7 Signs of Vitamin Deficiency in Your Nails You Shouldn’t Ignore

To identify signs of vitamin deficiency in nails and determine the best course of treatment, it’s important to pay attention to subtle indicators. Our nails provide valuable insights into our overall health, and weak, brittle, or rough nails may signal a lack of essential vitamins and minerals. Rather than immediately seeking expensive Nail treatments, consider addressing any nutritional deficits with a balanced diet or supplements. Signs of vitamin deficiency in nails include weakness, brittleness, irregular development, and the presence of grooves or ridges. By recognizing these indicators, you can take steps to improve your nail health and overall well-being.

10 Nail Conditions And Symptoms To Watch Out For

Koilonychia Or Spoon-shaped Nails
Beau’s Lines
Onychorrhexis (Longitudinal Ridging Of Nails)
Leukonychia
Splinter Hemorrhages
Vertical Ridging Of Nails
Hapalonychia (Soft Nails)
Clubbing
Pallor Of Nail Bed
Melanonychia

1. Koilonychia Or Spoon-shaped Nails

How to Recognize

The nails are spoon-shaped and incredibly tiny.
The nail’s outer edges rise and protrude from the nail beds.
The nails could break.
The nail takes on a form that allows it to hold a drop of water.

What Leads to It?

Signs of vitamin deficiency in nails are a common cause of Koilonychia, where the nails become brittle and concave. One such deficiency is a lack of iron, also known as anemia. Along with Koilonychia, if anemia is the underlying factor, you may experience additional symptoms such as:

Fatigue \Weakness
Skin that is pale Breathlessness

Yet another factor that may contribute to this disease is:

The inability of your body to absorb nutrients
excessive contact with cleansers and petroleum solvents external nail trauma
chemotherapy or radiation therapy
Moreover, environmental variables or inherited factors may be to blame. According to a study, persons who live at higher elevations frequently have this illness.

How To Correct It

With Food

Consuming foods high in iron is a technique to treat your ailment if anemia or iron deficiency is the cause.

Foods that can aid with Koilonychia recovery include:

Pork \Poultry \Beans
Beef and peas

Veggies with dark green leaves
raisins and apricots are examples of dry fruits.
medications and other forms of treatment
Your body can absorb iron from poultry and meat more readily than it does from vegetables and other sources. But if you’re a vegan, the doctor can also recommend vitamin B12 and iron tablets.

2. Beau’s Lines

How to Recognize

Your nails have horizontal depressions.
Toenails, thumbnails, fingernails, or all nails may be affected.
When the nail grows, the ridges expand as well.

What Leads to It?

Signs of vitamin deficiency in nails often include Beau’s lines, which can be caused by a lack of zinc. However, there are other factors that may contribute to this condition as well.

damages to the nail
Psoriasis and other inflammatory diseases Nail plate infection
Picking your nails or cuticles excessively (manicures can also contribute to Beau’s lines)
a few medications (mostly chemotherapy agents)
a condition marked by a high temperature (such as scarlet fever, pneumonia, measles, and mumps)

How To Fix It

Beau’s lines usually go away as your nails grow (unless your nails receive further injury).

With Food

If your condition is caused due to zinc deficiency, consume foods high in zinc, such as:

Red meat
Oyster and shellfish
Legumes (such as beans and chickpeas)
Seeds (such as flaxseeds, hemp, and pumpkin seeds)
Cashew nuts
Eggs
Dairy products

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

Beau’s lines will be properly diagnosed and treated if any other underlying medical conditions are to blame. Treatment for the underlying medical condition frequently aids in erasing the lines. If you notice these lines on your nails, speak with your doctor right away.

3. Onychorrhexis (Longitudinal Ridging Of Nails)

How to Recognize

On the nails, longitudinal ridges are visible.
Your nails start to crack at the ends and become quite brittle.

What Leads to It?

Signs of vitamin deficiency in nails include onychorrhexis, which is the condition frequently observed in patients with anorexia nervosa, malnutrition, and irregular eating patterns. It is believed that inadequate food, water, and nutrient intake, specifically iron, calcium, and zinc, are to blame for this condition.

Among the other reasons for brittle nails are:

Psoriasis \sEczemai
excessive usage of cuticle solvents or nail polish removal
prolonged contact with detergent, soap, and alcohol can cause nail damage.

When your body doesn’t get enough calcium, your nails become thinner, weaker, and brittle, according to dermatologist Dr. Anna Chacon, MD, FAAD. They appeared to be weaker than they ever were, and you could tell that they break easily. Although the components of bones and nails are different, they are similar enough that problems with your nails could be an indication of problems with the density of your bones.

