Causes Thin, Cracked, Split Fingernails

Posted in: diseases by weddingcometrue | April 30th 2010 | no comments

Have you ever thought that having long fingernails may not be as easy as you believed? The thing is that it actually is not as easy as you may think, as long fingernails ask for healthy fingernails, for strong fingernails and for cleaned fingernails. There are a lot of fingernails diseases and disorders that causes thin, cracked, split fingernails. Some of the diseases can be held under control but some cannot. While some are caused by internal factors, some may be caused by external factors. Our fingernails have six different parts which form them, each one of these parts has their role in the fingernail growth and health. Whether one of these parts is not working properly your fingernail will somehow, be not as healthy s it should be. The fingernail plate is made of keratin, protein and sulfur. Keratin is the same substance from which the hair is made. A normal fingernail growth should be of 0.5 to 1.2 millimeters per week. This will lead to six months time, to a fully grown fingernail.

When there are some abnormalities that you observe on your fingernails one should seek a medical advice. There can be a lot of causes that is why, instead of using the wrong medicines and provoking more damage, one should first consult a doctor. The causes thin, cracked, split fingernails are usually bound to a nutritional deficiency. You may have some eating disorders that do not allow the vitamins to be injured into your body and therefore, the nails suffer a lack of vitamins. This can be solved by adding some vitamins supplements or by following a diet which is full of proteins and minerals. However, if your fingernails begin to split, it means that there is more to it than just some vitamins’ deficiency. You may be having problems with your thyroid, and specialist advice is needed. Nevertheless, the reason for thin and split fingernails may be also caused by the excessive use of chemicals, with unprotected hands. Whether you may not have felt it, your hand may also have probably suffered a trauma, which affected the fingernails. Keeping your fingernails in wet or dries conditions, and not providing the necessary environmental conditions for them will make them fragile and thin. While fragile and thin they will find it impossible to grow long and to have a good tenure.

To prevent the split nails from happening one should try and wear rubber gloves every time doing a house work, avoid having direct contact between your fingernails and chemical solvents, avoid long hot baths, every time one uses soap and water to wash their hands, should moisturize his hands, afterwards, and no not even think about cutting off your cuticle. If this is a normal thing you have done so far, you should stop doing it. Nail polish has its role in splitting nails and you should think twice when using it on a daily basis and especially when using a very dark color. As darker eth color is the more damage it does to your fingernails.

There are many tips in keeping your fingernails healthy, but if there are internal disorders that affect them, all that you can do is to pay attention to what your fingernails are trying to tell you and consult a specialist.