How are ridges in nails treated?
First, see a healthcare provider to find out the underlying cause. Treating the cause can usually improve the look of your nails and allow healthy nails to grow in.
For instance, medication for thyroid disease often improves or resolves related nail problems. Taking iron or zinc supplements — with your provider’s guidance — may help if you have a deficiency. However, it takes several months for your nails to grow out and it takes time to see a change in your nails.
If you have Beau’s lines from a previous illness, the lines should gradually grow out. But if you keep getting new Beau’s lines, tell your provider. Repeated Beau’s lines could be a sign that you have a condition that keeps interrupting your nail growth.
What can I do at home to treat ridges in nails?
If your provider has ruled out any health conditions, you can treat nail ridges with home care. The ridges may not go away completely, but you can improve the appearance of your nails if you:
- Apply moisturizer to your nails and cuticles daily to relieve dry skin or eczema. At bedtime, apply a skin cream to your hands and put on thin cotton gloves for sleeping. You can also apply a cream to your feet and wear cotton socks. If you have diabetes or neuropathy, talk to your healthcare provider about foot care.
- Ask your provider about taking biotin supplements, which could help with nail growth.
- Don’t bite your fingernails or cut your cuticles.
- Take breaks from getting gel manicures or using artificial nails or acrylics. Using these treatments continually can weaken your nails or dry them out.
- Trim your fingernails with a curved shape and your toenails straight across.
- Use a nail buffer to gently smooth the surface of your nails.
- Wear gloves that protect your hands when working with chemicals like household cleaners.
How can nail ridges be prevented?
There’s no guaranteed way to prevent nail ridges. But seeing your provider as recommended can help. Tell your provider about any health changes, including changes to your nails. If you develop nail ridges, your provider can work with you to treat the underlying cause.
FAQs
Ridges in the fingernails are usually signs of aging. Slight vertical ridges commonly develop in older adults. In some cases, ridges may be a sign of health problems like vitamin deficiencies or diabetes. Deep horizontal ridges, called Beau's lines, may indicate a serious condition.
What deficiency causes horizontal ridges in nails? ›
What deficiency causes ridges in nails? Vitamin deficiencies , such as iron, folic acid, or protein deficiency, can contribute to ridges in nails. A deficiency in vitamins A, B, C, D, E, zinc, and selenium may also present as brittle nails.
How do you stop horizontal ridges in your nails? ›
The ridges may not go away completely, but you can improve the appearance of your nails if you:
- Apply moisturizer to your nails and cuticles daily to relieve dry skin or eczema. ...
- Ask your provider about taking biotin supplements, which could help with nail growth.
- Don't bite your fingernails or cut your cuticles.
RA doesn't just attack your joints and cause pain, swelling, and stiffness throughout the body—it can also lead to certain nail changes like yellowing, ridging, curving, and hemorrhages that appear as red spots.
When should I worry about nail ridges? ›
With age, vertical nail ridges may become more numerous or prominent because of changes in cell turnover within the nail. If your fingernails change color or you develop horizontal nail ridges, consult your health care provider. These changes could indicate an underlying health condition.
What do B12 deficiency nails look like? ›
Nail changes in vitamin B12 deficiency present as hyperpigmentation of nails like bluish discoloration of nails, blue-black pigmentation with dark longitudinal streaks, and longitudinal and reticulate darkened streaks. The nail pigmentation associated with B12 deficiency is more frequent in patients with dark skin.
Why do I have vertical and horizontal lines on my nails? ›
Ridges in the fingernails are usually signs of aging. Slight vertical ridges commonly develop in older adults. In some cases, ridges may be a sign of health problems like vitamin deficiencies or diabetes. Deep horizontal ridges, called Beau's lines, may indicate a serious condition.
What illness causes Beau's Lines? ›
Beau's lines may be caused by:
- Infections.
- Diabetes that is not well controlled.
- Conditions in which narrowed blood vessels lower blood flow to the arms and legs. ...
- Illnesses that include a high fever, such as scarlet fever, measles, mumps and pneumonia.
- Not getting enough zinc.
Changes in nail shape and texture
Iron deficiency or overproduction may cause the nail bed's center to look like it had been scooped out, a condition known as spoon nails. Cardiovascular, pulmonary and gastrointestinal problems may also appear in the nails as curves around an enlarged fingertip, known as clubbing.
What do liver failure nails look like? ›
Terry's nails is a type of nail discoloration. The nailbeds look “washed out,” except for a thin reddish-brown strip near the tip. Often, Terry's nails is a symptom of a chronic condition, such as liver failure or diabetes.
Nail changes
These are most common in people who have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Some people develop a nail infection, which can cause splitting or crumbling nails and discoloration (A), or swollen skin and discoloration around the nails (B). Sometimes, visible blood vessels appear around the nails.
Which illness is associated with ridges in nails? ›
Hypothyroidism slows down your metabolism. This can cause dry, brittle, and ridged nails. Liver disease and chronic kidney disease can also cause onychorrhexis.
Can thyroid problems cause ridges in nails? ›
Horizontal ridges run from side to side on your nails and are often referred to as Beau's lines. Horizontal ridges can be caused by trauma to the nail and may be deep or discolored. The can also indicate malnutrition, psoriasis or a thyroid problem.
What do horizontal ridges on your nails mean? ›
Beau's lines are horizontal ridges or dents in one or more of your fingernails or toenails. They're a sign that an illness, injury or skin condition interrupted your nail growth. Treating the underlying cause will allow new, smooth nails to grow again.
What do kidney disease nails look like? ›
White streaking. People diagnosed with chronic kidney disease may notice white streaking or pale horizontal bands forming along the nail. This condition is known as Muehrcke's nail or Muehrcke's line, referring to Robert Muehrcke, a physician who first described this condition.
What are mees lines? ›
Mees' lines are white lines or bands that appear on the fingernails or toenails. They can be a symptom of a serious underlying health condition, such as arsenic poisoning or kidney failure. Mees' lines may be confused with injury to the nail or Muehrcke lines.
What does zinc deficiency look like in your fingernails? ›
Zinc is an essential mineral for cell multiplication and protein absorption, functions that are important for thick, lustrous hair. White spots on the nails - sometimes called Beau's lines - are one of the important signs of a zinc deficiency. Nails can grow slowly, become brittle and break easily.
What do protein deficiency nails look like? ›
Brittle nails and hangnails could indicate a protein deficiency.
What do iron deficiency nails look like? ›
Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia.
