Nail Abnormalities

How to Read Fingernails for Vitamin Deficiencies

Like many parts of the body, nails indicate when there might be a health concern. Nails evidence injuries, diseases, infections and poisons through changes in shape, color, texture and thickness. Beau's lines, Mee's lines and Terry's nails...

Peeling Fingernails: Home Remedy

Nails that are compromised due to disease, your beauty routine or just the way you wash your dishes can become soft, brittle and peel away easily. Peeling fingernails cannot protect your fingers as they ought to, increasing your risk for...

Healthy Diet for Nails

A healthy diet supports strong, healthy nails. Injury and trauma can cause nail disorders and abnormalities, but nutrient deficiencies can also damage nails. The healthiest diet for nails adheres to federal dietary guidelines and includes a...

Do Vitamin Deficiencies Cause Fingernail Ridges?

Fingernails can indicate health problems by their appearance. Nail abnormalities often involve shape, texture, color and thickness of the nails. Depression lines in fingernails, also known as beau lines, occur due to malnutrition or an injury to...

How to Fix Dry Nails

Dry nails break, rip and tear at the most importune of moments. It's important to take care of them as soon as possible. Proper nail care and proper diet all play a role in the health of your nails, so be mindful of your lifestyle as you approach...

White Lines in the Nails

Doctors often examine the nails when diagnosing patients. The presence of certain nail conditions, such as white lines in the nails, can give doctors an idea of what may be happening inside the body. Nail abnormalities may also indicate the...

How to Restore a Damaged Toenail Bed

An injured toenail bed can cause serious problems. For instance, you're at a greater risk for infection and the nail might fall off. Even worse, if the damage to the toenail bed is severe, the nail may never grow back. If you have merely injured...

How to Treat Damaged Nails

You can treat most problems leading to damaged nails at home in just a few steps. However, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends talking to your doctor if you experience certain symptoms. They can indicate a more serious problem,...

How to Cure Brittle Nails

Brittle nails break, crumble and peel easily, leaving your finger and toes less protected and, therefore, more susceptible to infection. The medical term that includes brittle nails is onychoschizia. Women are more likely to experience brittle...

Home Remedies for Cutting Thick Toenails

Your toenails are a form of protection for your toes to which you normally don't give much thought. Toenails and fingernails are usually a uniform thickness that can vary from person to person. Thickened toenails are not uncommon, but can pose a...

How to Fix Damaged Nails

Damaged nails are usually the cause of harsh treatment. Whether you've used your nails to pick at something hard, worn acrylic nails for too long and weakened them, or simply ignore nail care, you can end up with cracked, peeling nails that are...

Iron Deficiency & Nail Changes

Iron is one of the essential nutrients the body needs to function normally. The body uses iron to transport oxygen throughout the body, including to tissues and muscles, and to maintain cell growth and behavior. Iron deficiency deprives the cells...

How to Fix Weak Finger Nails

Weak fingernails are prone to breakage, which increases your odds of developing a nail infection. In most cases, weak nails are a result of overexposure to water or chemicals, but your nails may also become weaker as a result of the natural aging...

How to Eat for Strong Nails

Strong, healthy fingernails are an important fashion accessory for many women. Brittle, dry, cracked nails are unattractive and can make everyday activities such as typing more challenging. Healthy nails should be smooth and consistent in color,...

Help for Thin, Brittle Nails After Artificial Nails

After you have removed your artificial nails, your nails may be thin and brittle. If you decide to not put a new set of acrylics on the nails, you will want to take steps to improve their appearance. The nails become damaged due to the adhesive...

Symptoms of Malnutrition in the Fingernails

Your fingernails can be a greater indication of your overall health than you may think. Although they serve a cosmetic function for most, nails are a living part of your body and if you're not healthy, your nails won't be either. Changes in the...

Why Are My Nails Brittle?

Your fingernails can tell you a lot about your overall health. Problems and abnormalities with your nails, such as discoloration and brittleness, can be a sign of an underlying medical condition or health issue. If you have problems with your...

Nail Care for Dry, Brittle Nails

Dry, brittle nails crack, split and break off at the tips. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that brittle nails are often the natural result of aging. Thyroid problems and other diseases can also lead to brittle nails, so see your...

How to Care for the Skin Once a Nail Falls Off

Repeated fungal infections of your nails or ingrown nails can require removal of the nail as a last resort of treatment. Also, crushing your nail can cause it to fall off, and some diseases, such as kidney, thyroid and liver disease, can cause you...

What Are Very Brittle Fingernails a Sign Of?

Fingernails protect the tissue underneath them, and are composed of a layer of hard cells. Nails and hair primarily consist of the protein keratin. Fingernails originate as living cells under the cuticle at the base of the nail bed, and they...

Fingernail Growth

Nails are an important component of finger structure, and fingernails are necessary for finger support, picking up objects and guarding the ends of fingers against injury. Nail appearance is a sign of health, and extremely short nails or those...

Nail Bed Disorders

Fingernails and toenails are composed of translucent keratin proteins and various sulfur-containing fibrous proteins, which also form the chemical basis of hair and skin. Healthy nails are consistent in shape and uniform in color. Abnormal color,...

White Brittle Nails

The appearance of nails can change because of normal events such as aging; however, MedlinePlus notes that abnormal conditions of the nails include changes in color, texture, shape or thickness caused by injury, infection, disease or poisoning....

How to Repair Brittle Nails

Though brittle nails are a common occurrence with age, sometimes there are other factors involved. Certain medical conditions such as kidney and liver disease, cold dry weather, and repeated moisture and dryness can all cause your once healthy...

Reasons for White Lines on the Nails

Your body can undergo a variety of symptoms when it's trying to tell you that something is wrong. White lines on the fingernails, fingernail discoloration or texture changes in the fingernail all point to more serious conditions. In some cases,...

How to Get Stronger Finger Nails

Your fingernails are exposed to a great deal of daily wear and tear. This constant abuse can damage your nails and lead to breakage or splitting. This problem is even worse if you have weak nails due to genetics. Follow these steps to strengthen...

How to Get Rid of Yellow Nails

Several factors that can cause your nails to take on a yellowish tinge. In some cases, that yellow glow is the sign of a serious health problem or fungal infection, so if your nails have suddenly taken on a yellowish hue, check with your doctor to...

Cures for a Hangnail

Hangnails occur when a sliver of skin splits off from a fingernail. This often causes pain, especially when the hangnail catches onto an object. Hangnails usually occur as a result of nail biting or when the skin around the nail is dry. It is...

Nail Disorder Health Video (Video)

Nails disorders include ingrown toenails, fungi, etc. Get expert tips and advice on nail treatments in this video.