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DrRich replies:
Trudy1978,
Ridges that run the length of
the fingernail are normal, but become much more evident as one ages. (I
hesitate to say this because 32 years old is so young these days. Yet, the
ridges do tend to become more evident after age 30).
Horizontal depressions in the fingernails are called Beau's lines. Beau's
lines (if that's what you have) are caused by acute illnesses, usually
illnesses accompanied by fever. Back in the days when I went to
medical school (back when performing physical examinations was still in
vogue), we were taught that finding Beau's lines could help you judge how
accurate the patient was in relating his or her medical history. (If a
patient denied recent illness but had Beau's lines, the grizzled professor
said, that patient was perforce a "bad historian." Since then, I
once noticed Beau's lines on myself, and didn't remember being sick. So
now I'm not sure the old coot was completely accurate.) In any case, as
the nail grows Beau's lines gradually progress up the length of the nail
and are eventually trimmed off.
Some nail findings (clubbing, spoon nails, pitting, onycholysis - none of
which you describe) can indicate a body-wide disease process. But the
ridges and horizontal dops you describe do not.
Nails that chip and break easily usually have no specific medical cause,
and while some individuals (usually individuals who have some sort of
supplement to sell) like to blame chipped nails on a nutritional
deficiency, medical science has not made that correlation. Admittedly,
however, research on chipped nails has not been a high national priority.
The fact that fingernails are exposed to a lot of water, soap and
chemicals (more so than toenails, for instance) probably accounts for why
they tend to break, chip and split more than toenails.
The doctors who best deal with nail problems are dermatologists (since
nails are made up of, basically, dead skin.) You may want to consult with
one if the chipping and breaking have become a real problem.
Best of luck.
DrRich
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