Whether smooth, hard, soft or ridged, our nails can change in appearance over the course of our lives. Like our hair and skin, they become more fragile with age, but they can also reveal certain deficiencies or underlying health problems. Here’s what different conditions say about you.
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Protein deficiency
Like hair, nails are made up of keratin, so a deficiency of this natural protein can result in brittle nails and vertical striations on the nails. Certain foods can stimulate the production of keratin. These include eggs, fish, meat, dairy products, and vegetables such as carrots.
Beau's lines
Vertical stripes are, by far, the most commonly found nail condition in people. As mentioned earlier, they can be caused by age or deficiency of a certain nutritious element from the body. Horizontal stripes, however, are rarer and a little more worrying.
Beau’s lines are caused by temporary disruption in the growth of proximal nail matrix.
— Dr Joshua Walinjom (@walinjom) January 15, 2022
Nail changes are commonly reported by patients receiving anticancer therapy (approx. 23%).
Eg drugs: vincristine, hydroxyurea, paclitaxel, bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate. pic.twitter.com/0ATLNXBAtX
A horizontal stripe can appear after an injury to the nail. However, they can be an indicator of a skin condition such as psoriasis or eczema. You should consult a dermatologist if these stripes appear on your nail. They also darken in color over time and can change the texture of the nail when progressing.
According to Msdmanuals:
They occur when nail growth temporarily slows down, which can happen after an infection, trauma, systemic disease, or during chemotherapy cycles.
This article is translated from Gentside FR.
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