Quote from: Dena on January 09, 2017, 07:34:58 PM
HRT can affect nails. After surgery I had to stop wearing nail polish because the solvent in the polish was attacking the nail. Even without polish I have to keep them shorter or they will break off on me. Diet and health are good so the only thing that change was testosterone.
It's not just the solvents, it's also the fact that wearing polish prevents your nails from getting oxygen. Even though nails are dead... they are just protean (keratin), that will make them brittle and weak. Your nails are much more permeable than the skin.
That happens to me as well. I keep my nails very short because I play guitar. If I grow them a little they split and crack. Ironic that certain nail polish is advertised as making your nails stronger, when it does the opposite!
Diet effects your nails too.
From Wikipedia:
"Vitamin A is an essential micro-nutrient for vision, reproduction, cell and tissue differentiation, and immune function. Vitamin D and calcium work together in cases of maintaining homeostasis, creating muscle contraction, transmission of nerve pulses, blood clotting, and membrane structure. A lack of vitamin A, vitamin D, or calcium can cause dryness and brittleness.
Insufficient vitamin B12 can lead to excessive dryness, darkened nails, and rounded or curved nail ends. Insufficient intake of both vitamin A and B results in fragile nails with horizontal and vertical ridges. Some over-the-counter vitamin supplements such as certain multivitamins and biotin may help in growth of strong nails, although this is quite subjective.
Protein is a building material for new nails; therefore, low dietary protein intake may cause anemia and the resultant reduced hemoglobin in the blood filling the capillaries of the nail bed reflects varying amounts of light incident on the nail matrix resulting in lighter shades of pink ultimately resulting in white nail beds when the hemoglobin is very low. When hemoglobin is close to 15 or 16 grams, most of the spectrum of light is absorbed and only the pink color is reflected back and the nails look pink. A lack of protein combined with deficiencies in folic acid and vitamin C produce hangnails.
Essential fatty acids play a large role in healthy skin as well as nails. Splitting and flaking of nails may be due to a lack of linoleic acid.
Iron-deficiency anemia can lead to a pale color along with a thin, brittle, ridged texture. Iron deficiency in general may cause the nails to become flat or concave, rather than convex. Heme iron is absorbed fairly easily in comparison to non-heme iron; however, both types provide the necessary bodily functions."
