For several years in a row, the trend has been to look natural: to apply nude makeup, not to paint your nails at all. But for this, the nail plate must look perfect, you need to take full nail treatment. If the nails look unkempt and untidy – this is not so bad. A good nail service will fix the situation. But if they are unhealthy, you need nail care and urgent action must be taken.
The nail plate is keratinized tissue, keratin plates. The density of the nail plate depends on keratin, and the elasticity of the nail depends on the saturation of the cells with moisture. Also, the nails contain trace elements (zinc, chromium, calcium, iron, and so on).
According to the state of the nails, you can draw conclusions about human health. Practitioners of Oriental medicine focus on the condition of the skin, nails, tongue and whites of the eyes when making a diagnosis in order to understand what pathological processes are taking place in the body.
A healthy nail has a uniform flesh color, the nail hole is even, whitish, there are no spots and seals on the nail plate and under it, the nails themselves are dense, even, without grooves and cracks, do not delaminate, have a normal thickness: not too thin and not too dense.
Why nails exfoliate: causes and types of nail diseases
An unhealthy condition of the nails can give out an unusual color, and excessive hardness, and delamination. Various diseases cause special changes in the structure of the nail. They arise due to external, internal and psychological factors.
External causes of unhealthy nails
- Chemical exposure (household chemicals, hard water, plant juices, earth – when working on a garden plot – and so on).
- Use of varnishes with formaldehyde and aggressive acetone nail polish removers.
- Incorrect removal of extended nails.
- Constant hypothermia of the body or being in conditions of low humidity.
- Damage caused by bruises, trauma, regular exposure to tools or appliances. For example, the nails of people working in the ground, shoemakers, and musicians are often in poor condition.
Internal causes of nail disease
- Violations of the work of internal organs.
- Metabolic disorders due to diseases or a poor diet that lacks trace elements and vitamins. In general, it is very important to monitor the diet. After all, it is easier to prevent a problem than to look for ways to deal with exfoliating nails later.
- Skin diseases that also affect the condition of the nails (psoriasis, lichen, fungal infection, epidermolysis, x-ray dermatitis, etc.).
- Hormonal imbalance in adolescence, during pregnancy, lactation, menopause, in stressful situations, due to certain diseases.
- Poisoning with drugs or heavy metals. This also includes regular exposure to the body of toxic substances (tobacco, alcohol, narcotic poisons).
Psychological reasons.
All psychological causes are the result of stressful effects on the human nervous system. Certain pathologies develop. Stress in itself leads to a malfunction of the internal organs, which will certainly affect the condition of the nails, among other things.
Onychotillomania is a pathology in which a person seeks to break, break off, somehow destroy his own nails.
Onychophagia – a person bites his nails, not controlling this process.
Why do nails split: types of nail diseases and causes of exfoliation.
In this section, we provide a list of the main nail diseases and the general principles of their treatment.
We will warn you right away: we strongly do not recommend diagnosing a particular disease in yourself and starting to treat it, following the general recommendations. Consult a dermatologist or mycologist. Sometimes you need to visit a gastroenterologist or endocrinologist, it all depends on the cause of the deterioration in the appearance of the nails.
Firstly, without specific knowledge, you will not make a correct diagnosis for yourself. Secondly, incorrect treatment and uncontrolled use of drugs can lead to much more depressing consequences than nail diseases.
The description of diseases and methods of treatment we have outlined for only one purpose. If you are roughly familiar with their symptoms, it will be easier for you to understand that it is time to see a doctor and clarify how to get rid of the bundle. You can’t let things take their course and think that brittleness and delamination of nails will go away on their own.
