I used to have wonderful fingernails. They were thick, and never broke or chipped, that is, until I began to transition. Once I began HRT, my fingernails became paper thin, and they were always chipped.

Now, I'm post op, and my nails are paper thin, worse than ever, always chipped. I'm assuming it's due to the estrogen, and I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to improve them. Does anyone have any recommendations? I would think there's some kind of vitamin or mineral imbalance causing this, but I've no idea which one, and every doctor I've spoken to has a different idea.

I'm not certain that this is due to estrogen, as my nails are like tiger claws and could probably puncture a coke can.
What is your height and weight? Also, what kind of diet do you have? i.e. what kind of foods and drinks do you regularly consume?
Do you take a women's multi-vitamin?

I had this same issue too, but that was when i was pre-0p. ever since i stopped taking anti-androgens though it went away. my fingernails can be pretty again!!!

I've always had great nails
try some vitamin e. it's good for hair and nails

I will also get on the biotin bandwagon here.
I have had to statr ussing it shortly after I started HRT.
Good stuff. It works well.

I'll have to try biotin again. A doctor had recommended it a while back, and I ended up buying a hair and nail vitamin product from a health food store. It didn't help, but I may have better results if I try a higher concentration of biotin. I used to think it was caused by the spiro, but I don't take it any more, so it must be caused by the estrogen. I'll buy the 5,000 mcg and see how it works.

My nails were bad before SRS, afterwards, they became much worse. Spiro had little efffect on me, virtually no breast growth or other changes. After SRS, breast growth was suddenly taking place, and there were other physical effects too. Even though I'm post-op, my doctor did not lower the dosage of estrogen. The clinic that administers my HRT generally maintain the pre-op estrogen dosage for at least 2 years post-op. It's a protocol that's worked very well for me because the estrogen can work virtually unopposed by testosterone.

One way of thinking is breast growth occurs either in a growth or a non growth phase, and in natal females, breast growth can take 5 years or more. As long as breast growth or other feminization is taking place, unless there are increased side effects, there is no reason to change the dosage of estrogen. Unfortunately, the increased function of estrogen also causes an increase in the weakening of fingernails as a side effect in some people.  It's a trade off, but I'd prefer to have the desired gains and I'll try the biotin to deal with the thin fingernails.

The traditional way of administering HRT is to lower the dosage of estrogen by at least 50% post op, but that originated when a different form of estrogen was used in HRT, the other form being more prone to serious side effects such as blood clots in the legs. HRT as typically administered today is considered to have a higher safety factor, so maintaining the pre-op dosage, which still must be monitored on a regular basis, is thought to be less hazardous. It may be due to the lowering of estrogen post-op as well as spiro being a weak anti androgen compared to surgery, that problems with thin and brittle fingernails isn't more prevalent.

A common problem although once your body settles down post-op it usually gets better.

It can also affect some girls pre-op in my experience.

A good healthy diet including a vitamin biotin, nail vitamin cream treatment and the use of a good nail varnish is the way forward.

Caroline

Mine became thin when I started HRT.  I had to use acrylic to keep them from chipping.  But I will try the Biotin.

I think also Avocado fruit are good for skin, hair, and nail health! Try eating those a lot whenever on sale!

I've been taking fish oil, and that has helped. 

Pre-HRT my nails were very strong.  HRT affected them a little, but it was about 5 months post-op when they became really weak - chipping, peeling, breaking.  (Peeling! )  I figured that it was the anesthetic during GRS, that the parts that were new then had grown out to where they could break and tear.  Sure enough, about 8 or 9 months post-op they got strong again and now I rarely have a problem.  (They will chip if I wear them too long, though.)

- Kate

Quote from: K8 on February 18, 2011, 05:57:57 PM
I've been taking fish oil, and that has helped. 

Pre-HRT my nails were very strong.  HRT affected them a little, but it was about 5 months post-op when they became really weak - chipping, peeling, breaking.  (Peeling! )  I figured that it was the anesthetic during GRS, that the parts that were new then had grown out to where they could break and tear.  Sure enough, about 8 or 9 months post-op they got strong again and now I rarely have a problem.  (They will chip if I wear them too long, though.)

- Kate

Thanks Kate, that's really interesting because I'm now 7 months post op and about 6 months post op my nails have been really thin and breaking and peeling and my thumb nails look like they are made of snake skin with little bits peeling off. I hope it settles down.

Stardust

Mine were like this after Estrogen as well...until I started taking Prenatal vitamins

Quote from: K8 on February 18, 2011, 05:57:57 PM
I've been taking fish oil, and that has helped. 

Pre-HRT my nails were very strong.  HRT affected them a little, but it was about 5 months post-op when they became really weak - chipping, peeling, breaking.  (Peeling! )  I figured that it was the anesthetic during GRS, that the parts that were new then had grown out to where they could break and tear.  Sure enough, about 8 or 9 months post-op they got strong again and now I rarely have a problem.  (They will chip if I wear them too long, though.)

- Kate

Good to know as well! And my doc has me on 4000mg of Omega3 a day too so maybe that has helped too

In addition to the biotin, insure you take a good daily supply of minerals, especially zinc and magnesium.  These are essential for helping the skin and nails grow stronger.

I'm unfortunately I'm in the same situation and to confirm that this is the second time around that my nails have become weak, split and peel very easily.  The first time was after starting hormones, the actual time frame I cannot remember whether it was years or immediately after the start of hormones.  I just kept my nails short and tidy with clear varnish with strengthening.  Sometime ago and at the time I did not realise that my nails where healthy not splitting or peeling and it was at this period of time, I was not on hormones.   Currently my nails are splitting and peeling again and obviously the only difference being is that I'm currently taking my hormones.

There is a thread where this same issue has been discussed and the the mention of biotin came up.  As a result I have been taking biotin.  This time around I have insured that I have a good supply as the first time I did not have a good supply and as a result I was not able to continue taking biotin and was not able to determine the effectiveness of biotin.  Now I make sure that I take them regularly.  Hopefully this will tell me if biotin will work for me.  I do take a multi vitamin, so only time will tell if the effects of biotin will solve my nail problems.

Kind regards
Sarah B