Causes of ridges in fingernails

The condition of our fingernails is one of the most visibleindicators of our health. People will look our nails and judge about our healthcondition. And they will be right, because modern science has proved that manymedical conditions can be seen as the changes happening to our fingernails. If thereis a problem you might not be aware of, your ridged fingernails should make yousee the doctor and diagnose the problem.

What You Should Know about Nail Ridges

However, you have to know that vertical nail ridges are not athreat for your health, and when you notice them, you shouldn’t be alarmed. Theseridges are quite normal and almost everyone has those on their nails.

What you should look after are horizontal ridges, which almostalways indicate certain problem in your body. Horizontal fingernail ridges runfrom to another side of your nails, lengthwise. In some cases, these ridges canbe very unpleasant to see or even darker than the rest of the fingernail. Your doctorshould identify the cause of horizontal ridges on your fingernails andrecommend the treatment.

What Causes Ridges in Nails

Malnutrition and malabsorption are very common causes offingernail ridges. Keratin, the building material of the nails, needs vitamin Band other nutrients in order to produce healthy nails. When there is a lack ofsome substances usually taken by the food – nails appear ridged.

Improper hydration or the lack of oils in the body can alsocause fingernail problems.

Additionally, traumas to nail matrix or nail bed can beidentified as the root causes of ridges in the fingernails. Medical condition,such as diabetes, thyroid difficulties, anemia (caused by the iron deficiency),skin conditions, autoimmune diseases and problems with respiratory or circulatorysystems can all cause horizontal ridges in the nails. Exposure to toxic substances,including arsenic or the use of certain medications can also provoke the samecondition of your nails.

Treatment Options

The most important is to prevent whatever has caused ridgesin the nails. Healthy diet, full of fresh fruits and vegetables will provideall necessary vitamins (A, B12, C, folic acid), minerals and other nutrients toensure healthy-looking nails.

Drink sufficient amount of water to hydrate your body, anduse hydrating lotions for your hands and nails before bedtime. You could evenwear cotton gloves after that treatment, while sleeping. Combining the lotions(especially those with vitamin E and/or jojoba oil) and the gloves at leastonce in a while, you will protect your hands from losing all important oilsfrom the skin.