How To Fix It With Food

If you’re noticing signs of vitamin deficiency in your nails, it’s important to incorporate food items that are rich in vital nutrients, particularly iron, calcium, and zinc. Some examples of such foods include:

Dairy products
Seeds (chia, sesame, and poppy seeds)
Cheese
Fish such as salmon and sardines
Lentils and beans
Whey protein
Almond
Dark green leafy vegetables

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

Depending on the underlying cause of your illness, doctors may advise you to take retinoid medications (for oral consumption) to treat your brittle nails. Most of the time, self-care techniques can make your nails look better.

4. Leukonychia

How to Recognize

Your nail bed has a few little white patches (punctate leukonychia).
Your nails have white longitudinal bands (longitudinal leukonychia).
bands or horizontal lines on your nails (transverse leukonychia).
spots of white skin under the nail (partial leukonychia).

What Leads to It?

The main contributing factors to this illness include deficiencies in calcium, zinc, and B vitamins. Several vitamins have purportedly been used to treat this problem.

Leukonychia, however, may also be brought on by other circumstances. They consist of:

a lot of nail-biting
nail wounds
Manicures
an adverse effect of medication (chemotherapy drugs and sulphonamides)
Sickness (anemia, liver scarring, diabetes, and eczema) (anemia, liver scarring, diabetes, and eczema)
genetic factors

How To Fix It

With Food
If the condition is caused due to nutrient deficiency, including these nutrients in your diet can help cure it. Consume these foods:

Dairy products
Dark green leafy vegetables
Whole grains
Legumes
Seeds
Eggs
Meat

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

If vitamin inadequacies are what is causing the disease, it will go away after your body receives enough of those nutrients. The white areas typically disappear as your nails continue to grow. The disease must be addressed individually if it is brought on by another underlying issue (such as an illness or injury).

5. Splinter Hemorrhages

How to Recognize

Under the nails, these appear as thin red, brown, or blackish lines.
They follow the development direction of your nails, running longitudinally.

What Leads to It?

Trauma is the primary cause of them (injury to the small blood vessels underneath the nail bed). Yet, a lack of vitamin C might also result in splinter hemorrhage (in some cases).

How To Fix It With Food

If vitamin C deficiency is the reason behind the condition, include these foods in your diet:

Brussels sprouts
Broccoli
Green leafy veggies
Spinach
Tomatoes
Sweet and white potatoes
Citrus fruits

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

Although wounds and infections are the most common causes of splinter hemorrhages, treating the wound or infection will also automatically repair your nail. But, your physician might order laboratory assessments like a blood culture (to detect any bacterial or fungal infection). Such nail-bed bleeding can occasionally be a sign of melanoma. Your doctor might take a biopsy if they have a melanoma suspicion.

6. Vertical Ridging Of Nails

How to Recognize

longitudinal ridges or furrows that extend straight from your nail tips to your cuticles.

What Leads to It?

Aging (this is especially prevalent in older persons due to low cell turnover) (this is very common in older adults due to low cell turnover)
vitamin shortage (especially B vitamins that promote cell growth)
Damage or trauma to the nail, according to Dr. Chacon: “Your fingernails may have ridges for a variety of reasons, including renal and thyroid diseases, stress, and many more. As we age, changes in the nail’s cell turnover may increase the number or prominence of vertical nail ridges.

What To Eat To Cure It

The key to eradicating vertical ridging is a balanced diet rich in all vital vitamins and elements. This problem is quite typical and is simply fixable. Eat a diet that is balanced and contains:

Vegetables
whole grains
dairy goods
Seafood and fish
poultry and meat products

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

To remedy the nutrient shortage, the doctor may prescribe nutritional supplements to you. In addition, self-care is essential to prevent needless damage to the nails.

7. Hapalonychia (Soft Nails)

How to Recognize

The nails’ tops get flimsy and fragile. They are quite brittle and bend easily.
What Leads to It?
Eggshell nails, also known as hapalonychia, are a result of malnutrition, particularly a deficit in vitamins A, B6, C, and D. Inadequate calcium levels are one of the conditions’ contributing factors.

What To Eat To Cure It

By consuming the right nutrients through diet, this ailment can be treated most effectively. eat a lot of:

seasonal vegetables
Cereals
dairy goods
Fruits Fish liver oil
Fish from the sea (these are a rich source of micronutrients)

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

The physician might advise taking vitamin and biotin supplements. Moreover, if you notice that your nails are soft, stay away from all nail treatments and cosmetics (manicures).

8. Clubbing

How to Recognize

The nail bed becomes softer, and the nail does not adhere to the nail bed firmly.
The fingertip may appear to be protruding.
The nails have a downward curvature and have rounded edges or just resemble an upside-down spoon.

What Leads to It?

Sometimes, a lack of iodine might result in the clubbing of the nails. Clubbing, however, is also related to:

low quantities of oxygen in the blood
lung condition
Bowel inflammation syndrome
liver or cardiovascular disease

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

Nail clubbing could be a sign of more severe medical conditions, like heart and lung problems. Hence, if you experience any of these symptoms, see a doctor right away. Reducing nail deformity will be made easier by treating certain medical issues.

