The child's toenails are exfoliated and broken. Exfoliate, crumble, break nails: why very thin nails, treatment, what to do at home

A brittle and exfoliating nail plate will spoil the overall picture, and even if you do a neat pedicure, it will not last long, as the varnish will begin to peel off. What are the causes of such disorders in the body and how to prevent them, you will learn in this article.

Consequences of wearing tight shoes

The reasons for the fact that the nails on the lower extremities constantly break and exfoliate can be different. The fact that the nail broke can be blamed on both external and internal factors. The lack of minerals and vitamins, the influence of external factors on the nails, as well as problems with digestion or the thyroid gland can be “involved” in fragility.

If you suspect that the body tells you about health problems through the nails, you need to visit a dermatologist and undergo a complete diagnosis in order to identify the disease and eliminate it once and for all, thereby improving the condition of the nail plate not only on the legs, but also on the hands. You should not resort to expensive cosmetic services until you know exactly the cause of brittle nails, as this can be a waste of money and a waste of time that could be spent fighting the disease.

I would like to note that nails are built on the basis of creatine protein, which consists of a complex amino acid complex that strengthens and heals nails. If there is not enough of it in the nails, then they are influenced from the outside and begin to exfoliate and break, not having time to grow.

Also, brittle nails can also become due to the fact that the body picks up trace elements, among which calcium, iron and zinc play an important role in the structure of nails. To make up for their deficiency, you can purchase their complex at a pharmacy and drink it in a full course.

What else can cause brittle nails? The reasons for this annoying problem can be:

• Poor quality nail polish remover containing acetone. It is better to replace it with a product without this dangerous element, with natural essential oils included in the composition.
• Constant hypothermia of the lower extremities.
• Prolonged stay in water.
• Low air humidity.
• The use of low-quality cosmetic products for foot care.
• Constant contact with chlorinated water.
• Violation of metabolic processes and lack of fats and proteins that are necessary for the formation of healthy nails.
• Frequent stress and problems with the nervous system.
• In bad habits.
• Incorrect wearing of shoes. In order for the nails to be strong, do not exfoliate or break, it is necessary to wear shoes that are suitable in size and made from natural materials.
• Varicose veins, impaired blood flow of the lower extremities and a sedentary lifestyle.

Also, one should not forget about fungal infection, since it not only destroys the nail plate, but also affects its germ layer, that is, the nails will crumble and break for a long time until the area that was affected by the mycelium of the fungus grows together.

External

Nail polish remover with acetone

Brittle nails can occur due to improper care. Poor-quality care cosmetics, frequent pedicure with gel polishes can lead to fragility of the nail plate. Such a problem appears due to the fact that the plate under the layer of varnish ceases to get access to moisture, this leads to its dehydration, brittleness and delamination.

Frequent use of acetone can also damage the plate. It removes the protective layer of collagen along with the varnish, which leads to evaporation of the liquid and gradual dehydration, so if your nail is broken and you use acetone, then the cause of brittleness is in it, and not in diseases or lack of vitamins.

Often the nail plate exfoliates precisely in the hot season, since all the moisture of their upper layer of the nail evaporates and leads to thinning and delamination of the plate. In winter, toenails can break, change color and exfoliate due to impaired blood flow and frequent exposure to cold. This problem disappears when spring comes and the temperature regime changes.

Internal

What to do if the nail is broken and this situation is repeated systematically? Perhaps the cause of the problem lies in beriberi, or rather, in the deficiency of vitamins that are necessary for the strength and health of nails. Often, beriberi is affected in early spring, because after the winter cold the body is exhausted and there is an acute shortage of nutrients.

Brittle nails can also become because metabolic processes are disturbed in the body due to malnutrition and a lack of minerals in the body that strengthen the nail plate. For this reason, it becomes too soft and, from the slightest mechanical impact, begins to exfoliate and break.

Minerals may not be absorbed in diseases of the pancreas, gallbladder and thyroid gland. It can also signal problems with the liver. But do not panic if the disease has already been identified, since the nails are just one of its symptoms. Having got rid of the disease, the problems with the nails will also go away.

