Why nails on hands and legs exfoliate and break?

If there are any pathological processes in the human body, or there is a shortage of certain substances, the hair and especially the nails react first to the problem. Their appearance deteriorates, defects visible to the eye appear. Most often, the nails exfoliate and break, and when such a symptom is found, it is impossible to stay idle: you need to look for the cause of the problem and fix it.

Why nails exfoliate and break, why?

Many factors affect the condition of the nails. When they begin to peel and break, you need to think about these reasons:

• frequent use of aggressive detergents, chemicals;
• features of work related to the constant presence of hands in conditions of high humidity (cleaners, dishwashers, etc.);
• violation of the technology of coating on the nail plate, the constant use of nail polish without the use of a base coat, the constant presence of nail polish;
• the use of incorrectly chosen manicure tools (in particular, a too coarse nail file);
• the presence of chronic diseases, metabolic disorders, vitamin deficiency, conditions accompanied by demineralization.

When the nails exfoliate after the varnish, you should think: Do you give them a break from covering at least a few days? Or is nail polish constantly present on the nail plates? Or do you apply varnishes without first applying a base coat? All of these factors can cause fragility and delamination. A manicure that has been done incorrectly, with glass and metal nail files, which are coarsely coated, leads to such a nuisance.

In recent years, many women are actively using shellac for nails: this coating is attractive, it is able to hold on much longer than regular varnish, thanks to which the hands become especially well-groomed.

However, it should be borne in mind that the nails are stratified after shellac, under shellac, much more often than when using conventional coating. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, before applying the gel varnish, the master removes the surface layer of the nail with a special nail file (this is necessary in order for the varnish to be kept stronger). As a result, the plate becomes thinner, and more actively begins to assume the chemical components of the coating. Under the heavy acrylic layer the nails stop “breathing”, optimal conditions are created for the reproduction of the infection in the depth of the tissues. Therefore, experts advise to periodically take breaks and give the nails the rest they need to restore.

If you do not abuse the application of various coatings, but your nails still exfoliate and break, the second logical question arises: what is missing if the nails are exfoliated? Most likely, the problem is associated with a lack of calcium and / or vitamin D (calcium is poorly absorbed without it). To remedy the situation, you must add to the diet foods rich in calcium, as well as more often to be in the fresh air. In winter, it is possible to purchase vitamin and mineral complexes in pharmacies, which must include not only calcium, but also vitamin D. Only in such a “tandem” will these substances benefit the exfoliating and brittle nails. Poor calcium absorption is the most common cause of this problem. Rarely, but also possible, when the nails exfoliate as a result of the lack of silicon, zinc, iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur.

Risk factors

Risk factors, when the nails can exfoliate and break, are internal and external.

External factors include:

• frequent changes in temperature and humidity;
• frequent contact with chemicals and water;
• the constant presence of varnish on the nails;
• bad habits (both smoking and nail biting);
• Manicure irregularities.

Internal factors include:

• regular tight diets, mono-diets, starvation;
• frequent stress, overwork;
• fungal diseases;
• hormonal changes, diseases of the endocrine system;
• diseases of the digestive tract, skin pathologies.

Any of the above reasons can lead to a violation of the trophism of the nail plate, as a result of which structural changes of the tissue occur.

[1], [2]

Pathogenesis

Why is brittleness and detachment of the nail?

In the anatomical sense, nails are skin appendages. They consist of the keratin protein substance and look like a horn plate, located on the back side of the final phalanx of the fingers. It should be noted that the keratin layer is not one: there are several of them, and they are firmly superimposed on each other.

Under the influence of any factor, be it a disease, the effect of aggressive substances, or a nail injury, tightly spaced layers diverge, and liquids, air, etc. Can easily get into the resulting defects. As a result, detachment occurs. Therefore, to prevent the condition in which the nails begin to exfoliate and break, it is necessary to ensure a tight connection between the keratin layers.

Nails are necessary for a person not only to ensure the full functionality of the fingers, but also to protect them. Plates grow continuously, but many factors influence the growth rate, as well as their quality, for example:

• human health in general;
• eating habits, lifestyle;
• the presence or absence of bad habits.

The state of the nail plates can vary even depending on the season. So, it is believed that in winter and spring the structure of the nail deteriorates, and in summer and autumn - is restored.

[3], [4], [5]

Statistics

According to statistics, every fifth inhabitant of our planet has any nail disease. In this case, brittleness and detachment of the nail can act as a basic primary pathology, or be a sign of the disease of other systems and individual organs.

As the nail plates can learn about the health of other internal organs: a similar method for more than one century practiced in some countries of Southeast Asia.

According to the same statistical information, nails exfoliate and break at least once in the life of every second person in the world. Therefore, this problem at all times was considered fairly common.

