Published: 12/30/2013 - Updated: 02/10/2016
Author: Miriam Reyes11 Comments
Manicured nails are a sign of beauty, which give a healthy look to our hands. However, nails may be affected by the use of cleaning products, poor nutrition, certain diseases and other causes. It is important to identify the symptoms and treat them in time to maintain healthy nails.
Nails are easily damaged: They suffer from hormonal changes and other illnesses, so it is important to be aware of the health of our nails.
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Lines or streaks in the nail
The longitudinal striations usually occur mainly in older adults, and are associated with aging; however, the cross known as Beau's lines usually indicates stress. In this case the fingernails have more sunken lines.
Option: You can use oral amino acids that are precursors of protein or you can also use creams that contain vitamin B6 and cystine which you can apply before bed.
Discoloration of the nails
There are many reasons why a nail might change colour. If they are brown, it may be a mole; If they turn yellow, it may be due to nicotine. Another cause of yellow nails is fungus.
They can also be caused to change colour from the trauma of constantly biting them. This habit can also deform them, generating ribbed lesions.
Option: If it is a mole, it is likely that it will need to be removed, for which it is recommended that you consult a specialist.
If nicotine is the problem, undoubtedly the strategy is to stop smoking, and avoid cigarette smoke reaching the nails (when holding a cigarette).
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If the nail assumes a greenish color, is very likely to be a bacterium, requiring it to be addressed with an antibiotic.
Porous nails
This occurs mainly by frequent hand washing.
Option: Typically, it improves with oral amino acid supplementation, although it may be necessary to use a local product recommended by a specialist.
Brittle nails
Menopause, enamel or genetics are the main causes of brittle nails.
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Option: It is recommended to soak the nails in warm olive oil. A diet rich in protein is also important.
Also, you can apply a product on the nail surface, vitamin B6 and cystine.
Fungal infection (onychomycosis)
A fungal infection can occur in both the hands and feet, thus affecting the nails too. The most common symptom is thickening of the nail, peeling and changes in the colour of the nail. It is recommended to consult a specialist for appropriate treatment.
Option: Onychomycosis is usually treated with lacquer, tablets and drops. A newer option is laser treatment, which acts specifically on the fungus without affecting the surrounding healthy tissues.
Ingrown toenail (onicocriptosis)
This may occur due to several factors, such as badly cut nails, genetic causes and inadequate footwear.
Option: It is important to correctly cut your nails but should this occur, a popular remedy is to place some cotton under the ingrown nail to avoid further injuring the area while waiting for it to grow to cut properly. It is recommended to go to a podiatrist for advice on cutting ingrown toenails.
Puff pastry nails
This condition occurs when the nail plate is separated into layers. It can be caused by thyroid disease, poor nutrition, stress or neglect of the hands; it is more common in women.
Option: You can use warm olive oil to soak your nails, or creams with vitamin B6 and cystine in them. It is advisable not to file, or use enamels or acetone on the nails if you have this condition. It is necessary to balance our food and rule out conditions such as those mentioned above.
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Good to see more and more recommendations to have a beautiful pair of hand and show off our nice nails, many people have nice hands because the use creams and things like that but the nails are just very forgotten and look awful, so I will recommend this article to all of them lol.
There are many problems of the nails! I do not have the most beautiful nails, but they aren’t so ugly, but may have one of those problems, I need to analyse this or maybe look up for some doctor that can tell me the problem, I hope it is not something very dangerous or something yuk life fungus in the nails
Brittle nails is my problem! now I have found a solution which I hope is enough and perfect for my situation, and if not, I do not know what to do because I do not want to show some ugly nails when I’ll ask for a job or in some kind of event, well, maybe this is caused by abrasive substances as the ones for cleansing
That is my problem too, but I have discoloration of them too, and it is caused by the abrasive substances I use to clean the clothes and things like that in the house, my doctor recommended me using gloves every time I do that and of course using a cream after that time, and I recommend you that too!
My nails keep a yellow or even orange color when I take off the nail painting or polish of them, and this stain is persistent, at least for a week, is this bad? I hope this is not a very bad problem, I hope to find solution with this article, thanks for all the things you mention here
When I paint my nails many times in a round then they get an ugly color like yellow or orange and the are not smooth anymore, they look cracked and damaged, this is very bad indeed, but I do like painting my nails so what can I do to avoid that? or what product can I use to protect my nails from the paint?
When using nail polishing, try to take it out as soon as you can and use a product that contains natural substances and that help us, as there are some that contain vitamin e, or other components which will help your skin after taking the polish, that is just a little recommendation that have helped me a lot
Sometimes, we do not notice how important is the good cutting of our nails, but it is. I know a person who did not cut well his nail of the foot and one day he just crashed with a chair and he had to be taken to the doctor because it did not stop of blooding…wow poor of him!
When I was a child, I used to have these “little white stains” in my nails that appeared from time to time and I remember my mom telling me they were caused by the lack of calcium. I am still wondering if it was true or it was just a story she made up to make me drink milk everyday.
Nowadays, we use all kind of products that can damage our nails and I think I am going to begin using olive oil, it seems to be a good remedy according to this article.
I do not get my nails “done”. I’ve always considered it a tragic waste of money, and the chemicals and products you’re exposed to is horrific. I have always had very healthy nails, except that on my thumb nail, on my right hand, there is a darkened liine all the way back to the cuticle. When the nail grows long, it has a tendency to crack right on that line. Any ideas what could be going on?
This is a really good article, but the number one prevention method for avoiding any of the above mentioned conditions is to eat well (and healthily) and NOT put any horrible chemicals, lacquers, varnishes or indeed the new trend of FAKE NAILS which can cause so much damage with glues and sealants, not allowing the nail underneath to breath. People put so many horrid chemicals on their bodies and then wonder why they get sick… It’s simple: Don’t put anything on your body that you wouldn’t eat.