Manifestations

The problem of fragility of the nail plate is familiar to both women and men. A broken nail, first begins to exfoliate on the sides, and then cracks and breaks off. Such a problem leads not only to brittleness, but also to thinning and slow growth of nails.

For the fair sex, fragility is a real tragedy, since it becomes simply unrealistic to grow beautiful and long natural nails. In addition to fragility, deformation and changes in the shade and shape of the plate are often added.

The splitting of the plate in the longitudinal direction leads to the fact that the broken nail can break, leading to discomfort. Vertical cracking starts from the free edge of the nail and spreads over the entire plate.

Such a lesion is often seen only on one or more toes. There may also be transverse splitting, which appears as a result of an unprofessional pedicure, due to playing the guitar or constant typing on a computer keyboard.

Dermatologists call the problem of fragility of the nail plate onychodystrophy, which requires not only identifying the causes of the disease, but also its proper treatment. Of course, you can also contact a manicurist with a similar problem, but it’s still better to visit a dermatologist. Only an experienced dermatologist will be able to determine how serious the problem is.

If we take into account that the nails grow 1 millimeter per week, then it is possible to calculate at what point they are affected by the pathological factor. To identify the true cause of fragility, in addition to a dermatologist, you must visit to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist and mycologist.

You also need to pass an analysis for a lack of trace elements, scraping from the nail for a fungal infection, hormone and blood tests. In addition, it should be remembered that nail problems can be congenital, in which case the treatment will not have a result and you will have to live with the problem all your life, trying to maintain the nail plate with varnishes and enamels, which allow it to strengthen and prevent delamination.

Selective fragility

Fungal infection of the nail plate

If not all toenails break, but only some, then the cause of the problem may be either in the shoes or in a fungal infection.

The fungus often affects the ring finger and little finger. But before breaking, the nail changes color and becomes yellowish. In addition, the feet begin to emit an unpleasant odor. This is how a fungal infection can be detected at the initial stage.

If the plate began to break and delaminate on the thumbs, then the reason for this lies in uncomfortable shoes, selected one size smaller. Such shoes begin to squeeze the foot and fingers, thereby disrupting blood flow, which leads to brittle and sore nails. In addition to the fact that they can exfoliate and break, nails can peel off altogether.

Treatment

Before deciding what to do about brittle nails, you first need to determine the cause. This, of course, can be done on your own, but it still does not hurt to contact a dermatologist, since only a doctor can understand what caused the nail disease and prescribe an effective therapy to combat it.

But be that as it may, there are such methods of strengthening the nail plate, which will be an excellent addition to medical treatment, if any. First, from time to time you should take a break from a pedicure with a varnish coating. It is also worth purchasing a soft file that will not damage the top layer of the plate.

Secondly, you need to get rid of uncomfortable shoes made from non-natural materials. Thirdly, you should remove harmful foods from your menu, add more fresh fruits and vegetables. This will be especially true in winter and spring.

And the last thing to do with brittleness and delamination of the nail plate is to drink a vitamin course with the addition of fish oil capsules. Such therapy will eliminate their deficiency in the body and have a beneficial effect on the health and appearance of the nails.

Many are faced with the problem of brittleness and foliation of nails - such a cosmetic defect (this is how the inhabitants classify it) forces either to hide hands from others, or to resort to complex, aggressive nail extension procedures. Changes in the appearance of the nail plates can be triggered by external factors, but often some disease of the internal organs becomes the cause of the problem in question. That is why you need to know what factors can provoke delamination and brittleness of the nail plates, which will indicate these causes and what methods of eliminating the problem are available.

Why do fingernails and toenails exfoliate?

External triggers

The structure of the nail plate can change for the worse for the following external reasons:

These factors can lead to dryness of the nail plate, its injury. The result will be the delamination of the nail, its pronounced dryness and brittleness.

