Introduction
Many people are affected by brittle or fragile fingernails. On the one hand, these nail problems are unsightly and disturbing in everyday life, but they are usually harmless. Sometimes they can also be a first indication of a deficiency or an underlying disease.
Grooves in the fingernails
The healthy nail has a smooth, even and shiny surface. Changes can occur in the form of brittle, splintering nails, nail discoloration, and grooved fingernails. With grooves in the nail, a distinction is made between longitudinal and transverse grooves.
The longitudinal grooves run parallel to the fingers, the transverse grooves are perpendicular to them. Different nail deformities are genetically predisposed in the majority of cases, so we have inherited them. One should take seriously nail deformities that occur only on a single nail or occasionally on a few nails and those that have an irregular structure.
Longitudinal grooves usually belong to the harmless nail changes. They usually have no disease value. They are signs of a normal aging process.
This is caused by slower nail growth and increasingly restricted blood circulation. However, if the above-mentioned, unusual changes occur, this can be an indication of metabolic and digestive disorders. Stress also plays an important role in the development of the changes.
Furthermore, these grooves are also found in people who suffer from an inflammatory joint disease, the so-called arthritis. A lack of fluid also leads to the formation of grooves in the nail, but this can be remedied by a sufficient supply of fluid. In addition, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, including longitudinal grooves in the fingernails, can also cause the nails to become grooved.
If deficiency or functional disorders are the cause of the grooves in the fingernails, nail polishes or nail care products with added vitamins are not sufficient for treatment. Cross-grooves are often the result of nail root injury. On the one hand, this injury may have been inflicted from the outside, for example during a very careless manicure, but on the other hand it may also be the expression of a disorder from inside our body, such as gastrointestinal diseases or flu with fever.
In children, this nail change is occasionally found in connection with measles. The nail does not have the possibility to grow back normally after the illness, because its origin, the nail bed, has been damaged and needs time to regenerate. Also with radical diets, during and after taking medication, for example in connection with cancer treatment and when environmental toxins accumulate in the body, the formation of transverse grooves can be observed.
If the grooves are congenital, there is therefore also no cause that could be treated to make them disappear. The only thing that can be done is to try to conceal them as well as possible. Basically, a balanced, healthy diet as well as an adequate fluid intake should always be observed. If unusual groove formations occur, you should consult a doctor, who will try to find and treat the underlying cause. If successful, the grooves will also disappear afterwards.
