Tips on nail health

90% of the small abnormalities you can observe in your nails have nothing to do with diseases. Most of them are caused by daily bumps, bad habits or natural characteristics. Only when they are accompanied by pain, rapid enlargement and depth, or nails cracking and falling off, do you need to be alert to organic problems.

I have been a manicurist for almost 7 years, and I have encountered too many customers who scared me to death. Last week, a little girl who was a sophomore in college rushed in with her hands raised and two small white dots on her fingernails. She said that she had been checking for a whole night, and sometimes she thought it was a zinc deficiency, and sometimes she thought she had roundworms in her stomach. She had searched for anthelmintics and was ready to place an order. There have always been several theories about the cause of white spots on nails. The older generation often said that it was zinc deficiency, calcium deficiency or intestinal parasites, and some even said it was a "lucky spot". However, the current clinical view of mainstream dermatology is that more than 95% of white spots are "onycholeucocytosis". The problem is that the nail matrix has suffered minor trauma - for example, if you knocked your nail while moving a box last week, polished it too hard when doing a manicure, or even habitually picked at the edges of your nails, the nail matrix may be damaged, and a small white spot will appear when it grows out. Once it grows to the tip of your finger, you can cut it off. There is no need to patch it up at all. Of course, if you also often suffer from oral ulcers, lose a lot of hair, and have no appetite for food, then there is nothing wrong with checking for trace elements. After all, individual differences exist here, and you cannot kill all possibilities at once.

When it comes to abnormalities on nails, the most frequently asked question is about vertical lines. Many people say that "vertical lines on nails mean aging" and "it's due to a bad liver." When I was in my early twenties, I had several obvious vertical lines on my hands. I went to see a dermatologist. The doctor took one look and said it was fine. It is natural. Many people have it since childhood. So what kind of vertical lines should we pay attention to? If it grows suddenly, the vertical lines are obviously wider than the surrounding area, the color is black and brown, and there are cracks, then you should get checked quickly. It may be a nevus onychomycosis. In rare cases, there is a risk of malignant transformation, but the probability is extremely low, so don’t scare yourself. Last year, a regular customer suddenly developed a 2mm wide black line on her nail. After searching for it, she thought it was melanoma. She came to me crying, and I told her to go to the hospital quickly. But the result was that she pinched her finger in the door while squeezing on the subway last month, causing subungual congestion. She cut it along with the nail growth two months later, and cried for half the night in vain.

To be honest, eight out of ten nail problems I have seen were caused by myself. Many people like to cut their nails very short and dig the edges into the flesh, hoping to cut until they bleed. Over time, it is easy to get paronychia, which can cause pain and make it difficult to walk. There are also girls who like to do manicures, changing styles three or four times a month, and grinding off a layer of the nail surface each time. Think about it, the nails themselves are only 0.5-1mm thick, about the same as a piece of cardboard. If they are worn too much, they will naturally become thin and soft, hurt when touched, and easy to break in layers. There are actually different opinions in the industry about the frequency of manicures. Some dermatologists suggest that it is best to do it once every six months to give your nails enough rest time. Most of us who do manicures will recommend that if you really love doing manicures, leave at least a window of 1-2 weeks. Don’t wear it too deep every time. Choose regular nail polish. The damage to nails is not as great as that reported online. It depends on your own acceptance. Oh, by the way, there are many people who ask whether delaminated nails are caused by calcium deficiency. Most of them are really not. It means that you do not wipe your hands after washing the dishes, often come into contact with irritating things such as dish soap and laundry detergent, or you have to cut off your manicure and peel off the delaminated nails. When applying hand cream, you can also apply some finger edge oil on the edges of your nails. It will be fine after a couple of weeks.

There has been a long debate about the length of fingernails. Some health bloggers say that nails must be cut flush with the fingertips to be healthy, otherwise it is easy to harbor bacteria. There are also many handicraft practitioners and manicurists who think that leaving a 1-2mm free edge (that is, the little bit beyond the fingertips) can protect the fingertips, such as When I open express delivery or twist bottle caps, I don't rub the flesh of my fingertips. I keep my nails about 1mm long all year round, which makes it easier to do hand-painted manicures. As long as you wash your hands frequently and clean the gaps between your nails regularly, there is no problem of harboring bacteria. Again, the most important thing is to suit your own living habits.

Actually, nails are not as "sensitive" as everyone thinks, and any abnormality is not a sign of a serious illness. Pay more attention to not chewing your nails, cutting your nails too hard, and not polishing your nails too hard when doing manicures. Most problems will not come to you. If you encounter any uncertain changes, such as your nails suddenly turning black, thickening, or severe pain, it is much more reliable to go directly to a dermatology department than to scare yourself by searching online for a long time, right?