Fitmist The structure of our fingernails reveals a lot about our health. Likewise, having ridges in nails could be a sign of an underlying disease. Ridges are formed when our nails do not have enough nutrients to produce new cells. With the lack of nutrients, the nails start to deform instead of growing. Types and causes of ridges on nails Fingernails are composed of living skin cells in the fingers. Skin conditions such as eczema and skin dryness can cause ridges in nails….Learn more Vertical ridges Also known as longitudinal striations or bands, these are wrinkles or furrows that begin at the tip of the fingernail and down to the cuticle. The vertical ridges are caused mostly to the older age group as their cell turnover slows down. Symptoms: • Change in color or texture of nails • Thicker or thinner nails • Fragile body and splitting of nails • Fissure • Rough and brittle nails Ridges that appear alongside rough and brittle nails might be due to a medical condition. In such a situation, the doctor’s consultation is advised. So, what causes ridges in fingernails? What causes ridges in nails? • The person might be suffering from Trachyonychia or 20-nail dystrophy, due to which color change takes place. • Iron deficiency in one’s body causes ridges in nails and tends to change the shape of the nails to concave or spoon-shaped. • Iron deficiency causes a low amount of red blood cells which gives rise to Anemia. Suffering from anaemia can cause ridges due to insufficient blood supply to the fingernails. It makes the ridges deeper and more visible by changing the color of the nails as well….Learn more Horizontal nail ridges Horizontal ridges in fingernails are also known as Beau’s lines. These are deep horizontal lines that run across the fingernails and often serve as symptoms of serious diseases that require diagnosis and treatment. Formation of horizontal nail ridges can serve as symptoms of the following diseases: • Acute kidney diseases • Mumps • Diabetes • Syphilis Causes: • Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is like a trauma to the nails. This treatment forms red or brown spots underneath the nails. In case you haven’t been under any therapy and still getting spots of different colors, this can be a sign of a serious disease such as endocarditis and melanoma…Learn more • Digestive disorders: Disorders such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and ulcerative colitis cause difficulty to organs while absorbing nutrients from food. Due to insufficient absorption of nutrients, the body is unable to make new cells to replace the old ones. Injury: Incidents as simple as dropping a heavy book on the fingernail can cause bruising. This is followed by reddish-brown spots underneath the nails, which will heal themselves. Treatments As getting ridges in nails is a sign of some disease, usually curing or treating that disease also cures the ridges. For instance, if someone is getting ridges on the nails due to a deficiency of iron in the blood, they should treat themselves with iron supplements.….Continue reading
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