What dents can appear on nails, why they occur and how to treat them?

It can be unsettling and perplexing when nails get dents or indentations. These flaws frequently indicate underlying health issues or deficiencies rather than just being cosmetic concerns. Maintaining the health and appearance of your nails depends on knowing what causes these dents and how to fix them.

Dents in nails can be caused by a variety of things, such as external damage or dietary deficiencies. These dents may show up as deep grooves, ridges, or tiny pits. For prevention and treatment to be effective, the root cause must be found.

This post will examine the most typical varieties of nail dents, investigate possible causes, and provide helpful tips for both treating and preventing them. This guide aims to offer clear and helpful insights to help you restore your nails to their optimal condition, regardless of whether you’re dealing with occasional or persistent nail issues.

A troubling indicator of underlying health problems or just simple nail damage can be nail dents. Small indentations or grooves on the nail surface are frequently observed, and they can be caused by a number of things, such as poor nutrition, injury, or skin disorders. Treatment for these dents must take into account the underlying cause. This post will discuss common causes of nail dents and offer helpful advice on how to deal with them, including lifestyle modifications, at-home treatments, and knowing when to seek medical attention.

Types of pits: description and photo

• Transverse. Such depressions on the nails look like parallel grooves with a depth of 0.5 to 2 mm, or in the case of other reasons for their occurrence, they look like a wide groove.
• Longitudinal. They are expressed by even parallel stripes located vertically. Compared to transverse dents, relatively shallow.
• Holes. Such dents can be quite deep and reach almost to the skin.
• Pits. With such defects, the surface of the nail can look like a thimble. Dots can be scattered chaotically one by one, or form longitudinal rows of several pieces.

Images of various nail pit types:

Reasons: why they appear, including transverse?

A variety of factors can cause different types of depressions on the fingernails to appear. The following could be the reason why these flaws form:

• malfunctions in the internal organs;
• various diseases;
• vitamin deficiency.

To determine the cause of any dents you find on your nails, see a doctor.

Transverse

• Transverse dents indicate the presence of respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis, asthma or pneumonia. It is also possible that there is a protracted inflammatory process in the body.
• Another reason is damage during a manicure. Excessive pressure on the nail at the base of the lunula can lead to its deformation.
• Another option is if there are several transverse grooves on the nail plate. The reason for the appearance of such stripes (Beau lines) is a violation of the structure of the nail matrix. In this case, the matrix does not receive nutrients, as a result of which the structure of the nail suffers and its destruction occurs. Very often, such a picture occurs due to malnutrition and, as a rule, indicates low hemoglobin and ferritin in the blood.

Longitudinal

Read on to learn what longitudinal dents entail:

• For people who have crossed the 50-year mark, such changes in the nail plates are considered normal, but for the rest of the age group, vertical grooves are a pathology and most likely indicate a lack of zinc, B vitamins, iron or magnesium.
• This can also be a consequence of mistakes in manicure: the cuticle was pushed back too much, which led to damage to the root of the nail. In this case, few longitudinal stripes are formed.
• A probable cause for the formation of longitudinal dents and ribs is a malfunction of the digestive organs or liver. But at the same time, such defects can indicate a zinc deficiency in the body.

Holes

You should examine the spleen’s condition if tiny holes and pores start to appear in the nails.

Pits

• This type of nail deformation can indicate diseases such as psoriasis or dermatosis. The nail sheet is strewn with small holes, as if pierced with a needle.

The reason for the pits’ appearance can be inferred from their depth. The pits may resemble tiny dots or may be quite deep in cases of psoriasis or syphilis.

The following are signs and symptoms of nail psoriasis:

• The color of the nails becomes yellow-brown;
• Small holes appear on the nail bed;
• White spots and horizontal stripes appear on the fingernails;
• The nail plates thicken in some places;
• Sometimes, the nail plate is torn away from the bed.

