What Causes Nail Breakage-What is Nail Breakage?

Made up of layers of a protein called keratin, your nails act as protection for your fingers and toes. Keratin, which also makes up the cells in your hair and skin, works to protect nails from damage.

There are some medical conditions that can make your nails brittle. From aging to malnutrition, many conditions can make your nails dry, thin or easy to break. Also, broken nails can be a side effect of treatment you receive for a disease. With the support of a specialist doctor and the right care techniques, you can have healthy and strong nails. “What causes nail breakage?” and “What is good for broken nails? You can read the rest of the article for answers to questions such as..

What Causes Nail Breakage?

Nails are like biomarkers of the body. The cause of nail breakage may be environmental factors to which the nails are exposed. However, some medical conditions detected in the body as a result of examinations and tests by the doctor may also be among the causes of nail breakage. Some of the factors that cause nail breakage can be listed as follows:

Overexposure to water and moisture: Your nails swell when wet and shrink when dry. When your hands are exposed to too much water, your nails, which swell and shrink, become brittle in the face of this change. This effect can be even more severe, especially if you use harsh soaps or detergents.
Advanced Age: With the advancement of age, your nails may dry out. Toenails often thicken and crack due to hardening, while fingernails become thinner and unstable. This can cause the nails to break easily.
Raynaud’s syndrome: Raynaud’s syndrome is characterized by numbness and coldness of some parts of the body, such as the fingers and toes, as a result of factors such as stress, cold and hot weather. In Raynaud’s syndrome, vasospasm is seen, a condition characterized by narrowing of the capillaries in the skin. In the presence of vasospasm, adequate blood flow to the blood capillaries cannot be achieved. Since the nutrients, vitamins and minerals required for your nail health are carried by blood, insufficient blood flow to the area can cause your nails to become brittle or unhealthy.
Women are more likely than men to have Raynaud’s syndrome. It is more common in people living in cold climates.

Treatment for Raynaud’s syndrome depends on the severity of the condition and whether you have other health problems. For most people, Raynaud’s syndrome is not a barrier, but it can affect your quality of life. For correct diagnosis and treatment, do not neglect to get expert support and to have your check-ups.

Low thyroid levels (Hyperthyroidism): Hypothyroidism is a condition that results in a slowing of metabolism when thyroid hormone cannot be produced adequately. One of the symptoms of hypothyroidism can be brittle nails. Hypothyroidism disrupts processes such as nutrient transport and energy production to the nails as a result of a slowed metabolism. This can cause slow growing and brittle nails. The thyroid also controls sweating. When not active enough, less sweat is produced. Nails are much more likely to become dry and brittle if sweat secretion, a natural moisturizer, is reduced.
Common symptoms of hypothyroidism include feeling tired, weight gain, and chills. The main treatment for hypothyroidism is hormone replacement therapy. This means that the hormone necessary for treatment is taken with drugs and treated. If you have such symptoms, it is recommended to go to a doctor’s control.

Anemia: Anemia, which can also be called low hemoglobin, is a condition that occurs when the amount of healthy red blood cells is insufficient. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to the tissues. In the case of anemia, the tissues do not receive enough oxygen. This can make you feel tired and weak. Brittle nails can also be one of the symptoms of anemia. Because as the amount of oxygen going to the nail tissues decreases, the amount of energy produced in the tissues for the healthy growth of the nail decreases.
The most common cause of anemia is not having enough iron in the blood. Not getting enough iron from the diet or the presence of a condition that prevents iron absorption in the intestines can cause anemia. But these are just common causes. There are many types of anemia caused by different causes. Anemia can be temporary or long-lasting. The severity also varies according to the type of anemia and the lifestyle of the individual. Depending on the cause, treatment for anemia ranges from taking supplements to other medical procedures. You can prevent some types of anemia with a healthy and rich diet. If you suspect you have anemia, you should see your doctor.

Cancer treatment: Brittle nails can be a side effect of some cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy. Dry skin and brittle nails are common after chemotherapy.
Malnutrition: Brittle nails can sometimes occur as a result of malnutrition. It may mean that you are not getting enough of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. For example; It is stated that biotin, a B vitamin complex, is necessary for nail health. A diet low in or low in biotin can negatively affect your nail health, so you’re more likely to have brittle nails.

What Is Good For Nail Breakage?

“What is good for nail breakage?” In order to give a clear answer to the question “Why does nail breakage happen?” The answer to the question should be sought. For this, you must go to a doctor’s examination. Your doctor can apply the necessary treatment after performing the appropriate scans. If you observe that your nails are unhealthy, you can help prevent it with some home care strategies.

Here are some home care strategies you can apply to have healthy nails:

Minimize your nails’ exposure to water.
Consume enough water.
Pay attention to your diet.
Prefer to use acetone-free nail polish removers.
Avoid false, gel, or acrylic nails.
Take a break from nail polish.
Use shorter nails.
Reduce the number of actions where you use your quotes.
Use nail lotion.
Do not overexpose your nails to hand sanitizer.
Change the way you file.
Use cleaning products with gloves.
Take care when choosing your shampoo and shower gel.
If you still encounter the problem of nail breakage despite acquiring these habits, the problem may be some deficiencies in the body rather than the exposure of the nail. In this case, it is possible for nail breakage to occur due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Which Vitamin Deficiency Causes Nails To Break?

“Breaking nails are the result of which vitamin deficiency?” There is no single answer to the question. While some vitamins help strengthen the nails, some vitamins provide the necessary moisture to the nails and prevent them from drying out. In addition, if the vitamin that is missing in the body is determined with the necessary scans, healthier results can be obtained.

Nail breakage can be seen in the deficiency of B complex vitamins, especially biotin. Biotin, also known as vitamin H and vitamin B7, is water soluble and is not stored by the body. For this reason, you should make sure that you get this type of vitamin daily through food. It can be found in foods such as sardines, eggs, and legumes. Biotin can help strengthen nails. On the other hand, unhealthy nails may occur in the deficiency of some vitamins and minerals other than biotin. You can prevent the nails from drying out with calcium supplementation, the formation of hangnails (a narrow skin band coming out of the nail bed) with folic acid and vitamin C supplementation, and nail cracking with omega-3 intake. Always check with your doctor before taking a vitamin or mineral supplement to make sure it’s right for you.

Nails can also be brittle due to a lack of protein in your diet. You can roughly calculate your body’s daily protein needs by multiplying your weight by 0.36. An inadequate protein diet can reduce the amount of keratin produced in your body.

Nails can give you messages about the health of your body. Nails can dry out, crack and/or break. Each situation may be a sign of a different ailment. Therefore, if you have brittle nails, you should care about this and see a dermatologist to find out the reason.