Nail Growth Problems

Nail growth problems are directly related to lack of adequate nutrition and negligence in taking proper care of the nails. Some of the essential nutrients that affect the growth and appearance of the nails include calcium, Vitamin-B, Vitamin-C or folic acid, protein, fat and iron. Alternatively, too much exposure to harmful chemicals can lead to chronic deformities and radical changes in the growth and appearance of the nails.

Chronic nail growth problems can have multiple factors working together to cause various nail infections and deformities which might even need surgical treatments. Though apparently non-functional and non-organic, nails play an important role in protecting the toes and fingertips and thus nail growth problems can affect both our overall health as well the appearance of our hands and toes.

Ingrown nails are one of the most common ailments related to nail growth. Ingrown nails mostly affect the big toe of your feet and can sometimes be extremely painful to cope with. You can identify an ingrown toenail when you find the sharp edges of your toenail digging painfully inside the flesh around the nail. Usually, the toenails tend to grow straight out although at times due to specific reasons the sides of the nails curve inside the nail grooves. Ingrown nails are mostly caused due to improper ways of trimming, trauma and wearing ill-fitting shoes. To protect your nails from the pain of ingrown nails it is necessary to avoid trimming them in a rounded shape and instead always trim them straight across. It is equally important to wear shoes that fit well and allow enough breathing space to your toenails. Remember, lack of proper care and treatment of ingrown nails may even need surgical approaches.

Other ailments related to nail growth include splitting of the nails, hang nails and spoon nails. While lack of nutrition and protein leads to the split nails, hang nails are typically caused due to the tearing out of the cuticles or the nail folds. The cuticles tend to remain attached to the nail plates, which at times causes too much of stretching and tearing out as and when the nails grow.

Lack of iron or overall nutrition is reflected in the development of spoon nails. Alternatively, spoon nails can also be the effect of trauma caused to the nails. The growing of curled up edges of the nail plate can be identified as spoon nails, leading to a lot of pain and discomfort.

Sufficient intake of all the necessary nutrients can eliminate nail growth problems, further making them strong and healthy. The body needs adequate amount of all the elements that help in building keratin of which nails are made of. Thus, in order to avoid all sorts of nail problems just do the following:

• Cuticles protect the nails from bacteria and fungi. Do not trim them.
• Always use gloves to protect your fingernails from getting dry and exposed to harmful chemicals while doing household chores.
• Keep short nails to prevent them from breaking off and soak them before trimming to avoid splitting.
• Drink a cup of tea made of horsetail, nettle or oat straw to ensure healthy nail growth. Have lots of Vitamin C and E including Biotin, Vitamin B and mixed amino acid complex, containing sulfur, which also promotes nail growth.