One of the most requested
manicure services is artificial nails, but not for Lee Redmond -- as of early
2012, she hadn't cut her fingernails since 1979. Her right thumbnail alone
measures 2 feet, 11 inches (90 centimeters), and in total, her nails reach 28
feet, 4.5 inches (8.65 meters)
For most of us, our nails are
hardly world-record worthy, although they still have an important role to play:
They protect tissues, scratch itches and act as windows to our overall
well-being. They also offer warning signs of malnutrition, infection and
serious disease.
Nails are layers of keratin, a
protein that's also found in our skin and hair, and are made up of six parts.
Thenail plate is the hard, protective piece and the most visible part. The skin
around the nail plate is called the nail folds, and the nail bed is the skin
underneath the nail plate. The whitish crescent moon at the nail base, under
the nail plate, is called thelunula, and the tissue overlapping the nail at the
base is the cuticle.
Your nail grows from the matrix,
an area under the protective cuticle at the base of the nail bed. Fingernails
grow 2 to 3 millimeters every month and toenails about 1 millimeter, but growth
is faster in the summer months and on your dominant hand
10: Thyroid Disorders
Every disease has its signature
symptoms. For example, thyroid disorders (like hyperthyroidism and
hypothyroidism) are most often associated with weight loss and weight gain,
respectively. However, doctors frequently link up nail changes with thyroid
diseases, too.
The presence of onycholysis often
occurs with hyperthyroidism . Also known as Plummer's nail, this condition
occurs when a fingernail -- most often the ring finger or little finger -- or a
toenail separates itself from the nail bed. This lifting can occur at the tip
of the nail or along the sides.
Because dirt and moisture can
easily collect under lifted nails, Plummer's nail can easily lead to bacterial
and yeast infections. Therefore, it's important to see a doctor as soon as
possible if you notice any separation of your nails. Not only will you require
tips on preventing infection, you'll also need to seek treatment for the
underlying cause of the condition.
Spoon nails, which are nails that
are concave and look scooped away from the finger, can be a symptom of
hypothyroidism
9: Cardiovascular Problems
How do you know if you have or
are at risk for cardiovascular problems? High blood pressure? High cholesterol?
Well, yes, those are common indicators. But what about the condition of your
nails? As it turns out, there are a number of nail changes that can indicate
cardiovascular diseases.
Splinter hemorrhages, which are
thin red or reddish brown lines under the nails, can be a sign of heart valve
infection or vasculitis. While they may look like splinters, they're actually
lines of blood.
Congenital heart abnormalities
can lead to clubbingof the nails. In clubbing, nails soften and appear to float
above the nail bed, which has usually become wider and rounder than normal.
Additional nail signs that can indicate cardiovascular problems are spoon nails
(nails that look scooped away from the finger) and pale or blue-tinged nails
8: Anxiety and Stress
If you're a nail-biter, you're
not alone. About 50 percent of kids and teens in the United States ages 10 to
18 bite their nails -- as do about 23 percent of adults ages 18 to 22. It's a
hard habit to quit, but by age 30, most people have given it up.
Nail-biting is a nervous habit,
like fidgeting and thumb sucking, and people do it when they're stressed or
bored. Mild nail-biting won't cause permanent damage, but it does leave your
hands looking unkempt and bloody, and could also leave you susceptible to
infection in your fingers and your mouth. To help quit, try stress-management
methods and physical barriers such as bitter-tasting nail polish. Or, keep
nails looking nice with frequent manicures -- tidy nails may deter you from
gnawing.
Sometimes, though, nail-biting
and picking is severe enough to be categorized by mental health professionals
as an impulse-control disorder. It could indicate an anxiety or compulsive
disorder and may require behavior therapy. If nail-biting is accompanied by
hair pulling or self-mutilating behaviors, see a doctor.
7: Diabetes
If you frequently paint your
fingernails, you'll notice they tend to have a yellowish hue after you've
removed the nail polish. However, if your nails remain yellow over a period of
days or after a lightening remedy (such as dipping your nails in lemon juice),
the discoloration could have a more serious cause:diabetes.
Diabetes can lead to yellowing of
both the skin and nails, but is usually more evident in nails. The color change
is probably caused by glucose connecting with the collagen proteins in the nail.
If your yellow nails are not
going back to a normal shade, and if you're also experiencing other symptoms of
diabetes like increased thirst and urination, you should see your doctor right
away.
6: Pulmonary Problems
Matching your nail color to your
lip color can be a beauty strategy. But when you're sporting a light shade of
blue on your nails and lips and cosmetics aren't involved, you could be in
immediate danger.