9. Pallor Of Nail Bed

How to Recognize

What Causes Pale Fingernails (Excessive Discoloration)?
The most frequent reason for a pallid nail bed is anemia. Your body’s low iron levels are linked to this condition.

What To Eat To Cure It

The best treatment for anemia, which causes nail beds to become paler, is a diet adjustment. Create a diet plan to fight anemia and eat these things:

leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, Swiss chard)
Beef and poultry
Seafood (fresh salmon, halibut, tuna, and sardines) (fresh salmon, halibut, tuna, and sardines)
Foods high in calcium include broccoli, tofu, cheese, kefir, and yogurt.
Beans
seeds and nuts

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

The doctor might recommend iron supplements and do a Complete Blood Count (CBC) test.

10. Melanonychia

How to Recognize

Your nails may have brown or black lines.
Your nails appear to have a vertical strip that extends from the bottom to the top.
It could affect one or many nails.

What Leads to It?

Malnutrition, a lack of vital proteins, and a lack of energy in your body are frequently to blame for melanonychia. Your nails have those longitudinal stripes because melanocytes deposit melanin on the nail bed. Other than hunger, several other variables might cause the melanocytes to become active. They consist of:

Injury and trauma
Infection
Psoriasis
Hyperthyroidism
Photosensitivity
Tobacco
Henna
receiving X-rays
Excess iron in the body

How To Fix It With Food

The only way to lessen the pigmentation on your nails if your disease is brought on by malnutrition is by eating healthfully. Consume:

Consuming beef (but in limited quantities)
Eggs
milk and cheese
veggie fresh (especially leafy greens)
Periodic fruits
Nuts and seeds Tofu
Seafood
whole grains

Medicine And Other Treatment Options

The cause of melanonychia determines the available treatments. Your doctor might prescribe antibiotics and antifungal medications if an infection is the root of the problem.

Very crucial is taking good care of your nails. Here is a list of some dos and don’ts for maintaining healthy nails.

Nail Care – Dos And Don’ts

Do

Keep your fingernails dry and clean. This stops bacteria from growing under the nails.

When washing the dishes with abrasive detergents and chemicals, wear rubber gloves. Avoiding prolonged exposure to these substances and water will stop fingernails from splitting.

Maintain neat nails and massage your fingers and cuticles with moisturizer.

If your fingernails are too soft, use a nail hardener to make them stronger.

Do Not

Pick at your cuticles or bite your nails. By doing this, fungus and bacteria can penetrate and infect the nails.

Apply large amounts of nail polish remover and other nail chemicals. They may become fragile as a result. Choose a remover that doesn’t include acetone, even when doing so.

You file your nails too much. The nails may crack as a result.
Use your fingernails to pry open or penetrate objects.

Hangnails should be pulled or torn as they could become infected.

Nail Conditions And Their Main Causes

A lack of vitamins and nutrients is frequently indicated by weak and brittle nails. If you don’t get enough vitamins and minerals in your diet, you can develop one of several nail disorders.

You should study the information below to find out which vitamin or mineral deficit causes which condition, even if we have already covered all the major and minor causes of nail conditions.

Spoon-shaped Nails Cause: Iron deficiency

Onychorrhexis Cause: Iron, calcium, and zinc deficiency, and malnutrition

Splinter Hemorrhages Cause: Trauma to the nail, or vitamin C deficiency

Hapalonychia Cause: Deficiency of vitamins A, B6, C, and D Pallor Of Nail Bed Cause: Iron deficiency

Beau’s Lines Cause: Zinc deficiency

Leukonychia Cause: Calcium, zinc, and vitamin B deficiency
Vertical Ridging Of Nails Cause: Aging, nail injury, or vitamin B deficiency

Clubbing Cause: iodine deficiency
Melanonychia Cause: Malnutrition

Brittle and weak nails may be a sign of vitamin insufficiency. Melanonychia, leukonychia, splinter hemorrhages, Beau’s lines, onychorrhexis, and koilonychia can all result from a lack of vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Nail plate infection, nail damage, white spots and patches on your nails, and longitudinal furrows are all possible indications of these disorders. Pork, beans, red meat, dark green vegetables, almonds, whey protein, dairy products, eggs, legumes, seeds, and fruits can all be included in a healthy diet to aid in the healing of vitamin-deficient nails. Besides using medications, there are various ways to treat this illness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a B12 shortage have an impact on nails?

Certainly, if ignored for a long enough period, vitamin B12 insufficiency can cause an odd darkening or even bluish coloration of the nails.

Why don’t my fingernails have half-moons on them?

Lunulae are the half-moon patterns on their fingernails. It is a component of the nail matrix and houses the lymph, nerves, and blood vessels. Lunulae, however, may or may not be seen, and their presence frequently signals underlying disorders.

Do ridges on nails result from thyroid issues?

Certainly, one of the numerous conditions that may lead to nail ridges is thyroid problems.

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