Nail Health Line

90% of the "nail health lines" we often refer to are not the "serious disease warning signs" spread online. They are essentially physiological traces left during the growth of nails. Only a few changes in special shapes and accompanied by other physical discomforts require further investigation of health problems.

Last week, I was doing health education in the community. As soon as I set up my stall, a little junior girl rushed over. She was about to cry, holding up her left thumb. She said that she saw a short video saying that vertical lines on nails are "precursors of cancer." She had this line for almost half a year, and she was so scared that she couldn't sleep for half a semester. I pulled her over and took a look, and saw that there were light white vertical lines as thin as hair. After asking, I found out that she stayed up until two or three o'clock every day to do homework, and relied on steamed bun instant noodles in the cafeteria to eat. This was a typical nail surface pattern caused by metabolic fluctuations. I asked her to go back to bed half an hour early every day and eat more dark green vegetables. After three months, she came to me specifically, and the lines were basically invisible.

In fact, the "health line" in everyone's mouth is not a unified concept at all. Some people refer to the vertical lines on the nail surface, while others refer to the grooves across the nail. Some people also include the pale white halo next to the half-moon on the nail. Even the size and number of the crescent moon are included in the criteria of "health line". It is very confusing.

There have always been two schools of thought about this, and no one can convince the other. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes that "the claws are in addition to the tendons and serve as external factors for the liver and gallbladder." Clinically, there are indeed many patients with Qi and blood deficiency whose nails will be pale and covered with fine lines. After regulating Qi and blood, the condition of the nail surface will be significantly improved. Therefore, many veteran Chinese medicine practitioners will regard the condition of the nails as a reference for the rise and fall of Qi and blood. This is based on many years of practice. The view of modern dermatology is more direct: nails are appendages formed by epidermal keratinization. As long as they are slightly disturbed during the growth process - whether you accidentally hit the nail root when cutting your nails, or you lacked some vitamin B during that time, or even just took anti-allergic medicine for two days due to seasonal allergies, it may leave traces on the nail surface. Most of them do not require special treatment, and it will be over after it grows out on its own.

By the way, some people say that the little white spots on the nails are roundworms in the stomach. My grandmother also said the same when I was a child. In fact, it is just a small trauma to the nail root, which has nothing to do with the roundworms. It will disappear after a few weeks.

But don’t think I’m saying that you don’t need to worry about the condition of your nails. There are really two situations you need to pay attention to. For example, the black vertical lines are more than 3 millimeters wide and have blurred borders. Even the skin around the nails will turn black and gradually become wider. Then go to the dermatology department to get a dermoscopy to check for the possibility of onychomycosis or malignant melanoma. This is not a scare. I met a man in his 40s two years ago. The dark lines on his thumb had been growing for three years without taking it seriously. In the end, it was found that it was early-stage melanoma. Fortunately, it was discovered early and it was removed and it was fine. There are also those cases where the entire nail suddenly becomes pitted, and the fingertips are peeling and the joints are painful. Don't hold on. It is most likely an accompanying symptom of psoriasis or arthritis. Early intervention will help.

I have been doing grassroots health education for almost 6 years, and the most outrageous thing I have ever seen was a young man who had to take health supplements for three months because there were three small crescents on his fingernails that did not grow back. In the end, he came to the hospital with a nosebleed. Don’t you think this is nonsense? The concave transverse grooves that cross the nails are clinically called Beau's lines. To put it bluntly, it means that during the period when your nails are growing, your body is just "out of control" - whether you have a minor illness, go hungry, or stay up late all night, the growth of your nails will be temporarily stopped for half a beat, and such a mark will be left. I met someone just last year. After giving birth to a baby, all ten of her fingernails were covered with such grooves. She thought she was seriously ill due to poor confinement, but when asked, she found out that she was in pain for three days and three nights when she gave birth and didn't eat much. After giving birth, she stayed up half a month to take care of the baby. After the baby was six months old, she settled into a regular schedule, and her nails slowly grew back to their original smooth appearance.

In fact, there is really no need to argue whether the two views are right or wrong. If you believe in the conditioning logic of traditional Chinese medicine, pay more attention to replenishing qi and blood, and have a regular work and rest routine. Your nails will look good, and your overall mental state will not be much different.； If you believe more in modern medicine, as long as there are no abnormalities like the ones I mentioned, you don’t have to worry about those small lines at all.

If you really want to judge whether you are healthy or not, don't stare at the little lines on your nails for a long time. If you usually eat well, sleep well, and climb the fifth floor without gasping for breath, even if there are two small lines on your nails, you are much healthier than those who stay up late every day, dance to the disco, and check themselves on Baidu. After all, nails are a "little notepad" for your body's condition, not a "book of life and death." Don't take that line too seriously, and don't take it completely seriously. That's enough.