Symptoms
Cracked nails can usually be recognized immediately by their external appearance. The affected person notices that their nails, especially the fingernails, are not very resistant. From this it follows that with everyday activities the fingernails tear and break off.
The nails generally feel very soft and flexible. Inflammation can also occur at the cracks. It depends on how deep the nail is torn. Also a splitting of the nails can occur, the individual nail layers separate from each other. Also a splitting of the nails can occur, the individual nail layers separate from each other.
Diagnosis
A diagnosis can be made on the basis of the appearance, i.e. the typical appearance of cracked nails. This does not necessarily have to be done by a physician, since in most cases there is no serious illness underlying it. If cracked nails are detected, a doctor can be consulted.
But also nail or foot care studios with trained personnel can often help and give treatment tips. Here a professional treatment can also be carried out initially to repair the gross damage to the nails. Depending on the cause of the cracked nails must be treated in different ways.
If there is a vitamin deficiency, this should be remedied by dietary supplements. If the nails are cracked due to dehydration, moisturizing creams should be used, with which the nails should also be creamed. There are also special nail oils which should moisturize the nails by applying them.
But it can also help to bathe the nails for a few minutes in a bowl of olive or almond oil. It is also important to drink a lot when the skin and nails are dry, so that the body in general is provided with enough liquid. Nail hardeners in the form of nail polish also promise an improvement of cracks in the nails, as they are supposed to restore the nail’s lost resistance.
If the cracked nails occur as a side effect of another disease, it is important to treat them accordingly. Besides, the above mentioned therapeutic approaches should be applied to alleviate the symptoms. A simple household remedy for the treatment of cracked nails is olive oil.
The oil nourishes the skin, prevents dehydration and leads to shiny nails. The olive oil can either be massaged into the fingernails and surrounding skin or the fingers can be bathed in slightly warmed olive oil for a few minutes. It is also recommended to drink a cup of nettle or horsetail tea every day.
These teas contain silicic acid, which supports the growth of the nails. It can also be helpful to bathe the fingernails in a horsetail solution for about 30 minutes. For this purpose, two teaspoons of dried horsetail are dissolved in approx.
250 ml hot water. The solution should draw for about 10 minutes and have reached a pleasant temperature when the bath is started. Alternatively, three times a week a bath can be made in a warmed mixture of one part olive oil, one part apple vinegar and two parts beer.
In addition, an attempt can be made to better cover the need for essential fatty acids through diet.A lack of these special greases can also lead to cracked nails. Especially many essential fatty acids are found in glue seeds or linseed oil. However, linseed oil should only be used unprocessed for salads, but not in heated form for cooking or frying, as otherwise its positive effect is lost.
Furthermore, sufficient biotin should also be taken in. This can be found in nuts, eggs, oat flakes, dairy products and especially in offal such as liver or kidney. Vitamin E also helps with cracked nails.
Vitamin E oil can be applied to the nails overnight. Likewise, a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice should also help when applied to the nails overnight. If the nails are cracked due to a fungal attack, it is recommended to use tea tree oil, which fights the fungus and thus strengthens the nail. In general, too frequent hand washing and excessive contact with cleaning or rinsing agents should be avoided, as this can negatively influence the healing process.
