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Nails: How to keep your fingernails healthy and strong
Here's what you need to know to keep your fingernails in tiptop shape.
By Mayo Clinic staffTake a close look at your nails. Are they strong and healthy looking? Or do you see ridges, dents, or areas of unusual color or shape? Many less than desirable nail conditions can be avoided through proper care, but some actually indicate an illness that requires attention.
Fingernails: What to look for
Your nails — composed of laminated layers of a protein called keratin — grow from the area at the base of the nail under your cuticle. As new cells grow, older cells become hard and compacted and are eventually pushed out toward your fingertips.
Healthy nails are smooth, without ridges or grooves. They're uniform in color and consistency and free of spots or discoloration. Nails can develop harmless conditions, such as vertical ridges that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. Vertical ridges become more prominent with age. Nails can also develop white lines or spots due to injury, but these eventually grow out with the nail.
Not all nail conditions are normal, however. Some are signs of diseases that require medical attention. See your doctor if you notice these changes in your nails:
- Yellow discoloration
- Separation of your nail from the nail bed (onycholysis)
- Indentations that run across your nails (Beau's lines)
- Nail pitting
- Opaque or white nails
- Curled nails
(1 of 2)
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- Nail fungus and nail health. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_nail.html. Accessed Aug. 10, 2009.
- Dahdah MJ, et al. Nail diseases related to nail cosmetics. Dermatologic Clinics; 2006;24:233.
- Gregoriou S, et al. Nail disorders and systemic disease: What the nails tell us. Journal of Family Practice. 2008;57:509.
- Biotin. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Aug. 11, 2009.
- Haneke E. Onychocosmeceuticals. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2006;5:95.
- Duyff RL. Healthful eating: Special issues. In: Duyff RL. American Dietetic Association Compete Food and Nutrition Guide. 3rd ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley and Sons; 2006:594.
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