Internal triggers

Any health problems can lead to malnutrition of the nail plate. But doctors distinguish the most common of them:

• adolescence and childhood;
• rigid diets that lead to insufficient intake of minerals;
• chronic fatigue;
• and any disturbances in the psycho-emotional plan;
• diseases of the endocrine system (for example, functional disorders);
• any hormonal system;
• deficiency of vitamins B3, B5, A, E, C;
• lack of potassium, iron, calcium, sulfur and phosphorus in the body;
• the presence of a person's bad habits -,;
• progressive;
• pathology of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary system;

These internal provoking factors lead to a violation of the structure of the nail plate - grooves appear on it, areas with an unnatural color, roughness and depressions. In this case, no modern external agents and cosmetic procedures will help correct the situation, only a thorough examination of the whole organism and a full course of treatment will solve the problem of the condition of the nails.

If internal diseases became the cause of the condition under consideration, then the appearance of the nail plates will change as follows:

• with progressive - dents and indentations of fuzzy localization appear on the plates;
• circulatory disorders - the color of the nail becomes pale, a bluish tint appears;
• progressive or recently transferred infectious diseases - the nail plate thickens, exfoliates, depressions appear on it in the form of longitudinal stripes;
• liver pathology - the color of the nail becomes yellowish;
• hyperfunction of the thyroid gland - the nails become soft and brittle, the constant shine of the surface of the plate becomes characteristic;
• when - small bumps and whitish spots appear on the nail plate without clear boundaries;
• a progressive viral infection (it can proceed in a secret mode) - small tubercles in the plural are clearly defined on the nail (pearl imitation);
• diseases - the color of the nail can be brown, black or gray, the plate is highly exfoliated, thickened.

The above external changes enable the doctor to suspect a particular internal disease. Then a complete examination of the patient's body is carried out, the true cause of violations of the structure of the nail plates is revealed and a course of treatment of the underlying disease is prescribed. Such a competent approach will help not only to normalize and stabilize the work of the body, but will solve the problem of exfoliated and brittle nails.

What will help in the fight against delamination and brittle nails

Before you start taking any medications and carry out specialized procedures, you need to eliminate external provoking factors that exacerbate the problem. General recommendations from experts include:

1. When working with steel wool, detergents / cleaners, any chemicals, building materials, you need to use rubber gloves.
2. Avoid contact with water, which differs in duration.
3. You need to cut your nails as carefully and sharply as possible with high-quality manicure scissors.
4. Grate vegetables for food on a grater very carefully.
5. You need to file the nail plate only with a high-quality tool - a glass nail file with a special coating will be the best choice. On the sides, the nails are not filed; during the procedure, the movement of the nail file is directed from the edge of the nail to its middle.
6. Refuse to use low-quality decorative varnishes and liquids for their removal containing acetone.
7. Avoid exposing your hands to extremely high or extremely low temperatures.
8. You can not use decorative varnish too often - you can apply this product only once a week, and for 10-15 days a year you must definitely give your nails a complete rest and keep them in their natural form.
9. It is impossible to abuse nail extensions, gel-shellac coating, if the delamination of the plate is already present and pronounced, then it is better to refuse such procedures altogether.
10. Before applying a decorative varnish of a bright color, a layer of a special protective agent must be applied to the nails.

Diet correction

If the considered cosmetic defect of the nail plates already exists, then it is worth radically reconsidering your diet - most likely, it is monotonous and does not provide the body with the right amount of vitamins and minerals. A similar correction will also be needed if it is decided to prevent delamination and brittle nails. In both cases, you need to remember which products must be on the menu:

• , cheese, figs, egg white, nuts, sesame seeds, cauliflower - they contain a lot of calcium;
• any seafood, radishes, onions and radishes are foods rich in sulfur;
• poultry, meat, chicken eggs and sea fish are sources of keratin;
• beef liver, pine nuts, wheat, meat, buckwheat and - they contain zinc;
• beans, red rice, whole wheat grains, oats are sources of magnesium;
• young shoots of nettles, any mushrooms, leeks - will saturate the body with silicon;
• , seafood, kelp (seaweed), walnuts - sources of iodine;
• dogwood, peanuts, milk, legumes, brewer's yeast, liver, apples - contain iron.

