Beautiful and well-groomed nails always create a positive impression of a person. Like skin and hair, they need constant care. In addition, nails are a kind of indicator of the state of the body. The problems associated with discoloration of the nail plate, stratification and slow growth indicate that the body is not as healthy as it seems. In this article, we will consider such a problem as the separation of nails, find out the causes of its occurrence and solutions.
The structure and anatomy of the nail
In order to find out why the nails are prone to stratification, you need to turn to a science such as biology. Nail is a horny plate layer whose function is to protect the phalanges of the fingers. Matrix - the root of the nail, this is the place where the formation of the nail plate occurs. Its basis is a special protein - keratin.
It is also present in the skin and hair. It determines the strength of the nail plate. The shape, structure and growth rate of nails is genetically dependent. However, despite this, certain external and internal factors can also influence these indicators. Thus, it can be said that stratification of nails in some cases may depend on a genetic predisposition, and in some cases on factors of the external and internal environment.
External factors
As we found out earlier, problems with the nail plate may be due to the negative effects of external factors. These include: improper treatment of the nail, contact with aggressive detergents, a moist environment, false nails. In order to find out how these factors can lead to such a problem as the separation of nails, we will study each of them in more detail.
Manicure Secrets
Quite often it happens that those girls who devote a lot of time to nail care have weaker nails than those who do manicure every two weeks. Of course, here you can recall the expression "Everything needs a measure." Firstly, filing the nail plate too often injures it, which leads to even greater delamination. In addition, to give the necessary shape to the nails is a very important and responsible task. To do this, you need to choose a quality tool - a nail file.
There is a huge selection of manicure tools, and each has its own purpose. For weak nails, prone to delamination, a glass nail file is the best fit. It does not injure the stratum corneum, but at the same time gives it a beautiful and neat shape in skilled hands.
Frequent use of nail polish remover also causes stratification of nails. For this reason, it is recommended to buy high-quality cosmetic products that will give not only a beautiful visual effect, but also strengthen the nail plate. Poor nail polish, which must be removed every two weeks with a special tool and applied again, is unlikely to strengthen them.
Contact with various substances
We all know that a substance such as water - H 2 O - is not an aggressive medium. As a rule, it does not harm the body, but its excess can have a negative effect. This is due to the fact that in the composition of the horny plate layer there are layers of water and fat. Thanks to them, the nail plate shines and has high elasticity. In addition, the nails absorb water, and the more it penetrates, the thicker and softer they become. This leads to a problem such as stratification of the nails. Cause and treatment are, of course, interconnected. If you notice that after contact with water the nails begin to exfoliate, it is necessary to reduce the time of its impact on the nail plate.
Aggressive substances can also harm the stratum corneum. As a rule, it is in detergents that they are most. If water is absorbed into the nail, leading to delamination, then detergents, on the contrary, dry the nails and take moisture from them. As a result, not only the nail plate suffers, but also the delicate skin of the hands. It is interesting to note that stratification of toenails is much less common. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the legs do not come in contact with such substances. For this reason, of course, rubber gloves must be used when cleaning, washing and washing dishes. And at the end, you can apply a softening cream on your hands and cuticle.
Intrinsic factors
Lack of vitamins and minerals, hormonal failure, pregnancy - all this can also cause a problem such as stratification of nails. Cause and treatment, of course, are interconnected and depend on a person’s lifestyle, on his diet and many other factors. What vitamins and substances do nails need?
Deficiency of macro- and micronutrients
Diet plays an important role in the functioning of any organism. The lack of certain nutrients leads to many problems. One of them is the separation of the nails on the hands. The reasons why this problem occurs is easy to identify by carefully examining your menu. At least a set of vitamins such as A, C, E and D must be present in it. If for some reason it is impossible to get them from food, then you need to take a complex of vitamins and minerals for hair and nail growth every six months .
Very often, women experience various hormonal disruptions. They can be caused by stress, depression, pregnancy, and childbirth. In each specific case, a problem such as delamination of the nails on the hands may also occur. The reasons mentioned above cannot always be very easily eliminated. For example, if a woman is preparing to become a mother, most likely, her nails can begin to peel and her hair will fall out. This is a fairly common occurrence. In order to avoid this, you need to contact your gynecologist. He must prescribe the necessary complex of vitamins and minerals.
Drug exposure
Nails, like hair, react very strongly to internal changes in the body. When failures occur, the nail plate immediately indicates this by turning blue, exfoliating, and a low growth rate. Stratification of the nails on the hands may be the result of taking certain medications, for example, antibiotics. With cancer, this problem can also occur. If the stratification of nails bothers you for a long time, and at the same time there are concomitant symptoms, such as anemia or malaise, you must definitely consult a specialist, because this can be a signal of a serious illness.
Alternative methods of treatment
As we have already found out, the causes of stratification of nails can be very diverse. It is not always possible to quickly eliminate them, but you want to have beautiful and healthy claws constantly. It must be understood that not always a folk remedy can completely solve such a problem as delamination of the nail plate. However, in cases where the human body is absolutely healthy, and the problem is caused by external factors, you can easily get rid of it using the following methods.
- Baths for nails. Dissolve one tablespoon of sea salt in a glass of water. In this solution, you need to keep your nails for about 15 minutes. In natural sea salt there is a huge amount of nutrients necessary for nail growth. It is recommended that you perform this procedure before bedtime. In no case after it is impossible to file nails. The stratification, the treatment of which we are considering, can also be eliminated with a substance such as iodine. This is one of the best tools to strengthen the nail plate. For this reason, it is recommended to use bathtubs with this particular element. For this, 4 drops of iodine must be diluted in a glass of warm water. You can also add some sea salt, essential oils. After the procedure, you need to lubricate the fingers with a nourishing cream.
- Sealing nails with wax. This is a rather interesting and unique procedure that allows you to solve such a problem as delamination. It consists in the fact that useful oils are rubbed into the nail plate, and all this is sealed with wax. The procedure is carried out both in salons and at home. As a rule, rub oils of avocado, almond, ylang-ylang, wheat germ. Then a special cream-wax is applied and the nails are polished with a suede buff. This procedure allows you to "seal" the necessary elements and vitamins inside the nail plate, which leads to its strengthening and reduction of delamination.