What Are You Lacking if You Have Hangnails? Vitamin Deficiency (2024)

FAQs

What Are You Lacking if You Have Hangnails? Vitamin Deficiency? ›

Hangnails can result from a protein deficiency, as well as a lack of essential vitamins including folic acid, vitamin B, vitamin C, and keratin.

- A deficiency in B-complex vitamins, especially biotin, will produce ridges along the nail bed. - A diet lacking in calcium contributes to dry, brittle nails. - A lack of folic acid and vitamin C can lead to hangnails. - Insufficient dietary essential oils, like omega-3, cause cracking.

Nail changes in vitamin B₁₂ deficiency present as hyperpigmentation of nails like bluish discoloration of nails, blue-black pigmentation with dark longitudinal streaks, and longitudinal and reticulate darkened streaks. The nail pigmentation associated with B₁₂ deficiency is more frequent in patients with dark skin.

Hangnails are often a sign of dry or damaged skin around the nails, which can result from factors like frequent hand washing, exposure to harsh chemicals, or nail biting. They can also indicate a lack of moisture or certain nutritional deficiencies.

Hapalonychia (soft nails) has been associated with deficiencies of vitamins A and D among other causes. Longitudinal melanonychia of the nail plate has been reported in vitamin D deficiency.

Getting enough vitamins B and C can help strengthen and thicken nails, as well as prevent hangnails.

A vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to pale skin and yellowing of the skin, called jaundice. These changes in skin color can develop when a person's body is unable to produce enough RBCs. Without enough RBCs, the skin may look pale. Vitamin B12 plays a role in the production of red blood cells.

Zinc is an essential mineral for cell multiplication and protein absorption, functions that are important for thick, lustrous hair. White spots on the nails - sometimes called Beau's lines - are one of the important signs of a zinc deficiency. Nails can grow slowly, become brittle and break easily.

Key points about vitamin B12 deficiency anemia

Without enough red blood cells, your tissues and organs don't get enough oxygen. Without enough oxygen, your body can't work as well. Symptoms include weak muscles, numbness, trouble walking, nausea, weight loss, irritability, fatigue, and increased heart rate.

For example, wearing a glove or putting bandaids on your fingers can create a physical barrier that actively prevents you from picking at your nailbeds. Keeping your hands busy is another good choice here, especially if your hangnail-picking habit stems from boredom or anxiety.

Is it good to pick hangnails? ›

A neat trim can help, but all of the experts warned against trying to rip or bite off your hangnail instead. “This could tear off your hangnail further than you intended, which will cause more injury,” Dr. Zubek said. And using your teeth to bite it off could introduce infection-causing bacteria, she said.

What does a lingering hangnail represent? It represents something that nags at us, an issue in our lives which we know we must confront and solve at some point. In particular, a hangnail is an issue whose resolution requires us to do something painful, uncomfortable, or humiliating.

Symptoms when vitamin D is low

Most people with vitamin D deficiency are asymptomatic. However, if you're exhausted, your bones hurt, you have muscle weakness or mood changes, that's an indication that something may be abnormal with your body.

Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia. Leukonychia is white streaks or spots on the nails often due to drugs or disease.

It's rare to be deficient in biotin. Symptoms include hair loss, dry scaly skin, cracking in the corners of the mouth (called cheilitis), swollen and painful tongue that is magenta in color (glossitis), dry eyes, loss of appetite, fatigue, insomnia, and depression.

A vitamin B12 deficiency can affect oral health and cause the following mouth problems : glossitis, which causes a swollen, smooth, red tongue. bad taste in the mouth. a burning sensation in the mouth.

When your body lacks calcium, your nails become thinner, weaker, and brittle. You may notice that they break easily and just don't look as healthy as they used to. Although nails and bones are made up of different substances, they're similar enough that poor nail health may be an early marker of bone density problems.