Brittle nails: causes, treatment, home remedies

Brittle nails
Beauty tips for beautiful nails

After brittle nails come beautiful nails – thanks to the right care.

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No more thin, soft and brittle nails – these simple tips will make your nails shine again.

Which woman does not know it, splintering, brittle fingernails? An annoying topic that some people demand a lot. It becomes especially painful when you get stuck on your own clothes and the nail tears or splinters.

Even if you actually want to hide your brittle fingernails now: You don’t have to, because these tips will help you overcome brittle nails – including optimal hand care.

Goodbye brittle nails: how to properly care for your nails

To give your nails the care they need, we recommend these tips. You can easily implement them so as not to suffer from thin and brittle nails in the first place, or use the tips sensibly if your nails are already brittle.

  • A balanced nutrition is probably the most important thing for strong nails. Nails are made of keratin that is absorbed through a balanced, protein-rich diet. The following foods could therefore be on your menu: tomatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkin seeds, eggs, fish, bananas, carrots, broccoli and meat.
  • If you suffer from a vitamin or mineral deficiency, the additional intake of Nutritional supplements such as Biotin, Zinc- and Iron tablets.
  • Nail care: Pay attention to a rich care by for example Agran oil. Aggressive biting off or tearing off the cuticle does not make unsightly nails any better, on the contrary. The best thing against brittle nails: use a nail file to trim the nails instead of one Nail scissors. A litter Glass- or Sand sheet file is particularly suitable for this.
  • Special paint: This nail polish contains silica and sulfur and supplies the nails with the necessary nutrients. The nail polish helps brittle nails, reduces the chipping of the nail, improves the appearance and promotes nail growth.
  • Waterproof and breathable Gloves prevent constant contact with water and thus avoid soft and brittle nails. However, should you come into contact with water and chemicals, you should use them with your hands moisturizing ointment apply lotion.
  • Healing earth helps against brittle nails, especially as a hand pack or bath.
  • After the bath, your hands are also happy about one nourishing cream.
  • Almond-, Apricot and olive oil are especially suitable for regular nail care because they strengthen the nail strength.
  • Silicea D 12 recommended against brittle nails from homeopathy.
  • Schuessler salts Numbers 3, 5, 8, or 10 can also help. Talk to an experienced naturopath about the selection and dosage in advance.

Brittle nails: what types of nails are broken?

You are not alone with this beauty problem, many people suffer from brittle nails from time to time. Depending on the type, experts differentiate between Onychoschisis and Onychorrhexis.

Onychoschisis is when the nail splinters horizontally and in layers from the edge. If the nails splinter lengthways, i.e. vertically, it is called onychorrhexis.

How are brittle nails created?

There are many causes of brittle, brittle nails. Possible triggers are:

  • Vitamin deficiency: If you have especially thin and brittle nails, a vitamin deficiency could be the main reason for this. Maybe you lack vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, biotin or folic acid? They cause dry and brittle nails. Otherwise, an overdose of vitamin A can make fingernails thin and brittle.
  • Mineral deficiency: Calcium or zinc deficiency can also be behind your brittle nails. If symptoms such as headache, tiredness, paleness, freezing, cracks in the corners of the mouth or ringing in the ears are added, an anemia due to iron deficiency may be present.
  • Chemicals: Frequent contact with detergent, detergent and soap products that contain chemicals are another possible cause of brittle fingernails. Frequent use of solvent based nail polish removers are also not good for the nails.
  • Artificial fingernails: The horny layer of your nails is additionally damaged by wearing artificial fingernails, which makes your real nails soft and thin. It is just as unpleasant that a small cavity is created between the artificial nail and your nail in which fungi and bacteria can nest.
  • Skin disorders: Diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, nail fungus or nodular lichen can be considered as triggers.
  • Thyroid disease: An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) or parathyroid gland (hypoparathyroidism) can also be a possible cause.
    If symptoms such as disheveled hair, rapid fatigue, changes in weight and blood pressure, rapid heartbeat and sweating are added, diseases of the endocrine system can be the cause.
  • Change of seasons: Warm heating air in connection with the cold air in winter dry out our nails, they become brittle and brittle. Nails cannot regulate their moisture content themselves; once they are brittle, they tear quickly and the nails break off.

When should you go to the doctor with brittle nails?

You have probably already asked yourself whether and when you should consult a doctor if you have brittle nails. In most cases, brittle nails are harmless. However, if you are unsure, you can always consult a dermatologist. If the nails have long become brittle, discolored or if the nail plate is even loosening from the nail bed, the opinion of a dermatologist is advisable. A Nail fungus or a skin or thyroid disorder could be the cause.

What can the doctor do about brittle nails?

In a detailed discussion, the doctor can first get an idea of ​​the patient, in which he asks the patient about his eating habits, possible contact with chemicals and other complaints.

Investigations

The doctor can use a blood count to diagnose whether the brittle nails are the result of a deficiency symptom. A measurement of the hormone levels in the blood as well as an ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland can be carried out in order to examine an underactive thyroid in detail. If, on the other hand, a nail fungus is suspected, the doctor takes a nail sample and examines it under the microscope.

treatment

If your brittle nails are due to an underlying disease, medical treatment will help you to make your nails strong and beautiful again. If it is an iron, calcium or zinc deficiency, you need certain preparations that counteract this. In the case of a skin disease such as nail fungus, special nail varnishes or ointments with fungicidal substances work. There is always a suitable treatment for every nail problem!

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