Signs of nail health

The core of healthy nails is the coordination of the nail surface, periungual and nail bed. To sum up, the three core characteristics are smooth and tough light pink, smooth nail edge without damage, and fast blood return after pressing. As for the amazing things spread on the Internet, "The more crescents, the healthier", "Vertical lines mean kidney deficiency" and "White spots mean calcium deficiency", most of them have no clear clinical basis, so don't scare yourself first.

I have been a manicurist for almost 8 years, and the most common problem I encounter is when customers reach out and point to the fine vertical lines on the nail surface and ask me if there is something wrong with my body. To be honest, the vertical lines on most people's hands are normal physiological phenomena - just like wrinkles on the face as people get older, nails are used more every day, and it is normal for the uniform and fine vertical lines to appear during the keratinization process of the nail surface. There is also a controversial point here: many health bloggers say that vertical lines are caused by lack of vitamins or poor liver function. In fact, the current mainstream view in dermatology is that as long as vertical lines do not suddenly become thicker, bulging, black lines appear, or the nail surface cracks, no special treatment is needed. Two years ago, a girl who was a junior in college came to me for a manicure. She said she was scared to death of having vertical lines on her hands. I saw her eyes were blue, and when I asked, I found out that she stayed up until three o'clock every day playing games. Later, she listened to my words and adjusted her schedule. She didn't even take vitamin supplements. When she came back three months later, most of the vertical lines had faded.

Let’s talk about the color of the nail bed, which is most easily overlooked by everyone. In a healthy state, it should be a uniform light pink. If your nails turn purple after being outside for half an hour in the winter, that’s normal. It’s totally fine if they change back when you get indoors and warm up. But if your nails have been white, bloodless, or purple and gray all year round, you can pay attention to whether there is anemia or peripheral circulation problems. I once had a customer whose nails were white all year round. I reminded her to check her blood routine. Later she told me that it was indeed iron deficiency anemia, and it took about half a year for her nails to slowly turn back to light pink. There is also a very simple way to judge: just press the nail surface with your finger, and if it returns to light pink in 1 to 2 seconds after releasing it, it means that the peripheral circulation is in good condition. If it is still white for three or four seconds, either you have worn too little cold clothes recently, or you can really take the time to go for a basic physical examination.

Many people only look at the nail surface when judging nail health. In fact, the condition of the periungual is also very important. A healthy perinail should be smooth, without redness, swelling, barbs, or small burrs. Oh, by the way, don’t believe that hangnails are caused by vitamin deficiency. 90% of the hangnails I’ve seen are caused by washing your hands too frequently, not applying hand cream, or often coming into contact with irritating things like dishwashing detergent and laundry detergent. Really don’t tear off the barbs. Last month, I met a boy who pulled out the barbs and got a periungual infection. His whole finger was swollen like a radish. When he came to borrow disinfectant from me, he gasped in pain. It could be solved by cutting off the root and applying some hand cream. Is he worthy of this crime?

Finally, let’s talk about the crescent moon question that almost everyone has asked. The older generation always said that the more crescent moons, the bigger and healthier they are. Nowadays, many people say that the crescent moons are a barometer of metabolism. In fact, both of these statements are a bit absolute. From a dermatological point of view, the lunula is the nail matrix that has not been completely keratinized. For some people, the nail matrix grows to the back, and the crescent moon will be hidden in the nail flesh and cannot be seen. For some people, the nail matrix is ​​born in the front, and it is normal to have lunula on all ten fingers. What you really need to pay attention to is not the number of crescents, but the changes: if you used to have crescents on all ten fingers, and suddenly only one or two are left in the past month or two, or the crescents suddenly become larger and wider, then it may be that there is a fluctuation in metabolism, and you need to check it out. My best friend was born with crescent moons on only two of her thumbs. She gets perfect scores every year on her physical exam and can run 800 meters faster than many boys. Her mother talks about her crescent moon every day, which makes her really feel unjust.

To be honest, after working in this industry for so long, the healthy nails I have seen are not as perfect as plastic sheets like those online. Occasionally, there are small fine lines and white spots accidentally knocked out. As long as they are not painful, itchy, deformed or discolored, it is not something to take too seriously. Rather than looking for problems on your nails every day, it is better to bite your nails less often, don't frequently do manicures that severely polish the nail surface, and remember to apply some hand cream to the perinails every time after washing your hands. This is more effective than any health care remedy.