Many people must have heard the rumor that "the crescent on the fingernails is a barometer of the body", right?
The crescent is here
(Source: Station Cool Helo)
Rumors say that the more crescents, the better the body, otherwise it is anemia, bad stomach, low immunity...
None of this can be believed!
Some of the appearance and shape of the fingernails can indeed reflect the physical condition, but some (such as the crescent moon) are pure nonsense, and today I will give you a list of which are real.
These crescents are called nails and half moons, which are actually newly grown nails, mainly keratin secreted by cells.
The reason why it is "crescent" shaped is because the keratin in the center of the nail secretes faster and more than on both sides[1], and after they grow out, they continue to push the old nail outward, resulting in a crescent-like shape.
Some people can't see the crescent on their fingers, it may be that the crescent grows backward and is wrapped in the skin, or it may be that the metabolism is slower, resulting in the crescent is not obvious.
The same person, some fingers have crescents, some do not have crescents, but also related to the speed and quantity of keratin secretion.
Take the thumb as an example, it is usually the most conspicuous finger of the crescent moon and the most used finger in daily life.
The hand often needs the help of the thumb when it completes the action of grasping, slapping, pushing and shoving.
The high frequency of use will increase the loss of the nail, which in turn will increase the rate at which the nail root secretes keratin.
The crescent moon can reflect the body's metabolism to a certain extent, but it is not absolute, and one cannot judge one's physical condition according to the crescent.
On the contrary, there is a crescent for a while, and there is no crescent for a while, and the changes are more frequent to need more attention.
It's true.
Healthy nails are pink, and nails dragged down by diseases can be white, black, brown, yellow[2]...
1. The nails have turned white
●In the first case, white spots and white spots appear on the nails.
This change is common, and most of them are caused by trauma, such as nails poking hard objects or hand-torn barbs.
If the toenail plates appear whitish and thicken, be aware of the possibility of onychomycosis (nail fungus).
● In the second case, if the nails turn white in a large area, it is necessary to consider the disease factors.
Cirrhosis, ulcerative colitis, hemoglobin deposition disease, and hypocalcemia may cause "white nails." In addition, hypocalcemia can make nails white, but they can also make nails brittle and soft .[2]
●In the third case, a regular white horizontal line appears on the nail, which may be related to arsenic, lead, and thallium poisoning, or it may be caused by malnutrition or immune anemia.
●In the fourth case, if all nails are whitish, called full white nails, and there are similar patients in the family, it is autosomal dominant inheritance.
2. The nails have turned black
The nail grows a black line, which may be a black mole (a mother mole) growing in the nail, or it may be a melanoma.
It is best to go to the dermatologist for diagnosis to rule out the risk of malignancy.
3. The nails have turned brown
Many health problems can make the nails brown in a large area and can be compared one by one.
Brown nails may occur with vitamin B12 deficiency, hyperthyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, and hypopituitarism.
4. The nails have turned yellow
There is a condition called "yellow nail syndrome", where nails not only turn yellow, but also grow slower.
If yellow nails appear, be aware of these conditions: kidney disease, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and even malignant tumors, AIDS.
Not necessarily.
Some dents are just signs of nail aging and injury, but some are often accompanied by systemic diseases.
1. Dents on the nails
This is a more friendly dent, extending from the base of the nail to the fingertips, usually related to age, and has little to do with whether the body is healthy or unhealthy.
The reason for the vertical striae is that the metabolic rate of the cells at the base of the nail has changed [3]. The older you get, the more vertical lines tend to appear on your nails.
2. There is a transverse groove on the nail
This dent is less friendly, and if it is not caused by trauma, it may be related to systemic wasting disease.
This dent across the nail surface is scientifically called the "Boswell line". As early as 1846, a French doctor surnamed "Bo" conducted a study on the relationship between henggou and health.
The appearance of a dangling horizontal groove on the nail surface is likely to be related to the suspension of the division of nail cells [4].
(Source: Network)
The one who can press the "pause button" on the fingertip is usually some lesion that has an impact throughout the body.
Mild malnutrition, calculating heart and liver disease, mumps, measles, pneumonia [4]...
If this ditch finds you, and you have not yet caught the real culprit behind the scenes, it is best to systematically check the function of various parts of the body.
In general, the color, shape, texture of nails, are easy to be biased by various physical problems, if you see nails become ugly, old, you really have to be vigilant and find the reason.
However, your physical condition, nails may not be clearer than you. If you find that your nails have abnormal changes, it is still not recommended to guess at the above content.
Going to the dermatologist and having the doctor arrange a test is the safest option.
(Source: giphy)
Review expert: Xu Hongjun | attending physician of the Department of Dermatology, Beijing Friendship Hospital
bibliography:
[1] Cohen PR. The lunula. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1996;34(6):943-956. doi:10.1016/s0190-9622(96)90269-8 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0190-9622(96)90269-8
[2] Dimitrios Rigopoulos,Anestis Prantsidis,Zhang Ruzhi. Nail discoloration[J].Journal of Clinical Dermatology,2005(01):56-60.
[3] Habif TP. Nail diseases[M]. Elsevier Saunders:St. Louis, Mo, 2016
[4] Archana Singal,Rahul Arora. Nail as a window of systemic diseases[J]. ndian Dermatol Online J. 2015, 6(2): 67–74.
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