If we talk about vitamins, then here you also need to be able to properly compose the menu. And in order to do this, remember which foods contain which vitamins:

• B1: pasta, any nuts, lentils, beef and poultry liver, pork;
• B3: champignons, liver, corn, chicken liver, nuts, peas, wheat;
• B5: sea fish, mushrooms, rye flour, nuts, beef liver, brewer's yeast;
• A: greens, butter, garlic, cheese, wild garlic, seaweed, melted cheese, seafood;
• C: oranges, kiwi, sea buckthorn, gooseberries, wild roses, blueberries, bell peppers;
• E: dried apricots, nuts of any kind, spinach, sea buckthorn, whole wheat, viburnum, sorrel;
• D: sour cream, sea fish, cream, seafood, chicken eggs, liver.

Vitamin complexes

To restore damaged nails, stop and eliminate the delamination and fragility of the nail plates, you can take special vitamin complexes. The most effective experts include:

• Revalid;
• Biotin;
• Vitasharm;
• Calcium D3 Nycomed;
• Perfectil and Perfectil plus;
• Medobiotin;
• Lady C formula;
• Ageless skin;
• Volvit.

Note:to establish what specific vitamins and minerals are lacking in the body, only a doctor can after a full examination. And only a doctor has the right to determine the necessary daily dosages and the duration of taking these vitamin complexes.

There are a lot of products that can be prepared at home and actively used as part of caring procedures for exfoliated and brittle nails. Here are just a few of the popular and effective ones:

• 200 ml of burdock oil, 8 drops of iodine, a teaspoon of lemon juice;
• 10 ml of olive oil, 10 drops of vitamin A and the same amount of lemon juice;
• 20 ml of olive oil, 3 drops of iodine, 4 drops of lemon juice;
• cranberry juice or lemon juice or blackcurrant juice.

1. Wax. We are talking about sealing nails with wax at home, although this procedure belongs to the salon. You need to make a bath for nails (for example, from sea salt), then any vitamin oil is rubbed into the cuticle (you can also use ordinary vegetable oil). Beeswax is heated, vitamin oil is added to it in a ratio of 1: 4 - this is a remedy and rubbed into the nail plate with a piece of suede fabric.

Salon procedures

Of course, in the salons they offer a lot of procedures that will help solve the problem of delamination and fragility of the nail plates. But the question arises about the appropriateness of their implementation - it's no secret that beauty salons often simply "pull" money out of clients. In order not to fall for such a trick, you need to know exactly which salon procedures will be really useful in relation to the fight against the problem in question. There are only a few of them:

1. Nail sealing. For this procedure, special formulations based on beeswax and various vitamin supplements are used, but a little higher in the text is a recipe for sealing at home - the choice is up to the client.
2. Paraffin therapy. Paraffin is heated on the equipment, various vitamins are added to it and treated with the resulting hand remedy. After 20 minutes, the paraffin is removed in one layer, and the hands and nails are treated with a moisturizer or vitamin oil.
3. Strengthening nails with biogel. The composition of such a tool includes substances that are designed to strengthen the nail plate. After applying such a biogel, these same substances remain on the nail for a long time and “do their job”.

In addition, clients in a beauty salon may be offered a course of professional nail masks - they, according to experts, are quite effective, but also very expensive.

Broken nails give untidiness, form complexes, deprive a person of self-confidence. You need to know that this symptom is not just a cosmetic problem, but evidence of disorders in the body, and the most obvious cause is a fungus.

What is this article about?

Possible causes of flaky nails

The nail consists of thin horny plates tightly adjacent to each other. Healthy shine, elasticity gives it keratin. These plates contain many different trace elements, primarily sulfur, zinc, calcium, and sulfur. Nail growth is provided by the division of germ cells - the light part of the base of the nail.

The plate grows to the free edge, pushes the old cells forward. If the impact of negative factors begins, small gaps and cracks appear between the stratum corneum, from which a cavity is then formed that exfoliates the nail.

External causes

Nails on the hands break under the aggressive influence of chemicals and the environment. The reasons may be related to frequent contact with household and industrial chemicals, hot or cold water, alkali.

Another predisposing factor doctors call the use of nail polishes containing formaldehyde or acetone-based lacquer thinner. Fragility is associated with such salon procedures as:

1. building;
2. shellac;
3. violation of the technique of removing extended nails.

Fragile plates are found in people who are often hypothermic, stay in dry air conditions. This also includes mechanical damage: improper manicure, injuries associated with professional activities (guitarists, PC operators).

