Nail Health Barometer

Nails are indeed "external displays" that can quickly reflect the health status of the whole body. However, most of the claims online that "nails correspond to visceral lesions" are exaggerations - most minor abnormalities are caused by local stimulation or physiological fluctuations. Only nail changes that persist and are accompanied by general discomfort need to be alert to disease signals.

A while ago, my cousin came to me anxiously, holding up her hands and saying that she had liver problems, and her fingernails were full of vertical lines. She posted a short video saying that this was a sign of "liver poison accumulation", and listed a bunch of pre-liver cancer symptoms for me. She was so scared that she went to the physical examination center for a full set of examinations overnight. After spending two thousand dollars to find out what the problem was, the dermatologist finally took a look and was happy: "You have been suffering from the pain of raising a baby recently, plus you wash clothes and wash dishes without wearing gloves every day, and the nail matrix is temporarily lacking in nutrients. If you go home and apply more hand cream around the nails, it will save you two days of staying up late." ”

To be honest, I worked as an assistant in a dermatology department for half a year, and I have seen too many examples of physiological fluctuations being regarded as serious illnesses. Let’s just talk about the white spots on nails that almost everyone has. The Internet insists that it is calcium and zinc deficiency, but in clinical practice, 80% of white spots are caused by minor trauma to the nails - maybe the fingertip was pinched by the door when opening the door last week, or maybe the nail root was knocked when unpacking the package. Nails that grow out after the nail epithelium is damaged will have small white spots. As the nails grow, they will be pushed to the fingertips and cut off. There is no need to do anything special. Of course, if there are a lot of white spots growing densely, or even the entire nail slowly turns white and turbid, then you should be alert to whether it is a fungal infection, or anemia or cirrhosis of the liver. It is more reliable to check the blood in time.

Regarding the lunula that everyone is most concerned about, in fact, the judgment logic of Chinese and Western medicine is really different: Western medicine clinically generally believes that the size and number of lunula are inherently different. It is essentially the nail matrix that is not completely keratinized. Some people are born with the nail matrix at the back, and the lunula is small or even invisible. As long as your own lunula does not suddenly disappear in a short period of time, or suddenly increases to account for more than 1/2 of the nail, you don’t need to worry about it at all. However, Chinese medicine often associates the crescent moon with the yang energy of the spleen and stomach. If you have not only shrunk the crescent moon recently, but also suffer from diarrhea, cold hands and feet, and stomach pain after eating something cold, it is probably due to a weak spleen and stomach due to a rough schedule recently. Adjusting your diet and sleep schedule is much more useful than taking a bunch of supplements. The two views do not conflict, but the dimensions of judgment are different.

Speaking of which, I have to mention the rumor that everyone is most worried about: "black lines on nails = melanoma". I've seen too many people who are so scared that they can't sleep because of a thin black line on their hands. In fact, 95% of black lines on nails are benign nevus. To put it bluntly, they are pigmented nevus that grow in the nails. As long as it is a thin line, uniform color, clear boundary, and has not changed for several years, you don't need to worry about it at all. Only those that suddenly widen in a short period of time, have different colors, blurred borders, and even the periungual skin turns black and ruptures, do you need to go for a dermoscopy. It costs more than ten yuan, which is better than scaring yourself from Baidu at home.

There is also the aunt who came to the doctor last time. All ten nails were as concave as small spoons. She painted onychomycosis at home for half a year, but it didn't work. When she came over, she got a blood test and found that she had severe iron deficiency anemia. After taking iron supplements for three months, her nails gradually grew flat. This is a typical reaction of systemic diseases on nails. It is usually accompanied by symptoms of dizziness, fatigue, and pale complexion. It is not just the change of nails.

I used to have my nails done for more than half a year in order to take pictures of manicure samples. There was never any window period in between. After I removed my nails, my nails were as thin as transparent paper and had several horizontal grooves. I was shocked at the time and thought I had some strange disease. Later, I stopped doing manicures. Every time I applied hand cream, I brought it to the nail circumference. I ate more high-protein foods such as fish, shrimp, and eggs. After two months, the new nails grew completely normal. Really, many times nail problems are not caused by the internal organs at all, but because you have done it too hard and did not give it time to rest. Sisters who like to do manicures are best to leave a half-month window between each manicure. Don't always use files to grind the nail surface, which is really too harmful to the nails.

In fact, to put it bluntly, nails are a barometer that looks at "changes" rather than "uniform standards" - don't use online templates to impose your own nails. Some people are born with many vertical lines, and some are born with no crescents. As long as your own nails stay in this state all year round, with no sudden changes and no uncomfortable symptoms, then you can eat and drink with ease. If you are really unsure, it is better to see a dermatologist for a check-up than to buy supplements at home and eat them randomly. Excessive supplements will put a burden on the liver and kidneys, don’t you think?