Nail Health: When is the Time to See a Specialist?

Nails are not just a platform for manicure, but an important diagnostic indicator. But does ribbing, brittleness and stratification always indicate serious diseases?

Senior lecturer of the Department of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology with a course of advanced training and retraining of the Belarusian State Medical University Marina Tsedrik said:

- A healthy nail plate should be flat, slightly shiny and have a pale pink color - this is due to the translucent capillaries through the transparent keratin. But the ideal is rare. Light longitudinal ribbing is a variant of the age norm, not a disease. It is important to understand the key thing: not every defect of the plate is a distress signal of internal organs.

One of the most enduring myths, according to Marina Cedric, concerns the “spoiled” appearance of the nail: many believe that it signals liver problems or signs of vitamin deficiency. In fact, up to 80% of nail problems are due solely to external factors. For example, with the impact of aggressive household chemicals (you can not underestimate the consequences of washing dishes with special products without gloves!), with mechanical injuries (the habit of biting nails, too rough punching during manicure), with frequent use of gel varnishes and acetone, as well as with fungal infections, which are a local disease, and not a consequence of a “weak liver”.

- However, there are times when change cannot be ignored. Onyhoschisis (splitting) and onychorexis (fragility) are the scourge of modern women, emphasizes Marina Cedric. If the nails are dry, break on the slightest obstacle and resemble tissue paper, in 90% of cases, a deficiency of moisture and lipids is to blame. The nail was simply “dried” with a varnish removal liquid, formaldehyde or cold air. If you actively care for your hands, use gloves and oils, but the plate remains brittle and at the same time there are accompanying symptoms (hair loss, pale skin, weakness), you should take tests. Most often, this indicates iron deficiency (anemia) or disruption of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). Sometimes the lack of B vitamins and zinc is to blame, but in developed countries, vitamin deficiency, which can break nails, is less common than banal overdrying.