Nail Health Self-Assessment

Whether the abnormal nail changes are symmetrical on both sides, last for more than 3 months, and whether they are accompanied by periungual pain/redness and swelling/general discomfort. As long as you don't stick to these three items, more than 90% of them are caused by external stimulation or temporary minor problems. There is no need to blindly supplement vitamins, and there is no need to scare yourself into suspecting a serious illness.

A while ago, a young girl born in the 2000s at the studio came to me with her thumb raised, and there was a white spot the size of a millet grain on her finger. She cried and said that she had checked the popular science on the Internet and found that it was either zinc deficiency or a precursor to leukemia. She even took time off to prepare for a full-body examination. I took her hand, took a look at it, and asked her if she bumped the base of her thumb when moving the express delivery to the studio last week. She was stunned for a long time before she said oh, saying that the bump was so painful that she forgot about it for a long time. As a result, within two weeks, the white spots had grown along with the nails to the fingertips, and they fell off immediately when I cut the nails, without any problems.

Speaking of this, someone will definitely mention the controversy about white spots. Indeed, there are two opinions now: the older generation and many traditional medicine practitioners will link the white spots to the lack of trace elements. The mainstream view of modern dermatology is that 90% of single white spots are caused by minor trauma to the nail matrix, such as picking at the nails, bumping, or polishing the nails too hard. It has nothing to do with calcium and zinc deficiency. But it cannot be said that the former is completely wrong. If there are dense white spots appearing on ten fingers at the same time, and it is also accompanied by repeated oral ulcers, severe hair loss, and loss of appetite for meals, then you really need to consider whether there is a problem with your nutritional intake. Just go get a blood test instead of taking supplements blindly.

Another controversial point that has been quarreling for more than ten years is the crescent moon. My mother still says every day that I only have crescent moons on two thumbs because I have "deficiency of qi and blood" and urges me to eat red dates every day. I specifically asked a dermatologist I am familiar with before, and he said that the most annoying thing in clinical practice is that patients talk about the number of lunicles - the lunicle is the exposed part of the nail matrix. Some people are born with the nail matrix growing farther back, so they naturally have fewer teeth. Some people are born with the nail matrix growing farther forward, and it is normal to have all ten fingers. What you really need to be wary of is never the number of crescents, but the sudden changes in your own crescents: for example, there were only two crescents before, and suddenly big crescents appeared on all ten fingers, accompanied by palpitations, shaking hands, and frequent sweating. It is best to check the thyroid function. This is how my aunt was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism two years ago. ； If the crescent moon was quite big before and suddenly shrinks back to half of it and you still feel tired, you can also go for a routine physical examination to check for problems.

As for the vertical lines that many people are afraid of, I have been reading the rumor that "vertical lines on your nails mean your liver is bad" for almost ten years. To be honest, if you look at people over 30 years old, nine out of ten people will have vertical lines on their nails. This is the same as wrinkles on the face and graying of hair. It is the natural aging of the skin appendages and has nothing to do with liver disease. Of course, there are exceptions. If you have a black vertical line on one of your nails, which becomes wider and darker within half a year, and becomes darker and blurred at the border, then don’t hesitate to go to a dermatologist to check for the possibility of onychomycosis or malignant melanoma. This really cannot be postponed.

I have been doing manicures for five years, and I have encountered many pitfalls. I had solid color manicures for three consecutive months without leaving a window of time. After the manicure was removed, my nails were so soft that they could bend 90 degrees. My mother also said that I was calcium deficient, and supplementing with milk for half a month had no effect at all. Later, I learned that the main component of nails is keratin, which is not calcium at all. No matter how much calcium you supplement, it will not make your nails hard. Instead, most of the soft and thin nails are caused by external forces: frequent soaking in water, irritation with nail polish remover, and excessive polishing of the nail surface. I stopped manicure and applied nail polish for a month, and my nails immediately became hard again.

There are also many people who stare at the small pits on their nails and think that this is a precursor to psoriasis. In fact, there is no unified conclusion in the academic community on this point. Some doctors believe that multiple pits are a symptom of psoriatic nails, while others believe that many healthy people will develop several pits for no reason. I have two small pits on my index finger, which have been growing for almost three years. There are no red spots on my body, and the physical examination is all normal, so I don’t need to worry about them at all. Unless your nails are densely packed with pits like thimbles, and you also have unexplained red spots, peeling skin, and joint pain, it’s not too late to go to a dermatologist.

To put it bluntly, nails are a "barometer" that reflects changes in the body, but they are never an "accurate detector." Occasionally small changes are normal. If you are really unsure, just recall the three core standards mentioned at the beginning. If you really can't bear to get a dermatology number for ten yuan, it is much better than searching online for a long time and scaring yourself.