Nail health knowledge

You usually rely on the number of crescents and vertical nail lines to judge "poor liver" or "qi and blood deficiency", 90% of which are caused by scaring yourself - less than 10% of the changes in the appearance of the nails are related to systemic health problems, and the rest are mostly caused by local irritation of the nails or diseases of the nails themselves.

Let’s talk about the crescent moon that everyone asks about most. Not long ago, I accompanied my best friend to the dermatology department. She suddenly discovered that she only had a crescent moon on her thumb. She posted a short video saying that it was a "big loss of energy and blood". She was so frightened that she drank astragalus water at home for half a month. She also went to have a full set of liver and kidney function tests, and found that there was no problem. The explanation given by the doctor is that the essence of the lunula is the "nail matrix" in the growth area of ​​the nail. Some people are born with the nail matrix at the back, and the exposed crescent is small or even invisible. As long as it does not suddenly disappear from existence in a short period of time, or all the crescents on ten fingers suddenly appear at once, there is no need to worry about it. Of course, some schools of traditional Chinese medicine believe that short-term changes in the number of crescents can indeed reflect metabolic fluctuations. For example, after staying up for more than half a month or recovering from a serious illness, the crescents may shrink, and they can be restored after adjusting your work and rest. This fact is not inconsistent with the conclusions of modern medicine. The core is "short-term dynamic changes" that need to be paid attention to. There is really no need to drink tonic soup for those who are born with fewer crescents.

Let’s talk about what is being said all over the street, “Vertical lines on nails are liver poison.” I have quite a few of them on my hands myself. When I was getting a manicure two years ago, I was tricked by a manicurist into buying more than 300 pieces of “liver-protecting hand essential oil,” saying that applying it would eliminate vertical lines. But after applying half a bottle of it, it was of no use. Later, I asked a dermatologist I knew well. , people say this thing is called the longitudinal nail ridge. To put it bluntly, it is the "wrinkles" of the nails. Most of them will grow when you get older. There are also things like chewing your nails, polishing the nail surface too hard when doing manicures, washing pots and dishes without wearing gloves and touching the dishwashing liquid. If you scratch the nail surface too hard, it has nothing to do with the liver.

Of course, I’m not saying that you don’t need to worry about all nail changes. There are indeed several situations where you must go to the hospital in time. My cousin's nails had been yellow and thick for most of last year. At first, she thought it was onychomycosis. She bought medicine at the drugstore and applied it for half a year, but it didn't heal. After going to the hospital for a checkup, she found out that it was nail psoriasis. After two months of symptomatic treatment, she was almost healed. There is also the black line on the nail that everyone is most afraid of. Most of them are benign onychomycosis, just like moles on the skin. But if one day you find that this black line suddenly widens, exceeds 3 mm, has blurry edges and corners, and even the skin around the nail turns black, then don’t hesitate and go to a dermatology department for pathology to rule out the risk of melanoma. Don’t be afraid of anything.

As for many people asking whether taking biotin and collagen can improve nails, I have tried it myself for two months. To be honest, for someone like me who eats meat and vegetables every day, I really don’t feel much. However, I used to have a vegetarian friend who dieted for a long time to lose weight. Her nails were so thin that they broke when she broke them. The doctor asked her to take biotin supplements for three months, and she did improve a lot. To put it bluntly, if you eat a balanced and nutritious diet, you will pay an IQ tax if you eat these. If your intake is really insufficient for a long time, it will only be useful if you supplement the deficiency. Don't listen to the nonsense of the businessmen who say it will work for everyone.

I have been doing manicures for almost six years, and I have encountered too many pitfalls. I would like to give you a real warning: Don’t let someone cut off the thin layer of skin at the base of your nails (that is, the nail epithelium) every time you do a manicure. That thing is to protect the matrix of the nail. If you cut it too much, it will easily lead to infection, and it may also cause your nails to grow crookedly.； To remove nails, you can either go to a regular store and use nail polish remover kits. Don’t peel it off yourself. I had to peel it off once before in a hurry. The nail surface was so thin that it hurt when I touched hot water. It took almost two months to heal. ； It is best to wear nitrile gloves when washing things, and avoid using alkaline products such as dish soap and disinfectant. It will protect your nails better than any supplements you take.

In fact, to put it bluntly, your nails are a small barometer that reflects your recent life status. Most of the time, there are small changes, either because you have been tossing them recently, or because you stayed up too late or failed to keep up with your meals. If the abnormality persists for two or three months, call the dermatology department first. Don’t blindly sign up for a short video. Spending money is a trivial matter, and it is not worth it to scare you~