Prophylaxis
In order to prevent the appearance of cracked nails, a balanced diet should be followed to ensure that the body and nails receive all the important vitamins and minerals. Good hand care is also advisable. In order to prevent hands and nails from drying out, fatty hand creams should be used regularly, with which not only the hands but also the nails are creamed.
For nail care a file should be used instead of scissors. It should be ensured that the file is filed from the edge to the middle. If the nails are cracked, a file made of glass or ceramic should be used for this purpose, as these are more gentle than those made of metal. If your nails have had problems for a longer period of time, you can strengthen them from the inside out with food supplements such as silica, biotin (vitamin B7) and calcium. When cleaning or rinsing, gloves should be worn to avoid drying out hands and nails by constantly washing your hands.
Cracked nails in children
In general, the nails of small children are significantly softer than those of adults. As a result, they appear more brittle and tear more easily. In addition, every person has an inherited predisposition for rather strong or rather soft nails.
If the parents also have soft nails, the child will probably also be more prone to cracked nails. In addition, regular thumb sucking can also lead to a cracked thumbnail. It is noticeable that only the thumbs are affected, while the other finger and toe nails are much less cracked.
The phenomenon is caused by the fact that the fingernail dries out due to constant contact with moisture and thus becomes more brittle. Even on a large scale, people who have a lot of contact with moisture on their hands, e.g. frequent rinsing or increased sweating in rubber gloves, tend to have dry hands and cracked nails. In rare cases, cracked nails can also indicate a deficiency condition in children.
This can be an iron deficiency, vitamin deficiency or thyroid dysfunction. Zinc and calcium are also important for a healthy, firm nail structure. Stress can also change the nail structure in individual cases and lead to cracked nails. In general, children should keep their nails short to prevent them from tearing. In addition, if the skin is dry, a bath of the fingers in olive oil can be performed to care for the nails.
