Brittle, Peeling and Ridged Nails

HEALTH · GLOBAL

Brittle, Peeling and Ridged Nails

What causes them, what helps, when it is medical and looking after nails

Nail problems are common, slow to change and frequently blamed on the wrong thing.

What actually causes brittleness

Repeated wetting and drying is the main one — washing up, cleaning, swimming — which makes the nail plate expand and contract until it splits. Harsh removers, acetone and aggressive filing add to it.

Age thins the nail plate, and cold weather and low humidity make it worse.

What helps

Gloves for washing up, cleaning and gardening, which is the single most effective change. Cuticle oil daily, which keeps the plate flexible rather than brittle. Keeping nails shorter while they recover.

File in one direction rather than sawing back and forth, and never file or shape nails when they are wet and soft.

Polish and treatments

A base coat protects against staining, and strengthening polishes containing formaldehyde can make nails harder and more brittle with prolonged use. Give nails breaks from gel and acrylic, where the damage is mostly in the removal.

Never peel polish off, which takes layers of the nail plate with it.

Supplements

Biotin has some evidence for brittle nails and takes months, and high doses interfere with several common blood tests. Correcting an iron deficiency helps where one exists, which is worth testing rather than assuming.

Removing polish

Acetone-free removers are gentler but slower; acetone is fast and drying, so follow either with oil. Soak rather than scrubbing, and never scrape polish off with another nail.

Have gel and acrylic removed professionally, since improper removal is where most nail damage happens.

Cuticles

Push back gently after a shower rather than cutting, since the cuticle is a seal against infection. Redness, swelling or pus around a nail needs treatment rather than tidying.

Hands generally

Hand cream after every wash and gloves for wet work protect nails as much as skin.

Nail health and general health

Nails reflect what was happening months ago, so a stressful period, illness or surgery shows as ridges or lines later. Those grow out.

Persistent changes alongside fatigue, hair loss or brittle skin are worth a blood test rather than a supplement bought on a guess.

Fungal infection

Thickened, crumbling, discoloured nails are usually fungal and need treatment that takes months. See a pharmacist or GP rather than covering it with polish.

Keep nails shorter while they recover, since length adds leverage and breakage.

When it is medical

Pitting, separation from the nail bed, thickening, colour changes, a dark streak under a nail or persistent swelling around it all warrant seeing a doctor.

Nails grow slowly, so allow six months to see change.

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