Why do my hand and toe nails chip and break?

If any pathological processes occur in the human body, or there is a deficiency of certain substances, then the hair and especially the nails are the first to react to the problem. Their appearance worsens, and visible defects appear. Most often, nails exfoliate and break, and if such a symptom is detected, you cannot remain inactive: you need to look for the cause of the problem and eliminate it.

Why do nails flake and break, what are the reasons?

Many factors affect the condition of nails. When they start to flake and break, you need to think about the following reasons:

• frequent use of aggressive detergents, chemical reagents;
• features of work activities associated with the constant presence of hands in conditions of high humidity (cleaners, dishwashers, etc.);
• violation of the technology of applying coating to the nail plates, constant use of nail polish without using a base coat, constant presence of polish on the nails;
• use of incorrectly selected manicure tools (in particular, a nail file that is too rough);
• the presence of chronic diseases, metabolic disorders, vitamin deficiencies, conditions accompanied by demineralization.

When your nails peel after applying varnish, you should think about whether you give them a break from the coating for at least a few days? Or is the varnish constantly present on the nail plates? Or do you apply layers of varnish without first applying a base protective coating? All of these factors can cause both brittleness and peeling. A similar problem can also be caused by an incorrectly done manicure, using glass and metal files that have a rough coating.

In recent years, many women have been actively using shellac for nails: this coating is attractive, it can last much longer than regular polish, thanks to which hands acquire a particularly well-groomed look.

However, it is important to consider that nails peel after shellac, under shellac, much more often than when using a regular coating. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, before applying gel polish, the specialist removes the surface layer of the nail with a special file (this is necessary so that the polish holds more firmly). As a result, the plate becomes thinner and begins to more actively accept the chemical components of the coating. Under a heavy acrylic layer, the nails stop "breathing", creating optimal conditions for the reproduction of infection in the depths of the tissues. Therefore, experts advise taking breaks periodically and giving the nails the rest they need to recover.

If you do not abuse the application of all kinds of coatings, but your nails still exfoliate and break, a second logical question arises: what is missing if your nails exfoliate? Most likely, the problem is related to a lack of calcium and/or vitamin D (without it, calcium is poorly absorbed). To correct the situation, you need to add calcium-rich foods to your diet, and also spend more time outdoors. In winter, you can buy vitamin and mineral complexes in pharmacies, which must include not only calcium, but also vitamin D. Only in such a “tandem” will these substances benefit exfoliating and brittle nails. Poor absorption of calcium is the most common cause of this problem. Less often, but also possible, when nails exfoliate as a result of a lack of silicon, zinc, iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur.

Risk factors

Risk factors for nails to split and break can be internal and external.

External factors include:

• frequent changes in temperature and humidity;
• frequent contact with chemicals and water;
• constant presence of varnish on nails;
• bad habits (both smoking and the habit of biting nails);
• violations during manicure.

Internal factors include:

• regular strict diets, mono-diets, fasting;
• frequent stress, overwork;
• fungal diseases;
• hormonal changes, endocrine system diseases;
• diseases of the digestive tract, skin pathologies.

Any of the above reasons can lead to a disruption of the trophism of the nail plate, as a result of which structural changes in the tissue occur.

[ 1 ]

Pathogenesis

Why do nails become brittle and peel off?

In anatomical terms, nails are skin appendages. They consist of the protein substance keratin and look like a horny plate located on the back of the terminal phalanx of the fingers. It should be noted that there is more than one layer of keratin: there are several, and they are firmly placed on top of each other.

Under the influence of any factor, be it a disease, exposure to aggressive substances, or a nail injury, the tightly located layers diverge, and liquids, air, etc. can easily get into the resulting defects. As a result, detachment occurs. Therefore, to prevent a condition in which nails begin to delaminate and break, it is necessary to ensure a tight connection between the keratin layers.

Nails are necessary for a person not only to ensure full functionality of the fingers, but also to protect them. The plates grow continuously, but the rate of growth, as well as their quality, is influenced by many factors, for example:

• the general state of health of a person;
• nutritional status, lifestyle;
• the presence or absence of bad habits.

The condition of the nail plates can even change depending on the season. Thus, it is believed that in winter and spring the structure of the nail deteriorates, and in summer and autumn it is restored.

[ 2 ], [ 3 ]

Statistics

According to statistics, every fifth inhabitant of our planet has some kind of nail disease. At the same time, brittleness and detachment of the nail can act as a basic primary pathology, or be a sign of a disease of other systems and individual organs.

The condition of the nail plates can be used to determine the health of other internal organs: a similar method has been practiced for centuries in some countries of Southeast Asia.

According to the same statistical information, nails peel and break at least once in the life of every second person in the world. Therefore, this problem has always been considered quite common.

