Healthy nails, healthy life: what your nails are telling you


Deep, grooved lines

They may be a sign of an illness that started a few months ago, chemotherapy,
a previous injury and/or previous exposure to extremely cold temperatures.

Fingernails curve inwards

This nail condition could point to having a reduced number of red blood cells
due to a lack of iron in the body. Similarly curved inward fingernails could
be connectioned to Raynaud’s disease, a common condition that affects the
blood supply to the fingers and toes, causing them to turn white.

Nail clubbing

This can be a indicator of serious illiness. It is sometimes the result
of low oxygen in the blood and could be a sign of various types of lung
disease. Nail clubbing is also associated with inflammatory bowel disease,
cardiovascular disease, liver disease and AIDS.

Dark stripes on nail

Dark stripes may sometimes be a form of skin cancer that affects the nail bed,
called subungual melanoma.

Pitted nails

This could be a sign of eczema, arthritis or psoriasis.


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Pale or yellow nails

The most common causes of a yellow nail are fungal nail infections. These can
be caused by regular use of nail varnish.

And finally, some ways to stop nail-biting

Take photographs of your bitten fingernails.

Choose one nail not to bite – as a starting point.

Apply nail varnish – colourless if you’re male.

Put a rubber band on your wrist – it’s a reminder not to bite.

Wear little white gloves.

Fit thimbles on your fingers.

Put sticky tape over your nails.

Visit the institute for onychophagia (nail-biting) in Holland