Nails can offer valuable clues about a person’s health. by its color, shape and texture. According to Dr. Jeffrey Linder, chief of general internal medicine and geriatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, nails “give an idea of a person’s general health and can provide clues about the type of work you do.
The expert also adds: “And then, if we look at the nailswe sometimes find clues about disorders or illnesses. What appears very often on them are scratches, these can appear for various reasons and are not just a purely aesthetic problem.
- One of them can be a sign of an underlying systemic disease, mainly related to problems of digestive system. There are also medications used in patients with gastrointestinal illnesses that can damage nails and their ability to absorb micronutrients.
- They can means deficiency of nutrients and mineralseither due to lack of food or poor absorption due to digestive system failures. This can cause changes to the skin, nails and hair. There are three essential nutrients that cause these changes if they are absent: iron, zinc and biotin. Lack of vitamin A or B plays a role. Lack of proteins like cysteine, a key amino acid in keratin production.
- It is also linked to aging, skin dryness and cell renewal.. As you age, your skin loses elasticity and moisture, which can be reflected in your nails. It is associated with a lack of hydration or eczema.
- He prolonged stress It intervenes in the appearance of these scratches by generating an alteration in the structure of the nails.
- Using harsh cleaning products or chemicals Some cosmetic products can damage the nail surface. Continuous use of manicures or acrylic products contributes to its appearance.
- Constant trauma These nail scratches can be caused by hitting or pressing the nails against hard surfaces.
What health problems can scratches on your nails symbolize?
As for whether they represent a health problem, some of the most notable manifestations are Beautiful lines. These can appear after serious infections, when the body devotes its energy to eradicating this disease. THE diabetes It can also cause horizontal scratches to appear and circulatory conditionslike peripheral vascular diseases, can also manifest in the nails.
