Nail Disorders

A very common nail disorder is nail discoloration. This can be caused by many different factors like poor blood circulation, a heart condition or from various types of medications. Nail discoloration that is yellow can be the result of keratin build up under the nails. There are medications that help with the latter disorder that will dissolve the keratin and revitalize your toe nails. If other heath problems are causing the discoloration, after speaking with your physician for suggestions for the discoloring, you can use nail polish or artificial nails to cover the discoloration. Another disorder is called eggshell nails. With this disorder the nails are very fragile and thin, when they grow out past your finger they curve over the tip of your nail. This nail disorder can be caused from diet, different medications, or a nervous disorder. The only thing to do is to keep your nails cut short. Long ridges that run either up and down or across your nail is a nail disorder that can be caused from a deficiency in zinc, psoriasis, poor blood circulation, or possibly frostbite. These ridges can become deeper over time. You can gently buff the ridges and use filler to help with this disorder. Hangnails are a bothersome nail disorder. Hangnails are caused from dry cuticles or injury. This can be prevented by using cuticle cream to keep the cuticle from drying and by wearing gloves when working in the yard. And do not bite your nails. Onychauxis is a nail disorder that many people deal with from day to day. This disorder is when the nails become thick and is usually associated with hereditary, a chemical imbalance or even an infection. You can file and buff your nails to help improve the look of your nails. Ingrown toenails can be a painful nail disorder. This happens when the nail pierces the skin, sometimes breaking the skin and causing an infection to set in. The best way to prevent ingrown toenails is to always cut your nails straight across and never cut inward at the edges of the nail. Also wearing shoes that push the nail into the toe is definitely a habit to avoid. This will cause the nail to grow into the skin causing you to experience ingrown toenails. Another nail disorder is when the cuticle grows over the nail; it can in fact grow to the edge. You should always push the cuticle back with a cuticle tool and use cuticle oil to keep your cuticle from becoming dry and brittle. Biting your nails is also a nail disorder; you can damage the cuticle or cause infection. Your nails can become deformed from biting your nails. So quit, there are products you can buy that will help you quit biting your nails.