Nail health

90% of abnormalities in nail appearance are related to local irritation, trauma, and fungal infection. Less than 10% of special changes will correspond to systemic health problems, and must be accompanied by other physical symptoms to be of reference significance. The accuracy of directly judging the health level by nail appearance alone is not as accurate as if you go to the drugstore and spend 5 yuan to measure your blood pressure.

Last week, my best friend insisted on going to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Nephrology Department with her nails full of vertical lines, saying that she must have kidney deficiency due to staying up late. However, the doctor took a quick look and asked her to go to the nail salon downstairs to remove the nail extensions that had been on for half a month. After the removal, the vertical lines were mostly faded. It was because the phototherapy nail polish had thinned the wear lines on the nail surface, which was an unexpected mistake.

Speaking of this, I have to mention Crescent Moon, which everyone has struggled with. The older generation always said that the crescent moon is a "circle of energy and blood" and that having ten fingers is considered good health. There is even a saying that people with fewer crescent moons are more likely to be weak and afraid of the cold. But if you ask a modern dermatologist, they will most likely tell you that this thing is the nail matrix that is not completely keratinized. To put it bluntly, it is the "growth reserve area" of the nail. Some people's nail matrix is ​​long back and the nail growth rate is slow. The crescent moon is naturally hidden under the nail root and cannot be seen. It has nothing to do with health at all. My mother has lived for more than 50 years, and she can only see a little crescent moon on her two thumbs. Her annual physical examination report is all excellent. My former colleague has full crescent moon on all ten fingers. Last month, she was hospitalized with acute gastritis after staying up late for three consecutive days. Of course, some practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine believe that the fullness of the crescent moon can indeed reflect the metabolic level to a certain extent. There is currently no conclusion on this matter. As long as your crescent moon does not suddenly become larger, smaller, or disappear in a short period of time, you don’t need to worry about it at all.

Some people panic when they see small white spots on their nails, saying that they are deficient in calcium, zinc, and vitamins. When I was a child, my mother said it was "roundworms in my stomach" and gave me anti-worming medicine for several days. In fact, 99% of white spots on nails are the sequelae of "nail trauma" - maybe you pinched your finger while closing the door two weeks ago, maybe you hit the root of your nail when moving express delivery, or even you cut the dead skin too hard when you were doing a manicure. As for the "vertical nail lines" that many people are worried about, if you raise your hand and look at it now, as long as it is not the kind of uneven and exaggerated deep grooves, normal people's nails are not completely smooth to begin with. The vertical lines will become more and more obvious with age, just like wrinkles on your face. They are normal physiological aging and not a disease at all.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to take all changes in your nails seriously. There are a few situations where you really need to pay more attention. For example, if your nails suddenly become thick, yellow, brittle, and fall off as soon as they are pressed, it is most likely that it is onychomycosis, which is what we call onychomycosis, which is caused by fungal infection. Don’t delay, and get some topical or oral medicine as soon as possible, otherwise it will be infected on ten nails, and it will be more troublesome to treat it. There are also those nails that are sunken like a small spoon, which are clinically called spoon-shaped nails. If you are also often dizzy, your eyesight goes dark when you squat down and stand up, and you are particularly afraid of the cold in winter, you can have a blood test to see if you have iron deficiency anemia. However, if you have been doing farm work or housework all year round and often grind your nails, then there is no need to panic about this change. There are also people who encounter black lines on their nails. Their first reaction is whether it is melanoma. In fact, most of them are onychomycosis, just like a mole on your skin. As long as it does not suddenly widen, become uneven in color, and have blurred borders in a short period of time, regular observation is enough. If you are really worried, go to the dermatology department for a dermoscopy. The results will be available in ten minutes. Don’t scare yourself.

Oh, by the way, sisters who often do manicures have probably been told that "manicures hurt your nails and you will get onychomycosis in the future." This matter has different opinions. Some doctors will recommend doing it as little as possible, saying that the ingredients in nail polish and the operation of polishing the nail surface will destroy the nail barrier and easily cause infection; but there are also clinical data showing that as long as the operation is standardized, the nail surface is not excessively polished, and a "empty period" of 3-7 days is left between each manicure to let the nails rest, there will not be any big problems at all. I have been doing manicures myself for almost four years, basically once a month. I have a regular manicurist who never lets her polish my nails to the point of pain. Last time I went for a dermoscopy to check my nails, and the doctor said that the health of my nails is better than that of many people who never do manicures. But I also met a girl last year who was greedy for cheap and went for a 9.9 self-service manicure. She was scratched by a novice manicurist until the nail surface bleeds. Later, she was infected with paronychia, which took her only half a year to recover. To put it bluntly, this matter has nothing to do with the manicure itself, but more to do with irregular operating procedures.

In fact, after all, nails are an "accessory" of our body. It is normal to have small changes occasionally. Don't go to Baidu to diagnose yourself at the slightest sign of trouble. If you really feel that something is wrong, first think about whether you have bumped into something recently, whether you have frequent manicures, and then see if you have other uncomfortable areas. If you are not sure, go to the dermatology department. It is much more useful than worrying at home.