Nail it right!

Like your hair and skin, nails are a good barometer to measure your health. Nutritional deficiencies, stress levels, and undiagnosed diseases, all show up on your nails. Parimita Chakravorthy finds out the warnings and secrets your nails reveal about your health

Nail the problem
They look trimmed, perfectly filed and neat. But to a trained eye, your nails can reveal subtle variations in the texture or colour.

Dr Meha Mhatre, dermatologist and owner of Tressez Trichology and Advanced Skin Care says, “Nails are made up of keratin, a hard, strong protein which is found in your hair and skin as well. So, in case of deficiencies of essential nutrients like B-vitamins, calcium, folic acid, and vitamin C, they will show on your nails immediately.” Make sure you read them well.

Blue bites
If your nails look bluish, there is a possibility that your lungs are not getting enough oxygen, they are not functioning properly and you may have fluid in them. This happens often in severely cold places at high altitudes, where frost bites are common. In such situations, think on the lines of shifting into a space where it’s warmer.

Snow White syndrome
If your nails appear pale or white then it is quite likely that you have iron deficiency or anaemia. This is especially common when women go over the top with their weight loss and lose vital minerals.

Samreedhi Goel, nutritionist, personal trainer, and proprietor of Size Wise, the exercise studio, Pune states, “The deficiencies that occur during known or unknown deprivation of the body immediately reflect on the nails. The nail bed becomes brittle, thin, concave, patchy, and dull.” Faced with such symptoms, get a blood test done and check your haemoglobin level and if it’s on the downslide, you know what to do!

If the nails are too powdery white or flaky, it reflects liver problems like Hepatitis B, cirrhosis and others. A thorough diagnosis is inevitable in such cases.

Red alert
In case of a red nail bed, be cautious as it might indicate a heart disease. Get your heart checked for any uneven symptoms. If it is a deeper colour, a slightly brown shade, it may suggest B-12 deficiency.

Yellow yarn
At times, yellow, thickened, and slow growing nails reflect lung diseases like asthma and emphysema. If you have difficulty in breathing or get severely affected in dusty environments and see that your nails look brittle and yellowish, get a check up done for any kind of lung ailments. Yellowish nails with a slight blush at the base indicate diabetes, so check your sugar levels.

Check them out
Usually signs on nails are accompanied by other symptoms, so it becomes easy for a doctor to ascertain the causes. Many times, nails suffer from various kinds of fungal infections and ingrowths which cause them to crack, peel, and change colour and texture. So, professional diagnosis is always a better option.

What you should do is take care of your diet and supplement intakes. “Daily intake of citrus fruits, banana, and pineapple will take care of your vitamin C deficiency. Supplements of D3 and calcium help in good absorption of minerals by the body which results in healthy nails and bones. Biotin in dairy products is also helpful in dealing with these deficiencies, “recommends Samreedhi Goel.

Give your nails and thorough check up and get into great shape, with a healthy body and gorgeous nails!