Possible additional symptoms

Excessive dryness of the skin and nail plates due to disrupted supply of vitamins and minerals to them, or exposure to chemicals and aggressive agents, can manifest itself in delamination and fragility, changes in the nail structure. If such symptoms arise due to any systemic diseases, then other pathological signs may also appear.

• Thin nails exfoliate and break with iron deficiency anemia, with psoriasis. The plates become thin, cloudy, the shade may change (grayish or yellowish). Without treatment, the changes worsen. General weakness, neuroses, irritability, apathy, headaches may also become common symptoms.
• Nails on the hands and feet peel and break with general exhaustion of the body, with vitamin deficiencies. This happens against the background of long-term inflammatory processes in the body, after prolonged antibiotic therapy, with a poor and monotonous diet. Additional signs often become the following: unhealthy complexion, digestive disorders (diarrhea or constipation), weight loss, general weakness.
• Nails flake and break badly with onychomycosis - a fungal infection. At the same time, other symptoms are often observed: the plate becomes dull and deformed, an unpleasant odor appears, pain (especially when the toes are affected). The diagnosis can be clarified using laboratory diagnostics.
• Hair loss and terribly flaky nails not only occur with vitamin deficiency, but also with abuse of personal hygiene rules: for example, frequent washing of the head and hands with the use of detergents based on antibacterial components can lead to disruption of the structure of both hair and nail plates. The condition is accompanied by increased dryness of the skin, sometimes - skin itching, peeling.
• Nails do not grow and exfoliate if there are diseases of the circulatory system, in which the trophism of the distal parts of the limbs is disrupted. Most often, this is observed with venous insufficiency, with varicose veins, with vegetative-vascular dystonia. Such diseases are often accompanied by periodic pain in the limbs, night cramps, a feeling of "crawling ants", numbness of the arms and/or legs.
• Nails turn yellow and flake with liver diseases. Additional symptoms may include digestive disorders, stool instability, discoloration of feces, yellowing of the sclera, dry skin, thirst.
• Nails exfoliate at the base with onycholysis - a pathology that can have different origins, including fungal. To make a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to pay attention to other symptoms: there may be a change in color, the appearance of an unpleasant odor, itching, burning in the affected area.
• Children most often experience splitting nail tips. In the vast majority of cases, this is caused by the banal bad habit of biting nails. This usually happens during moments of life changes, stress, emotional overload, and also during puberty.
• When nails peel in stripes, this may indicate sluggish or recently suffered infections. In case of sluggish infectious processes, additional signs may include lethargy, general weakness, temperature changes, headache, dizziness, loss of appetite.
• Nails become brittle and skin peels when metabolic processes are disrupted, in particular, with diabetes. To dispel suspicions, it is necessary to take a blood test for glucose content, and also additionally check the level of thyroid hormones, which can also affect the condition of skin appendages.

If nails exfoliate throughout life, which is not so rare, then this indicates an abnormal course of trophic processes. Upon closer examination, one can notice the presence of stripes and small grooves, thinness and softening of the plate, cloudiness. In this case, the exfoliation can be longitudinal or transverse. Such nails are easily injured, bend and break.

The child's nails are breaking and peeling

A condition in which children's nails split and break can be a cause for concern for parents. By the way, this happens quite often, and there are also quite a few reasons for this:

• lack of vitamins and microelements, or impaired absorption (poor nutrition, helminthiasis, diseases of the digestive tract);
• injuries to nails and fingers (often a child uses his nails “inappropriately”, which leads to their damage and delamination);
• stressful conditions, neuroses, in which the child begins to regularly bite his nails;
• metabolic disorders, anemia, calcium metabolism disorders;
• nail diseases themselves (for example, fungal infections).

Depending on the cause, in many cases it is possible to cope with brittle nails in a child at home, by taking vitamin preparations, calcium and vitamin D ₃. But you should still first consult a pediatrician and take the necessary tests.

[ 4 ]

Nails peeling during pregnancy

Changes in the body of pregnant women are closely related to the birth of a new life: the hormonal balance changes, and most of the nutrients are directed to the formation of the fetus. During this period, the condition of the skin, hair, and nails changes in women. Moreover, the quality of hair and nails improves in some expectant mothers, while in others, on the contrary, it worsens. Of course, such changes are mostly temporary: nails stop peeling and breaking soon after the birth of the baby.

During pregnancy, a woman should not take any medications without a doctor's recommendation. You can consult with him about taking a multivitamin complex that is allowed during pregnancy. It is advisable to regularly (even for prevention) apply medicinal oils to the cuticle and skin, as well as to the nail plates. Many advise treating nails several times a day with lemon juice and an oil solution of Aevit, which contains vitamins A and E. It is better to avoid applying varnish, and especially gel coatings, during pregnancy.

