What makes nails brittle

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Verified By Experts Icon. Verified by experts 6 min read. No Ads. Jeffrey M. Last updated September 22, Heart Icon. Speech Bubble Icon. Share Icon. Facebook Icon. LinkedIn Icon. Pinterest Icon. Pocket Icon. Share Link Icon. Copied to clipboard. Table of Contents. Brittle fingernails questionnaire Use our free symptom checker to find out what's causing your brittle fingernails.

Symptoms associated with brittle fingernails Like most people, you probably take your nails for granted. Common accompanying symptoms of brittle fingernails In addition to being brittle, your nails might also be: Rough Pitted Weak Dry Frayed and torn Discolored Slow growing Nails, skin, hair, and sweat and oil glands are all part of your integumentary system.

Environmental causes Frequent, prolonged exposure to water can cause brittle fingernails. Nail care products Frequent use of nail care products especially nail polish remover, acetone or otherwise can be harmful to your nails. Nutritional causes Improper nutrition can result in brittle fingernails. Poor nutrition: Such as from disordered eating such as anorexia or bulimia , malnutrition, or protein, iron or calcium deficiency takes its toll on your health, and shows on your skin, hair and nails.

Too much selenium: Interestingly enough, an excess of dietary selenium — found naturally in seafood, muscle meat, organ meat, grains and cereals — can lead to brittle nails. Taking too high a dose of selenium supplements can have the same effect.

Other causes Brittle fingernails are not always caused by medical conditions, environmental exposures or nutritional deficiencies or excesses. This list does not constitute medical advice and may not accurately represent what you have. Low calcium level Hypocalcemia is a condition where there is not enough calcium in the blood.

Rarity: Rare Top Symptoms: fatigue, shortness of breath, irritability, general numbness, tingling foot Urgency: Primary care doctor Iron deficiency anemia Iron deficiency anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough iron to form hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Eczema atopic dermatitis Eczema atopic dermatitis is a non-contagious chronic skin condition that produces an itchy rash.

Allergic contact dermatitis of the hand Allergic contact dermatitis is a condition in which the skin becomes irritated and inflamed following physical contact with an allergen. Rarity: Common Top Symptoms: hand itch, hand redness, scabbed area of the hand Symptoms that always occur with allergic contact dermatitis of the hand: hand redness Urgency: Self-treatment Psoriasis Psoriasis causes an overgrowth of surface skin cells, creating a red, scaly, itchy, and painful rash.

Rarity: Uncommon Top Symptoms: itchy rash, red or pink, rough patch of skin, rash with well-defined border, painful rash, scaly rash Symptoms that never occur with psoriasis: fever, black-colored skin changes, brown-colored skin changes, blue-colored skin changes Urgency: Primary care doctor Anorexia Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder.

While weight loss is the primary feature of anorexia, this condition can affect many organ systems throughout the body Bulimia Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behavior, such as self-induced vomiting, fasting, excessive exercise, or abuse of laxatives or diuretics.

Brittle fingernails treatments and relief When to see a doctor for brittle fingernails Seek medical care if you have brittle fingernails and: You are losing your hair Your fingernails start to fall off You are experiencing mood swings or confusion You have nausea, vomiting or diarrhea The brittleness came on suddenly At-home treatments for brittle fingernails Unless you have an underlying medical condition, keeping your fingernails healthy is mostly a matter of good nutrition and hygiene.

Nutrition: Eat a balanced diet, based on lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Avoid "junk food.

Biotin, as a supplement, can help to strengthen brittle nails. Hygiene: Keep your nails trimmed and avoid biting your nails and picking at your cuticles. Resist the urge to change your nail color every few days; it is best to wait at least a week between manicures and pedicures. You should also avoid picking off your nail polish as this takes a layer of cells off of your nails. Questions your doctor may ask about brittle fingernails Have you been feeling more tired than usual, lethargic or fatigued despite sleeping a normal amount?

Have you ever been diagnosed with diabetes? Any fever today or during the last week? Do you currently smoke? Share this on:. Brittle nails occur for a variety of reasons. They may be a normal sign of aging or the result of polishing your nails too frequently. When the weather is cold, brittle nails may result from dryness. Weak nails also can be signs of a health issue, such as hypothyroidism or anemia. Before you assume the worst or head to the doctor, learn how to strengthen brittle nails and the reasons why you might be experiencing them.

Do you frequently wash your hands or do the dishes? The fix: File or trim nails so that just a bit of white tip is left but still below than the fleshy top of your finger. That will make it possible to text and type with just the pad of your finger.

Time for a dose of reality—you have to reapply hand cream every time you wash your hands. Water dries your skin out, and if the skin at and below your cuticles is dry, then the underlying nail matrix is, too.

That means the nail it forms will be prone to splitting, breaking, and cracking, says Ellen Marmur, MD , associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Just like washing your hands frequently can cause brittle nails, so can constant application of hand sanitizer, thanks to its high concentration of drying alcohol, says North Carolina-based board-certified dermatologist Sheel Desai Solomon, MD. Using hand sanitizer wipes can make this a bit easier.

But if you prefer to use a liquid product, just be sure to follow with hand cream to rebalance with moisture. Marmur says. The fix: Dr. Toombs recommends taking polish off after five days—when most formulas will start wearing down anyway. Then give nails a few days of downtime before hitting the paint again.

If gasoline and grain alcohol had a liquid lovechild, we imagine it would smell like nail polish remover. Acetone in traditional remover strips the natural oils in your nails along with the polish, leaving you with brittle nails. Let it dry, wipe off any excess, and the polish will go on like normal. Back away from the cuticle snippers.

These bits of skin at the base of the nail are essentially protective grout between your nail and skin, shielding your nail from water, bacteria, and anything else you touch.