[6], [7]

Possible additional symptoms

Excessive dryness of the skin and nail plates due to impaired intake of vitamin and mineral substances, or exposure to chemicals and corrosive agents, can manifest as delamination and fragility, changes in the nail structure. If such symptoms occur due to any systemic diseases, then other pathological signs may appear.

• Thin nails exfoliate and break down with iron deficiency anemia, with psoriasis. The plates become thin, cloudy, may change shade (grayish or yellowish). In the absence of treatment, the changes are exacerbated. Common symptoms can also be general weakness, neurosis, irritability, apathy, and headaches.
• Nails on arms and legs are folded and broken with the general exhaustion of the body, with beriberi. This happens against the background of long-term inflammatory processes in the body, after prolonged antibiotic therapy, with poor and monotonous nutrition. Additional signs often become such: unhealthy complexion, digestive disorders (diarrhea or constipation), emaciation, general weakness.
• Nails strongly exfoliate and break when onychomycosis is a fungal infection. At the same time, other symptoms are often observed: the plate dims and deforms, an unpleasant odor, pain (especially if the toes are damaged) appears. You can clarify the diagnosis with the help of laboratory diagnostics.
• Hair falls out and badly exfoliates the nails not only with vitamin deficiencies, but also with abuse of personal hygiene rules: for example, frequent head and hand washing with the use of detergents based on antibacterial components can lead to disruption of the structure of both the hair and the nail plates. The condition is accompanied by increased dryness of the skin, sometimes - itching, peeling.
• The nails do not grow and exfoliate if there are diseases of the circulatory system in which the trophicity of the distal extremities is disturbed. Most often this is observed with venous insufficiency, with varicose veins, with vascular dystonia. Such diseases are often accompanied by recurrent pain in the limbs, night cramps, a feeling of “crawling”, numbness of the arms and / or legs.
• The nails turn yellow and exfoliate in case of liver diseases. Additional symptoms may be digestive disorders, instability of the stool, discoloration of feces, yellowing of the sclera, dry skin, thirst.
• The nails exfoliate at the base during onycholysis, a pathology that may have a different nature, including fungal. To make a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to pay attention to other symptoms: it is possible that there is a change in color, the appearance of an unpleasant odor, itching, burning sensation in the affected area.
• In children, most often exfoliate the tips of the nails. In most cases, this is caused by the banal bad habit of biting nails. Usually this happens at the moments of any life changes, stress, emotional overload, as well as during the period of sexual development.
• When the nails are peeled off, this may indicate sluggish or recently transmitted infections. In case of sluggish infectious processes, lethargy, general weakness, change in temperature, headache, dizziness, and loss of appetite can act as additional signs.
• Lay nails and flaky skin in violation of metabolic processes, in particular, diabetes. In order to dispel suspicions, it is necessary to pass a blood test for glucose content in it, and also to additionally check the level of thyroid hormones, which can also affect the state of skin appendages.

If nails are exfoliated all my life, which is not so rare, this indicates an abnormal course of trophic processes. Upon closer examination, you can notice the presence of bands and small grooves, thinness and softening of the plate, turbidity. The stratification at the same time happens longitudinal or cross. Such nails are easily injured, bend and break.

A child's nails break and peel off.

A cause for concern of parents may be a condition in which the nails of children exfoliate and break. By the way, this happens not so rarely, and there are also quite a lot of reasons for this:

• lack of vitamins and microelements, or a violation of their absorption (improper malnutrition, helminth infections, diseases of the digestive tract);
• injuries of the nails and fingers (often the child uses the nails "for other purposes", which leads to their damage and delamination);
• stressful conditions, neurosis, in which the baby begins to regularly bite his nails;
• metabolic disorders, anemia, calcium metabolism disorders;
• directly nail diseases (eg, fungal lesions).

Depending on the reason, in many cases, the child can cope with the brittleness of the child’s nails at home by connecting the intake of vitamin preparations, calcium and vitamin D ₃. But still you should first consult with a pediatrician and pass the necessary tests.

[8]

Overlapping nails during pregnancy

Changes in the body of pregnant women are closely associated with the emergence of a new life: the hormonal balance changes, and most of the nutrients are sent to build the fetus. In this period, the state of the skin, hair and nails changes in women. Moreover, in some future mothers, the quality of hair and nails is improved, while in others, on the contrary, it deteriorates. Of course, such changes are mostly temporary: the nails no longer exfoliate and break soon after the baby is born.

In the process of carrying a child, a woman should not take any medication without a doctor's recommendation. You can consult with him about taking any multivitamin complex permitted during pregnancy. It is advisable to regularly (even for prophylaxis) apply medicated oils on the cuticle and skin, as well as on the nail plate. Many people advise several times a day to treat nails with lemon juice and Aevit oil solution, which contains vitamins A and E. It is better to refuse to apply varnish and, moreover, gel coatings during pregnancy.