Classification: stages and types of disease

Doctors do not distinguish any specific stages of nail splitting and brittleness, primarily due to the vagueness of the transitional stages. As a rule, the initial stage proceeds hidden, without any visible manifestations. The first symptoms can be discussed when dullness is detected on the nails, spots and unevenness appear. With a fungal infection, there is an unpleasant sensation of burning and itching.

If you ignore the moment when the first signs appear, then the previously unnoticeable delamination becomes obvious: voids appear between the nail layers, into which air, dirt, water, etc. get. Other symptoms are also possible: roughness of the plate surface, increased fragility, thinning.

The condition in which nails exfoliate and break is related to dystrophic changes: it is characterized by depletion and division of the nail plate into separate layers. This pathology is most often classified as onychodystrophies.

Dermatologists distinguish between longitudinal (onychorrhexis) and transverse (onychoschisis) delamination. If the nail plate is completely separated from the bed, we speak of the development of complete or partial onycholysis.

Nails that flake and break may represent an independent pathological condition, or be part of the clinical picture of skin and somatic diseases.

[ 5 ]

Diagnostics

Diagnostic and therapeutic appointments are made by a dermatologist. The reason why nails are peeling and breaking can be determined already at the stage of conversation, examination and primary laboratory and instrumental research procedures.

During the interview, the doctor will inquire about the presence of any diseases affecting the internal organs, as well as metabolic disorders. It is necessary to separately find out the specifics of the patient's professional activity, and assess the likelihood of intoxication.

The examination extends not only to those nails that are peeling and breaking, but also to healthy nail plates, both on the hands and feet.

It is necessary to take tests: urine, blood, feces. It is possible to take material for bacterial culture (if an infectious disease is suspected), study the hormonal balance, determine the level of sugar in the blood, assess the content of vitamins and microelements in the body. If brittleness and delamination of nails are presumably associated with somatic pathologies, then additional instrumental diagnostics are carried out:

• ultrasound examination of internal organs;
• electrocardiography, ultrasound of the heart;
• Thyroid ultrasound;
• gastroduodenoscopy.

You may need to consult with medical specialists such as a cardiologist, phlebologist, endocrinologist, neurologist, or gastroenterologist.

[ 6 ]

Differential diagnostics

Differential diagnostics, first of all, is carried out with dermatological and systemic diseases, with metabolic disorders, vitamin deficiencies, infectious lesions. If nails are flaking and breaking, it is also necessary to exclude such diseases as psoriasis, trachyonychia, candidiasis of nails and nail folds, lichen planus.

[ 7 ], [ 8 ], [ 9 ]

Consequences and complications

When nails split and become brittle, there can be a variety of consequences, depending on the underlying cause of the disorder. For example, if the underlying cause is an infectious disease, complications can affect the entire body, up to the development of sepsis.

In addition, the damaged structure, shape and appearance of the plates is perceived as a pronounced cosmetic defect. As a result of such a problem, a person experiences severe psycho-emotional anxiety, neuroses and even depression, which significantly affects the quality of life and health of the nervous system. Representatives of the female sex suffer from such psycho-emotional disorders especially often.

Delamination leads to thinning and fragility of the plate: cavities, cracks, chips may occur. In advanced cases, the damaged nail must be removed.

[ 10 ]

Prevention

It is better to prevent a problem than to think about how to solve it later. To prevent nails from peeling and breaking, you just need to listen to six pieces of advice from experts:

1. Try to get your manicure done by trusted professionals, not too often and not too rarely: once every 10-14 days is optimal. At the same time, applying varnish is not at all necessary - nails need to be given a rest periodically. The main thing is that your hands are well-groomed and healthy.
2. You should not use coarse files with large coatings, as well as blunt scissors - these tools most often become the main "culprits" of the fact that nails peel and break.
3. You should periodically apply nourishing masks, oils, or special strengthening and vitaminized coatings to your nail plates.
4. Eat a balanced diet, avoid long-term strict diets: the body should receive foods with all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
5. Give up bad habits: do not smoke, do not abuse alcohol, do not bite your nails. Observe the rules of hygiene, be active, walk more in the fresh air.
6. When using chemicals and detergents, when hand washing and washing dishes, be sure to wear protective gloves.

If you follow all the recommendations given, your nails will never break or flake: the problem will bypass you.

Forecast

All procedures and medications prescribed by the doctor must be used until the problem is completely eliminated. Untreated nails will exfoliate again after some time, and the disease will make itself known again.

Adequate treatment with mandatory consideration of the underlying cause of the nails peeling and breaking allows for a favorable prognosis. As the healthy nail plate grows, it is restored, and subsequent peeling does not occur. Without such treatment, the problem may worsen: peeling affects an ever larger area of the plate, inflammatory foci appear, and the nail becomes deformed. The likelihood of infection spreading increases. For a more accurate prognosis, you should consult your doctor on an individual basis.