Internal causes

Nails exfoliate and break with an unbalanced diet, lack of vitamin A, E, D, calcium, sulfur, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus. A common cause is the pathology of the digestive tract, endocrine system, liver, biliary tract, metabolic disorders.

Anemia can be a direct cause, as a lack of iron immediately affects the nails. Nails are subject to pathological changes in diseases that affect the skin: red lichen, psoriasis, eczema, fungus, epidermolysis.

Problems with nails are diagnosed with conditions:

• hormonal changes in the body;
• heavy metal intoxication;
• drug overdose;
• psychological disorders.

Fragility appears with the habit of biting nails, stressful situations, prolonged depression. However, the most common cause should be a fungal infection.

In this case, in addition to fragility, the patient will note other specific symptoms of the disease.

Characteristics of exfoliating nails

There are several types of nail dystrophy at once, in which the fungus has a destructive effect on health, provokes lamination, brittleness. The fungus causes permanent breaking off of the free edge of the nail, destruction of the entire or only the upper layer. As a result, an uneven edge is formed, accompanied by a problem with damage to the nail fold.

If you cut off the nail, it takes on a healthy look. However, as it grows, the free edge continues to delaminate. The violation is detected on all nails, the color of the plates does not change, in some places the appearance of white, transparent chips is possible.

Onychoshisis

In case of violation, a median or symmetrical splitting of the nail is noted, it occurs only from the free edge, the main part is not affected. The nail can remain in this state for a long time, not break off, but its edges become thinner, exfoliate.

The reason is:

1. exposure to alkaline solutions;
2. low-quality nail polishes;
3. injuries during manicure;
4. improper use of polishing tools.

The color of the nail does not change with pathology, but it can become gray or off-white. You can often see onychoshisis on the ring, middle and index nails.

Onycholysis

This disease, caused by a fungal infection, provokes partial or complete detachment of the nail plate. The torn off part of the plate becomes whitish-gray. The lesion covers one or more nails on the hands, can pass to the lower extremities.

Onychorrhexis

Pathology is characterized by the appearance of longitudinal grooves starting from the free edge of the nail. In the future, splitting occurs, deep cracks appear, the nail breaks. On the hands, one or more fingers are affected, the nail plates of the legs may suffer.

The leading cause is lichen planus, psoriasis, diseases of the gastrointestinal system, beriberi, fungus. The affected nail has a striped appearance - dark stripes alternate with light ones.

Ways to treat brittle nails

The fight against brittle and exfoliating nails must begin with a visit to a dermatologist, mycologist, sometimes you need to connect other doctors - a gastroenterologist, an endocrinologist.

Only under this condition, therapy will be selected in accordance with the reasons.

The doctor will send for a study on the fungus, the delivery of a biochemical blood test, if endocrine disorders are suspected, the patient will also need to donate blood for hormones.

Medical therapy

The use of vitamin and mineral complexes, food and dietary supplements helps to cure crumbling and brittleness. Drugs will help eliminate the imbalance:

• trace elements;
• macronutrients;
• vitamins.

You need to understand that the delamination will take place only with the course intake of vitamins and minerals, the duration of the course is at least one month.

It is necessary to supplement therapy with a balanced diet, the diet should be enriched with fruits, vegetables, calcium. The doctor will tell you in more detail about the products that are useful in each case.

The treatment regimen includes special varnishes, solutions. After entering the affected area, they stop the access of oxygen to fungal spores, as a result, favorable conditions for mycosis are excluded. Preparations in the form of varnishes and aerosols differ in properties: elimination of an unpleasant odor, removal of puffiness, drying.

Among such funds are:

1. Demicten;
2. Batrafen;
3. Candide;
4. Terbix.

Antifungal medications are used once a week, but in some cases, more frequent use of drugs is prescribed on an individual basis.

In advanced situations, in addition to local remedies, it is recommended to undergo a course of treatment with oral medications. The effectiveness of therapy is very high, however, tablets contribute to the occurrence of undesirable reactions of the body.

Pills are ways to provoke pathologies of the kidneys, liver, digestive tract. The most effective and less harmful to human health are the drugs Fluconazole, Ketoconazole, Intraconazole.

