be sure to get tested and go to the doctor.
Kinds
- Irregularities. The grooves attract people's attention. Diagnostics allows you to determine the cause that led to the deformation. Longitudinal grooves not only spoil the appearance, but also indicate a health hazard. The ribbed plate should not cause concern only in old age, since strong changes have occurred in the body. If the defect occurs at a young age, then you need to see a doctor. Don't hide it with nail polish.
- Waves. This deficiency indicates that the body's systems are not functioning properly. The defect appears when one completely abstains from meat. If, in addition to transverse waves, peeling is noticeable, then this indicates a fungus. There is no need to panic; the fungus can be easily treated. With the help of specialist consultation and simple procedures, it will be possible to eliminate the pathology.
- Lumpiness. In addition to irregularities, there may also be bumps. In this case, a doctor’s consultation and treatment are required. Usually the deficiency appears from a deficiency of minerals and vitamins, hormonal imbalance.
Often the nail grows in waves when cosmetic procedures are performed incorrectly. This is also associated with non-compliance with the rules of caring for hands and feet.
