Isla Bennett
Horizontal ridges or dents in your nails, also known as Beau's lines, can be caused by a number of factors, including injury, illness, or skin conditions. Beau's lines are often linked to more serious health issues, such as severe infections, diabetes, or nutritional deficiencies. In this article, we will explore the possible causes of horizontal dents in your nails and discuss treatment options.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Beau's lines |
| Cause | Interruption of nail growth |
| Interruption cause examples | Chemotherapy, damage from artificial nails, injury, peripheral vascular disease, severe illness, nutritional deficiencies |
| Nutritional deficiencies | Zinc, iron |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- Horizontal ridges or dents in your nails are usually due to a condition called Beau’s lines
- Beau's lines are grooves or dents that run across your fingernails or toenails horizontally
- Beau's lines are often linked to more serious health issues, such as severe infections, diabetes, or nutritional deficiencies
- Horizontal ridges can point to issues like malnutrition, serious nail injury, or Beau’s lines
- Possible causes of horizontal dents include chemotherapy, damage from using artificial or acrylic nails, or an injury to your nail
Horizontal ridges or dents in your nails are usually due to a condition called Beau’s lines
Horizontal ridges or dents in your nails are usually due to a condition called Beau's lines. Beau's lines are horizontal grooves or dents that can appear in one or more of your fingernails or toenails. They are a sign that an illness, injury or skin condition has interrupted your nail growth.
Possible causes of Beau's lines include:
- Chemotherapy
- Damage from using artificial or acrylic nails or getting gel manicures for long periods
- Injury to your nail, like slamming your finger in a door or dropping something on your foot
- Peripheral vascular disease (PAD)
- Severe illness with high fever, such as COVID-19, measles or pneumonia
- Certain nutritional deficiencies, such as zinc or iron deficiency
Treating the underlying cause of Beau's lines will allow new, smooth nails to grow again. If your nail ridges aren’t due to a health condition or deficiency, home nail care may help.
The Significance of Two Short Nails in Your Manicure
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Beau's lines are grooves or dents that run across your fingernails or toenails horizontally
Horizontal ridges or dents in your nails are usually due to a condition called Beau's lines. These dents may happen when something interrupts your nail growth. Beau's lines are grooves or dents that run across your fingernails or toenails horizontally. They can affect all your nails or just a few, such as your thumbs and big toes.
Possible causes of Beau's lines include:
- Chemotherapy
- Damage from using artificial or acrylic nails or getting gel manicures for long periods
- Injury to your nail, like slamming your finger in a door or dropping something on your foot
- Peripheral vascular disease (PAD)
- Severe illness with high fever, such as COVID-19, measles or pneumonia
- Certain nutritional deficiencies, such as zinc or iron deficiency
Treating the underlying cause will allow new, smooth nails to grow again. If your nail ridges aren't due to a health condition or deficiency, home nail care may help.
Clubbing Nails: Cancer Warning Sign or Something Else?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Beau's lines are often linked to more serious health issues, such as severe infections, diabetes, or nutritional deficiencies
Horizontal ridges or dents in your nails are usually due to a condition called Beau's lines. These dents may happen when something interrupts your nail growth. Possible causes include:
- Chemotherapy
- Damage from using artificial or acrylic nails or getting gel manicures for long periods
- Injury to your nail, like slamming your finger in a door or dropping something on your foot
- Peripheral vascular disease (PAD)
- Severe illness with high fever, such as COVID-19, measles or pneumonia
- Certain nutritional deficiencies, such as zinc deficiency, which can cause Beau's lines and white spots on your nails, or iron deficiency, which can cause vertical nail ridges and koilonychia (spoon nails)
The Meaning Behind Downward Curved Nails
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Horizontal ridges can point to issues like malnutrition, serious nail injury, or Beau’s lines
Horizontal ridges or dents in your nails are usually due to a condition called Beau's lines. These dents may happen when something interrupts your nail growth. Possible causes include malnutrition, zinc or iron deficiency, peripheral vascular disease (PAD), severe illness with high fever, such as COVID-19, measles or pneumonia, chemotherapy, damage from using artificial or acrylic nails, or getting gel manicures for long periods. Beau's lines are deeper than vertical ridges and are often linked to more serious health issues, such as severe infections, diabetes, or nutritional deficiencies. Treating the underlying cause will allow new, smooth nails to grow again.
Bent Nails: What They Mean and Why They Happen
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Possible causes of horizontal dents include chemotherapy, damage from using artificial or acrylic nails, or an injury to your nail
Horizontal ridges or dents in your nails are usually due to a condition called Beau's lines. These dents may happen when something interrupts your nail growth. Possible causes include chemotherapy, damage from using artificial or acrylic nails or getting gel manicures for long periods, or an injury to your nail, such as slamming your finger in a door or dropping something on your foot. Beau's lines can also be caused by peripheral vascular disease (PAD), severe illness with a high fever, such as COVID-19, measles or pneumonia, or certain nutritional deficiencies. For example, zinc deficiency can cause Beau's lines and white spots on your nails, while iron deficiency can cause vertical nail ridges and koilonychia (spoon nails).
Beau's lines are horizontal ridges or dents in one or more of your fingernails or toenails. They can affect all your nails or just a few, such as your thumbs and big toes. Treating the underlying cause will allow new, smooth nails to grow again. While Beau's lines are often linked to more serious health issues, ridges in your nails are usually harmless but can mean different things. For example, vertical ridges are often a sign of ageing, while horizontal ridges can point to issues like malnutrition or a serious nail injury.
The Mystery of White Substance Under Nails: What Does It Mean?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Horizontal dents in your nails are called Beau's lines.
Beau's lines are caused by an illness, injury or skin condition that interrupts your nail growth. Possible causes include malnutrition, severe infections, diabetes, zinc deficiency, peripheral vascular disease (PAD) and severe illness with high fever, such as COVID-19, measles or pneumonia.
Horizontal dents in your nails are usually harmless but can be a sign of malnutrition, serious nail injury or Beau's lines.
Treating the underlying cause of Beau's lines will allow new, smooth nails to grow again.
If you have horizontal dents in your nails, talk to your healthcare provider to find out the cause and how to treat it.