Procedures

For strengthening and against delamination, you can resemble salon procedures. An excellent solution would be a course of wax and paraffin applications, they will improve blood circulation in the tissues, help a healthy nail grow faster. Melted wax is applied to the nails affected by fungi and adjacent tissues, kept for 20 minutes.

You can do a Japanese manicure, before the procedure they do a manual massage, rub jojoba oil into the nails. Then a water massage is carried out, the procedure ends with the application of mineral masks, polishing powder based on beeswax.

Some patients like salon sealing of nails, it is necessary if required:

• too much;
• there is a need for a complete renewal of the nail;
• previous methods do not help.

First, a salt bath is made, then the nails are treated with a grinding file, fortified oils and natural wax are rubbed into them. The effect of the procedure lasts for three months.

The distal hands are also warmed up - diathermy. The purpose of the salon procedure is to activate blood circulation and increase metabolism.

Ultraphoresis will help to deliver vitamins A, E to the tissue, it is carried out in courses of 15 procedures, after a month it can be repeated.

Laser, hardware cleaning

If most of the nail is affected (over 60%), hardware cleaning will become an auxiliary method of treatment. Its principle is that with the help of special tools, the doctor removes the top layer of the nail plate. The procedure does not cause pain, has no contraindications.

Before manipulation, the nails are softened and disinfected. The procedure provides a better penetration of the active ingredients of external agents, a quick recovery. Nails become healthy and beautiful twice as fast.

Another effective method against brittleness and fungus is laser treatment. The laser gives the same quick result, but not every patient can afford the procedure due to its high cost.

During the treatment, the laser beam:

1. penetrates into the most inaccessible layers of nails;
2. destructively affects fungal spores;
3. creates an uncomfortable environment for infection.

Like hardware cleaning, laser therapy is absolutely painless.

The patient will need to undergo 4-10 sessions, after the course the fungal infection and its symptoms completely disappear. At the initial stage of onychomycosis, one or two sessions are quite enough.

More severe mycosis requires complex treatment and more procedures.

What can be done at home

Nails will peel off less if hand creams are systematically used at home. An important condition is not to forget to rub them into the cuticle area on each nail. It is recommended that the cream contains vitamins, natural plant extracts, and minerals. With an integrated approach and regular use, the cream will improve the appearance, promote the growth of a healthy nail.

You should also use waxes consisting of natural ingredients. Waxing can be a great alternative to costly salon seals. Nail plates will be less destroyed if special ones are also included in home care. They contain substances that prevent the development of onychomycosis.

Positive feedback received the use of therapeutic mud:

• peat;
• hilly;
• muddy.

The mud is diluted in hot water, brought to the consistency of sour cream, cooled to an acceptable temperature, and then applied to the nails, left for 15 minutes. After this time, the hands are washed in running water, a bath with sea salt is made. The course lasts 7 days, then a break of 10 days.

It will not be superfluous to practice alternative medicine recipes that will make soft nails stronger, they will not be able to break quickly. You can get rid of the violation with the help of crushed medicinal plants, products, natural substances.

It is allowed to use a folk remedy at home - to make masks from fresh vegetables, they add cream, sour cream, honey or vegetable oil. Lemon juice, cottage cheese can act as an aid.

Helps to solve problems with nails wax mask-film. For preparation, wax is heated in a water bath, cooled to room temperature, then fingers are dipped into it and immediately removed. The wax should dry on your fingers. It is advisable to carry out the procedure before going to bed, in the morning wash off the wax residues with running water. You can repeat the treatment several times during the week.

Update: October 2018

A person's hands can tell a lot about both the neatness and the health of their owner: reading the skin, even, pinkish nail plates are aesthetically attractive and dispose to a person.

Brittle, exfoliating nails give the hands a look of slovenliness and grooming, forming a certain complex and depriving self-confidence. Not everyone knows that often such a situation is not only a cosmetic problem, but, perhaps, evidence of some deviations in the state of the body.

