What do healthy nails look like and how is their appearance related to health?

Nails only look beautiful when they are healthy. This article will tell you about what healthy nails look like and how their appearance is related to health.

The appearance of the nail plates can tell about the state of health. If the nails are healthy, they are pale pink in color. Lunula is a white space at the bottom of the nail plate, which should be white. A healthy cuticle should not be damaged. Healthy nails grow well. The growth rate of the nail plates on the hands and feet is an individual indicator. For some people, marigolds grow rather quickly, while others constantly complain that it is quite difficult for them to grow long nails.

Healthy nails differ between young and mature people. So, in babies, the nail plates are quite thin. The softest marigolds in newborns. As the child grows up, the natural thickening of the nail plates also occurs. The toughest nails are in the elderly.

For a number of reasons, nails can change their appearance. So, if they have changed, then in this case, one should look for the reason why this happened. In some cases, it is quite difficult to determine. If you cannot independently identify the cause, then in this case you should contact a specialist. Sometimes the diagnostic search is so difficult that it can even take several weeks, while in some cases it is necessary to pass tests and undergo medical tests. Usually, such examinations are prescribed to find out the reasons for the discoloration of the nails due to the disrupted work of the internal organs of a person.

Healthy nails tend to have a uniform, pale pink color. If it changes, in this case, you should definitely think about whether everything is in order in the body. Drawing of nail plates is a very important indicator of health. Nails will tell you a lot about health. So, white stripes may appear on them, which look like short lines, usually located horizontally. This condition was found even in our ancestors, but they considered it not a pathological condition at all, but just a good omen. But modern doctors point out that this is an indicator that the body is not working in a physiological mode.

The reasons for the appearance of whitish stripes on the nails are different. So, if such white spots appeared on only one finger, then it is more likely that traumatic injury led to this. If several nails are affected at once, then in this case it is most likely to look for violations of mineral metabolism. In this case, you need to pay attention to nutrition. It should be balanced with the obligatory inclusion of sources of vitamins and minerals.

Such white lines also appear with heart failure. The disturbed work of the heart leads to the fact that the concentration of oxygen in the blood decreases, which leads to a violation of the nutrition of the nail plate.

The depth of such small "holes" can be different, as well as their number. In some cases, it may even seem that the nail was "pierced" with a needle. This clinical manifestation can be a sign of skin pathology - psoriasis. Many people think that this disease is characterized only by damage to the skin, but this is not entirely true, psoriatic nail damage is not so rare.

If a person has numerous indentations on the nails, then it is better for him to consult a doctor for diagnostics to exclude psoriasis. However, depressions on the nails can appear not only with psoriasis. This symptom may be a manifestation of arthritis or eczema. In any case, only an experienced dermatologist can determine the specific pathology that caused the development of such manifestations after a comprehensive examination of the whole organism.

Deep longitudinal grooves may also appear on the nails. They look as if the nail was pressed down by some heavy object. However, the reason for the development of such clinical signs lies elsewhere. So, prolonged fasting can lead to the appearance of deep grooves on the nail plates. This symptom can also appear in people who have adhered to unbalanced diets for a long time. It is worth noting that the reasons for the appearance of deep longitudinal furrows can also be found in "silent" diseases. Some pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, as well as the nervous system, can lead to the appearance of this symptom.

With age, the pattern of the nail changes. So, due to various changes in the functioning of the body in a mature person, vertical stripes appear on the nail plates. If this symptom occurs in people under 50, then this indicates that they need to undergo a comprehensive examination.

The reason for the appearance of vertical stripes on the nails may be a poor-quality manicure. So, if the lower part of the nail was touched during processing, in this case, such changes in the nail plate may subsequently appear. However, in this situation, as a rule, only a few longitudinal stripes appear.

This anatomical element is usually clearly visible. It has the shape of half a full moon. Lunula can also tell you about the health of the body. Each person has a different size for this part of the nail. On average, the lunula can be up to 1/3 of the entire nail plate, while it is perfectly visualized.

As a rule, lunulae are larger in people who are professionally involved in sports or work physically. However, doctors note that the size of the lunula can change with some heart pathologies, as well as with hypotension.

And also lunula can decrease with iron deficiency anemia, when the concentration of iron in the blood decreases.

Healthy nails are generally longitudinal. In some cases, they become spoon-shaped. In this case, the center of the nail bends inward, as it were, and the edges rise. Interestingly, these changes are not accompanied by the appearance of adverse symptoms. A person with such nails does not have pain. And also at the same time, the nail plates have, as a rule, a shiny appearance. This condition is called koilonychia.

You can suspect it yourself. To do this, drop a small drop of water on the nail. If at the same time the water calmly rolls off the nail plate, then in this case there is nothing to worry about. If the water drop seems to "get stuck" on the nail, then this, most likely, indicates the presence of koilonychia. This condition may be a sign of problems with the endocrine system. And also koilonychia can be provoked by anemia, which is accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of iron in the bloodstream.

Spoon-shaped nails can also be a hereditary trait. So, if a child has such nail plates from birth, and one of his parents also has spoon-shaped nails, then you should not worry. This does not mean at all that the baby has any diseases. This is just an individual characteristic of the child.

In some cases, the nails can take the form of "watch glasses". In this case, they begin to get thicker. If you look at the nail plates from the side, you can see that they resemble watch glass. Such a change in the shape of the nail plate can be a manifestation of various pathologies. Such changes often occur in various diseases of the respiratory system, accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the blood.

If the nails change their color, then this most likely indicates that various changes are taking place in the body. For example, yellowing of the nail plates is more likely to indicate problems in the functioning of the liver and gallbladder. Dyskinesia of the biliary tract, which is accompanied by stagnation of bile, can also lead to such specific changes.The nail plates can be affected by fungus. In this case, they can be yellow or in some cases even purple in color. With a fungal infection, the nail plates begin to crumble strongly.

A black streak may suddenly appear on your nails. Trauma can lead to the appearance of such a clinical sign. So, a dark strip may appear on the nail after pinching it, for example, by a door or cabinet door. If there was no factor preceding the appearance of a dark strip on the nail, in this case, you should definitely consult a doctor.

The appearance of nails depends on many factors. Proper nutrition is of the utmost importance in maintaining and maintaining healthy nails. In order for the nail plates to grow faster, foods containing calcium must be present in the diet. A lot of this mineral is found in fermented milk products. People who want to strengthen their nails should definitely include cottage cheese, kefir and other foods containing calcium in their diet.

Nail care should be comprehensive. So, for the treatment of nail plates in order to improve their appearance, you can use various cosmetic products. For example, you can improve the color of the nail plates and reduce their fragility by using cosmetic nail polishes. Such products, for example, are produced by Phytocosmetic, Eveline Nail Therapy Professional and many others.

Doctors recommend people who closely monitor their health to monitor the condition of their nails. To keep your nails healthy and beautiful, you should pay attention to the following recommendations:

• regularly carry out hygienic care of hands and feet; manicure and pedicure should be done only by an experienced master;
• with increased dryness of the cuticle, it is necessary to use cosmetic products; you can moisturize and nourish this delicate part of the nail with moisturizing creams and oils;
• clean the house and wash the dishes with gloves; do not forget also about gloves before going outside in the cold season, as well as in windy weather;
• shoes should be comfortable; it is better that it is made from natural materials;
• to prevent the development of vitamin disorders, take vitamin preparations;
• food should be varied and balanced; fresh fruits, vegetables and berries must be present in it, because the vitamins and minerals contained in them not only improve the functioning of the body, but also make the nails healthier and shinier.

For more information on nail health, see the video below.