There are additional causes for the development of nail pits, including:

• Fungal diseases.
• Deficiency of vitamins and microelements in the body: calcium, vitamins A, B, E, iron, phosphorus and others. With vitamin deficiency, pits usually appear on the fingernails. In this case, brittleness, split ends and excessive hair loss are also noted.
• Nail psoriasis. A serious ailment affects not only nails, but also other parts of the body – usually skin and even bones.
• Mechanical damage or damage by chemicals.
• Excessive contact with chemicals has a negative impact on the health of nails. Most household chemicals dehydrate nails, thereby leading to their destruction. This causes transverse depressions on the nails, since the lack of moisture blocks the flow of nutrients to the tissues.
• Chemicals can provoke the development of the pathology onycholysis, the symptoms of which are often nail pits. The disease causes tissue destruction, in particular, it leads to the splitting of the nail sheet into transverse elements – small leaf-shaped plates.
• Serious damage to nails is caused by chemicals during the performance of professional duties. The disease attacks not only people employed in the chemical industry, but also nurses, sanitary workers who use disinfection solutions.

This illness may occasionally arise from the misuse of nail polishes in combination with acetone-based nail polish remover.

Additionally, you shouldn’t overdo your manicures—overdoing the polishing is what harms your nails the most. Since this procedure involves removing the nail’s top layer, which thins the entire plate, you shouldn’t go overboard.

Dents can also result from the bad habit of biting your nails when under a lot of stress or psychological strain.

Treatment

It is highly advised to consult a physician to determine the reason behind any dents that may have developed on the nail plates. A skilled professional will decide on a course of action that will enable you to improve the appearance and smooth out the nail surface.

If you follow the recommended treatment, understand the cause of the unevenness, and properly prepare your diet, you should have no trouble eliminating the unevenness of the nail plate.

If the underlying illness is successfully treated, you can totally get rid of the uneven nails:

• if there is a fungus or psoriasis, the help of a dermatologist is required;
• When identifying lung diseases, a pulmonologist consultation is needed;
• patients with heart pathologies are treated by a cardiologist;
• With a lack of vitamins in the body, you should consult a therapist who will prescribe drugs and adjust the patient"s nutrition.

The unfortunate truth is that psoriasis cannot be cured. The goal of therapy is to eradicate the primary symptoms with the use of customized injections and ointments that a dermatologist specifically prescribes for this patient.

Experts advise using files when polishing nails to lessen their pits. The tool should only be moved in one direction, with smooth, gentle movements that are not forceful. In order to achieve a smoother nail surface and virtually invisible dimples, multiple grinding procedures must be performed.

Care

Qualities of nail care to preserve their well-being:

• You should avoid mechanical and chemical damage to the nail plates, protect them from external environmental factors. In cold weather, it is recommended to wear warm mittens or gloves. Work with household chemicals, soil and water in rubber gloves.
• You should systematically do a manicure with a high-quality and sharp tool. It is allowed to carefully, without pressing, polish irregularities with soft one-sided movements. You should clean your nails from dirt, carefully trim uneven edges and snags.
• It is recommended to moisturize the skin of your hands and nails. If, for example, at low air humidity the skin dries out, you should use moisturizing creams and lotions. To maintain the beauty and health of your nails, use jojoba oil mixed with an oil solution of vitamin E.
• It is necessary to follow the basic principles of proper nutrition.

In conclusion, there are several reasons why nails can get dents, such as injuries, malnutrition, and underlying medical issues. For treatment to be effective, it is essential to identify the type of dent and its possible source. For example, horizontal dents may suggest illness or stress, while vertical ridges may indicate aging or a deficiency in vitamins.

Improving your diet, taking proper care of your nails, and preventing nail trauma are frequently necessary to address these problems. A more precise diagnosis and customized treatment plan may be obtained in certain situations by speaking with a medical expert. Maintaining strong, healthy nails is important for your general health as well as appearance.

You can improve the health of your nails and your appearance by learning about and treating the underlying causes of nail dents. Maintaining the best possible condition for your nails and avoiding more problems can be achieved with regular care and attention.

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