Foliation of nails is a form of dystrophic change in the uniformity of the structure of the nail plate with thinning and splitting it into separate scales. Distinctive features: increased brittleness, dullness, brittleness, dryness, roughness of the plate surface, slow growth. In medical terminology, this condition, when the nails exfoliate and break, is referred to as onychodystrophy.

Exfoliating, brittle nails - the causes of the symptom

To understand why nails exfoliate, you should know the structure of the nail. The nail plate consists of thin, tightly pressed to each other horny plates, keratin, which is responsible for density, and interlayers of water, which give the nail elasticity and healthy shine. The plates contain many trace elements - calcium, sulfur, chromium, zinc, etc. The growth of the nail plate occurs during the division of germ cells in the matrix - the light part of the base of the nail in the form of a crescent. The nail platinum grows towards the free edge of the nail, pushing the old cells forward.

Under the influence of a number of factors, tiny cracks and gaps form between the stratum corneum, which later form a cavity that delaminates the plate.

External causes

Aggressive exposure to chemicals and environmental factors leading to dehydration of the nail plate:

• When the nails exfoliate, the reason may be in contact with household and industrial chemicals, alkali, hot water without the use of gloves (see also.
• Use of formaldehyde-containing nail polishes.
• The use of acetone-containing solvents for removing varnish, diluting thickened varnish.
• Nail extension.
• Violation of the technique of removing artificial nails.
• Chronic hypothermia and exposure to dry air.

Mechanical damage to the nail plate:

• Improper manicure and pedicure technique.
• Injury to the nail associated with professional activities: musicians, PC operators, guitarists, etc.
• Bruises, compression of the nail.

Internal causes

• Unbalanced diet with a deficiency of protein, vitamins A, E, D, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, selenium. A common cause of this condition in a child.
• Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, endocrine system, biliary tract, in which the metabolism of minerals is disturbed, as well as the distribution of micro- and macroelements in the body.
• : lack of iron negatively affects the condition of the nails.
• Skin diseases and pathologies in which the skin is affected, since the nails are a derivative of the skin, they are subject to pathological changes in these conditions:
  • Congenital epidermolysis;
  • Dermatomycosis -.
• Hormonal changes during puberty and menopause, when there is an excess or deficiency of certain hormones.
• Pregnancy - the minerals that come with food go to the needs of the developing fetus, and with a mineral deficiency in nutrition, the fetus takes them from the reserves of the mother's body.
• heavy metal intoxication, drugs that replace the normal mineral composition of the nail plate.

Psychological causes and psychogenic pathologies

• Bad habit of biting nails, knock nails on a hard surface, etc.
• Onychophagia is compulsive, uncontrollable nail biting.
• Onychotillomania- a pathology consisting in the patient's desire to destroy his nails with any tool or his own nails.
• Stress, depression.
  

Characteristics of exfoliating and brittle nails

Onychoshisis
Characteristic	Leaf-shaped symmetrical or median splitting of the nail plate in the transverse direction of only the free edge of the nail without damaging the main part. It can grow without breaking off, but with a thinned free edge.
Leading Causes
Nail color	Sometimes there is a change in the color of the nail plate to a grayish or off-white color.
Which nails are affected	It is most commonly seen on the index, middle, and ring fingers.
Treatment	Long-term use of vitamin A, vitamin B12 injections, oral 10% gelatin solution for a long time.
Onycholysis
Characteristic	A disease of the nails of a trophic nature, when the nail plate is separated from the nail bed. There is a complete or partial detachment of the nail plate, starting from the free edge or from the side.
Leading Causes
Nail color	The exfoliated part of the plate acquires a whitish-gray color.
Which nails are affected
Treatment	Depending on the cause and severity of symptoms, the detached nail is removed from the bed (with scissors), a bandage with synthomycin emulsion is applied within a week, the bed is lubricated with Castellani liquid, a course of vitamin A and gelatin is taken inside.
Onychorrhexis
Characteristic	Longitudinal grooves starting from the free edge of the nail with further splitting in the longitudinal direction. Complicated by deep cracks in the nail.
Leading Causes
Nail color	Affected nails have a striped appearance with alternating light and dark stripes.
Which nails are affected	One or more nail plates on any fingers, including toenails.
Treatment	Vitamin A course 1 month
Brittle nails
Characteristic
Leading Causes	Wrong manicure exposure to chemicals and low temperatures endocrine pathology.
Nail color	The color of the nail does not change, except for the free edge, which becomes transparent or white in places with visible chips of the nail plate.
Which nails are affected	More often all nails are affected.