Blue nails (particularly when
paired with blue lips) can mean that you have an oxygen-related health problem,
such as:
• Low
hemoglobin
• Asthma
• COPD
• Emphysema
• Chronic
bronchitis
• Pneumonia
In addition to pulmonary
problems, blue nails can also indicate certain heart conditions. If your nails
have turned blue, regardless of condition, it's usually a sign that your
illness has become severe. Emergency medical attention might be needed.
5: Arthritis-related Diseases
Generally, arthritis is thought
of as an achy-joint disorder that affects the elderly. There is a type of
arthritis like that. It's called osteoarthritis, and it is very common.
However, there are actually more than 100 diseases that qualify as types of
arthritis. The following conditions in the arthritis family can sometimes lead
to nail changes:
• Osteoarthritis:
Weak nails caused by selenium deficiency are often observed in people with this
most widespread form of arthritis.
• Psoriasis:
Yellow nails, rippled nails (when the surface of the nail has a pitted or rippled
look) and splinter hemorrhages all can be signs of psoriatic arthritis.
• Lupus:
Puffy nail fold, a symptom when the skin around the base of the nail swells, is
often seen in connective tissue disorders like lupus.
• Rheumatoid
arthritis: Red lunula (the lunula is the crescent shape in the nail bed) in
rheumatoid arthritis is often due to prednisone treatments for the disease .
• Kawasaki
disease: This disorder can lead to onychomadesis, the shedding of nails.
4: Injury
Accidents happen -- who hasn't
unintentionally caught a finger in a door or dropped something heavy on toe?
Mild trauma to the nail bed can cause small,white spots (leukonychia) in the
nail plate that are harmless -- they grow out as the nail grows and eventually
you'll clip off the damaged part of the nail. A more severe injury to the nail
bed can cause dark spots or streaks on or under the nail, nail detachment
(onycholysis) and splinter hemorrhages
Nail injuries can also happen
during a manicure or pedicure. Nail polish and remover are drying and cause
brittleness. And if you're a chronic nail-biter, try to quit the habit -- it
can lead to nail deformities, as well as infections.
3: Nutritional Deficiencies
You are what you eat: Beauty on
the inside will reflect beauty on the outside. Healthy nutritional choices
include omega-3 fatty acids, lean proteins and iron to help support healthy
hair, skin and nails.
Nails can reflect some nutritional
deficiencies, such as low levels of iron, biotin and protein -- although
protein deficiencies are rare in the United States.
Most nail problems aren't
associated with your nutrition, but if you have an iron deficiency, your nails
may disclose it. Pale, whitish nail beds are a common symptom of anemia. With
more severe deficiencies, the fingernail may change shape -- a condition
calledkoilonychia (also known as spoon nails) in which the nails are thin and
concave with raised vertical ridges.
2: Melanoma
You might think skin cancers only
appear in areas of the body most obviously exposed to the sun --like the nose
or ears, for example. While many skin cancersdo commonly occur in such areas,
the deadliest kind -- melanoma -- can show up under a nail. Known asacral
lentiginous melanoma, the kind of melanoma found under nails is the only skin
cancer that is more common in African Americans and Asians than it is in
Caucasians in the U.S..
Acral lentiginous melanoma
usually appears as dark lines underneath the nail, so if you notice this
symptom, see your doctor right away. This type of skin cancer is known to
advance quickly.
Another tip: If you get an annual
skin cancer check by a dermatologist, be sure to remove any nail polish before
showing up for your visit. This will allow the doctor to check your fingernails
and toenails for signs of melanoma.
1: Infection
Painful, red and itchy skin
around your nails is a pretty big clue that something's not right. Just like
other parts of your body, your fingernails and toenails are prone to infection,
usually occurring in adults and caused by fungus (such as yeast), bacteria
(such as Staphylococcus) and viral warts. Nail infections don't necessarily
indicate larger, systemic health problems but they do need to be treated by a
doctor, especially if you have a medical condition that weakens yourimmune
system.
Fungus is the most common
perpetrator, infecting about 12 percent of Americans. It can cause nails to
become thick and crumbly and change color, taking on a blue-green hue. Fungus
is notoriously difficult to treat, so see a doctor for medicine and expect to
see results only after your nails have gone through a complete growth cycle (a
few months).
Bacteria and viruses also both
cause unsightly changes to nails. Bacterial infections target the skin under
and around the nail and can lead to nail loss if not treated. Skin viruses
cause warts around and sometimes under the nail, which a doctor can freeze off
or chemically treat to remove.
Unkempt artificial nails,
unsanitary manicure equipment and vigorous manicuring can all increase the
chances of infection. Always be sure to properly -- and gently -- clean your
nails, fingernails, toenails and artificial nails, and buy your own manicure
tools to reduce the spread of bacteria from person to person.