Classification: stages and types of disease

Doctors do not emit any specific stages of delamination and brittle nails, primarily due to the vagueness of the transitional stages. As a rule, the initial stage proceeds hidden, without manifestations visible to the eye. One can speak about the first symptoms when there is a dimming on the nails, spots and irregularities appear. When a fungal infection is present an unpleasant sensation of burning and itching.

If you ignore the moment when the first signs appear, then the invisible stratification becomes obvious: voids appear between the nail layers, into which air gets, dirt, water, etc. Other symptoms are possible: surface roughness of the plate, increased fragility, thinning.

The condition in which the nails exfoliate and break, refers to dystrophic changes: it is characterized by exhaustion and separation of the nail plate into separate layers. This pathology is most often classified as onychodystrophy.

Dermatologists distinguish stratification longitudinal (onihorexis) and transverse (onihochisis). If the nail plate is completely separated from the bed, they talk about the development of full or partial onycholysis.

Nails that exfoliate and break may be an independent pathological condition, or be part of the clinical picture for skin and somatic diseases.

[9]

Diagnostics

Diagnostic and therapeutic appointments are carried out by a doctor-dermatologist. The reason that the nails exfoliate and break can be found out already at the stage of conversation, examination and primary laboratory and instrumental research procedures.

During the interview, the doctor will ask if the patient has any diseases affecting the internal organs, as well as metabolic disorders. Separately, it is necessary to find out the features of the professional activity of the patient, to assess the likelihood of intoxication.

Inspection applies not only to those nails that exfoliate and break, but also to healthy nail plates, both on the hands and on the legs.

Be sure to give up tests: urine, blood, feces. It is possible to take material for bakposev (with suspected infectious disease), the study of hormonal balance, determination of blood sugar levels, assessment of the content of vitamins and trace elements in the body. If fragility and separation of nails presumably binds to somatic pathologies, then instrumental diagnostics are additionally performed:

• ultrasound of the internal organs;
• electrocardiography, ultrasound of the heart;
• Ultrasound of the thyroid gland;
• gastroduodenoscopy.

It may be necessary to consult such medical specialists as a cardiologist, phlebologist, endocrinologist, neuropathologist, and gastroenterologist.

[10], [11]

Differential diagnostics

Differential diagnostics, in the first place, is carried out with dermatological and systemic diseases, with disorders of metabolic processes, beriberi, infectious lesions. If the nails exfoliate and break, it is also necessary to exclude such diseases as psoriasis, trachyonium, candidiasis of the nails and nail rollers, lichen planus.

[12], [13], [14], [15], [16]

Consequences and complications

When the separation and brittle nails can be a variety of consequences, depending on the original cause of the violation. For example, if the underlying cause is an infectious disease, the complications can affect the whole body, up to the development of sepsis.

In addition, the broken structure, shape and appearance of the plates is perceived as a pronounced cosmetic defect. As a result of this problem, a person has strong psycho-emotional anxiety, neurosis, and even depression, which greatly affects the quality of life and health of the nervous system. Especially often women with such psycho-emotional disorders suffer.

Stratification leads to thinning and brittleness of the plate: cavities, cracks, chips can occur. In advanced cases, removal of the damaged nail is required.

[17], [18], [19]

Prevention

It is better to prevent the problem than to think later about how to solve it. So that the nails do not exfoliate and break, you only need to listen to six tips from experts:

1. Try to do a manicure with proven masters, not too often and not too rarely: optimally once in 10-14 days. In this case, apply a lacquer coating is not necessary - the nails from time to time to give rest. The main thing is to keep your hands well-groomed and healthy.
2. Do not use coarse nail files with large spraying, as well as blunt scissors - these tools most often become the main "culprits" that exfoliate and break nails.
3. Periodically should be applied to the nail plate nourishing masks, oils, or special fortifying and fortified coatings.
4. Eat well, avoid long-term hard diets: foods should be ingested with all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
5. Give up bad habits: do not smoke, do not abuse alcohol, do not bite your nails. Follow the rules of hygiene, be active, walk more in the fresh air.
6. When using chemicals and detergents, be sure to wear protective gloves during hand washing and washing dishes.

If you follow all the recommendations, your nails will never break and peel off: the problem will bypass you.

Forecast

All procedures and drugs prescribed by the doctor should be applied until the problem is completely eliminated. After some time, the under-treated nails will be exfoliated again, and the disease will again be felt.

Adequate treatment with the obligatory consideration of the root causes of the fact that the nails exfoliate and break, allows us to give a favorable prognosis. As it grows, the healthy nail plate is restored, no subsequent delamination occurs. In the absence of such treatment, the problem can be aggravated: the detachment affects a large area of the plate, inflammatory foci appear, the nail is deformed. The likelihood of spreading infection increases. For a more accurate prognosis, you should contact your doctor individually.

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