Treatment of exfoliating and brittle nails

When the nails exfoliate, treatment should begin with a visit to a mycologist and a dermatologist, and in some cases a gastroenterologist with an endocrinologist. Only in this case, the therapy will be targeted, selected in accordance with the cause of the pathology. If necessary, the doctor prescribes a study of the nail plate for trace elements, fungus, as well as a biochemical blood test, blood for hormones.

Medical treatment

Vitamin-mineral complexes and dietary supplements that help eliminate the imbalance of vitamins, macro- and microelements in the body. It should be noted that a positive effect is observed with a course of taking the drug for at least 1 month.

Nutrition

A diet full of protein foods, enriched with fruits and vegetables (see), as well as: dairy products, sesame seeds, nuts, spinach.

Salon and physiotherapy

• Wax and paraffin applications, which improve blood circulation in the tissues and contribute to the speedy growth of a healthy nail. Softened and warm wax or paraffin is applied to the nail and soft tissues near the nail and kept for 15-20 minutes. A similar procedure can be carried out at home.
• Spa manicure combining aromatherapy, various nourishing and strengthening baths and masks, paraffin therapy and hand massage. Professional care allows you to return your nails to a healthy look.
• Japanese manicure. A manual hand massage is performed, jojoba oil is rubbed into the nails, after which a water hand massage is performed. The treatment ends with the application of a mineral mask and a special polishing powder with beeswax.
• Salon Nail Seal. It is shown when the nails on the hands are very exfoliating and a complete renewal of the nail plate is necessary. The procedure includes a salt bath, processing the nail plate with a grinding file, rubbing vitaminized oil and natural wax into the nail. The effect of the procedure lasts about 3 months.
• Diathermy - warming up the distal hands in order to activate blood circulation and metabolism.
• Ultraphoresis of vitamins A and E that delivers vitamins directly to the tissue. Conduct course sessions of 10-15 procedures, after 1 month you can repeat.
• Hand massage, which is primarily aimed at improving tissue trophism and accelerating metabolic processes that promote the growth of nail plates.

If nails exfoliate, what can you do at home

By the way, so that the nails do not exfoliate and do not break, the usual hand creams used by every woman are also suitable. The main thing is not to forget to rub the cream into the area of ​​\u200b\u200beach nail and cuticle. The optimal composition of creams, saturated with vitamins, minerals and natural plant extracts, with proper and regular use, improves the appearance and promotes healthy nail growth.

Underground cream, price 150 rubles	Cream balm for nails "Folk healer" price 90 rubles	Cream DiaDerm price 75 rubles

Waxes for nails

To prevent the nails from exfoliating at home, nail waxes are used. All of them are based on natural beeswax and can be used as an alternative to salon sealing. The price of a jar is 100-150 rubles.

Medical varnishes

If the nails become brittle, you can use therapeutic varnishes: a series of therapeutic varnishes from Eveline, Dance Legend, FIONA. Contain vitamins and growth activators, safely seal the damaged plate, protecting it from external influences. Some varnishes can also be used for decorative purposes. Price 100-250 rubles.

Healing mud

Silty, hilly, peaty, rich in minerals and biologically active substances. The mud is diluted in hot water to a viscous consistency and cooled to 40-37 C, then applied to the nails in a dense layer, kept for 15 minutes, after which the hands are washed off and rinsed in water salted with sea salt. Do such procedures daily for 7 days, after a 10-day break, you can repeat the course.

Traditional medicine - how to strengthen exfoliating nails at home

Prevention

• Avoid contact with aggressive media.
• Follow the rules of manicure, using high-quality tools. Nail cutting should be carried out with special sharp scissors, and filing - only with glass or ceramic files in one direction from the edge to the center.
• Use quality nail polishes and care fluids. Before applying decorative varnish, a special protective coating must be used.
• Enrich the diet with dairy products, vegetables and fruits.
• Do not neglect gloves in the winter season.