Nail health

It is uniformly light pink, has a natural matte luster, and the nail surface is smooth without sudden deep lines or dark spots. The blood color will be restored within 1-2 seconds after pressing the fingertips and released. Normally, there will be no frequent delamination or breakage, which means it is in a healthy state. As for the rumors on the Internet that "less than 8 crescents mean kidney deficiency" and "vertical lines mean liver failure", 90% of them are rumors.

A while ago, I had dinner with Fa Xiao, who owns a nail salon. She complained that she met three little girls this week. When she sat down, she stretched out her crescents first. After counting less than five, she cried sadly and said that she was weak and needed to apply for a card to do some "armor-protection and nourishing energy and blood project". She couldn't laugh or cry. There are actually two schools of thought about the crescent moon. In the traditional Chinese medicine system, it is generally believed that the half-moon mark is an external manifestation of qi and blood. A sudden decrease or fading of the crescent moon in a short period of time is often accompanied by disordered work and rest, and insufficient qi and blood. If it suddenly becomes larger and has blurred edges, it may also be a sign of an abnormality in the thyroid gland. ； But the point of view of Western medicine is more direct. The essence of the lunula is the nail matrix that has not been completely keratinized. Some people are born with the nail matrix growing far back, and the part where the nails have grown out has been keratinized. Naturally, the lunula cannot be seen. As long as the number and size of the lunula does not fluctuate significantly within just one or two months, it is considered normal whether you have all 10 of them or only 2 thumbs.

Compared with the crescent moon, what people are more likely to worry about are the vertical lines on the nail surface. Many people touch the uneven vertical lines on their hands and check online all night long. The more they look at it, the more they feel that they are going to be seriously ill. In fact, if you randomly look at people over 30 years old around you, eight out of ten will have vertical lines. These are essentially like the fine lines on the face, and are a normal manifestation of the aging of the nail surface. If you use dishwashing detergent when doing housework every day, or stay up late for a week, the vertical lines will become more obvious. Usually, apply more hand cream and bring it around the nails, and eat some animal liver to supplement vitamin A, and they will gradually fade away. Of course, there are exceptions. If you find that the vertical lines on a certain nail are particularly dark, convex, or even gradually widening, then you should be alert to the possibility of onychomycosis and go to a dermatology department for a dermatoscope as soon as possible. Don’t delay.

Many people think that doing manicures is the main culprit of nail damage. I went to the dermatology department with a friend to see if the nails were thin and soft. The doctor said that in fact, regular nail polish does very little damage to the nail surface. 90% of manicure injuries are caused by: When applying nail polish, the surface of the nail is worn so thin that it hurts when touched. Either you change it every half a month without leaving a rest period for the nail, or you find it too troublesome to dig hard when removing the nail, tearing off the surface of the nail cuticle. Of course, over time, it will delaminate and break. I usually leave 1 millimeter of the roots unpainted when doing phototherapy manicures. There is at least a month and a half interval between two manicures. I remove my nails by applying a nail remover bag and gently pushing with a beech stick. After doing manicures for five or six years, the nail surface is still very hard. It does not have the legendary "thinner and thinner" effect at all.

And everyone has heard since childhood that "white spots on the nails mean there are roundworms in the stomach." My little nephew had two white spots on his nails last month. My mother insisted on giving him anti-worming medicine, and finally took him to the pediatrician. The doctor said that it depends on the situation: if the child usually likes to mess around and chews things, has white spots and often complains of stomachache and weight loss, then you can check for insect eggs.； But most of the white spots are caused by children who hit their nail roots while playing, or they are picky eaters and lack some zinc recently. There is no need to take medicine at all. The nails will grow out in two months.

After all, nails are actually a "reference item" that reflects the physical condition, not a "diagnosis". There is really no need to turn over and over again to find faults every day. Oh, by the way, there is also the problem of hangnails. Don’t believe in vitamin deficiency anymore. It’s just that you forgot to apply hand cream in autumn and winter. The skin around your nails is too dry and it becomes warped. Don’t pull it hard when you tear it off. Last month, my colleague ripped off the hangnails and the whole finger was swollen for three days. In the end, I went to the hospital to prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs and was scolded by the doctor. It was completely unnecessary. If you really find that your nails suddenly turn black, become concave, and cause severe pain, it is much better to call a dermatologist directly than to scare yourself by looking at online posts.