Ava Monroe
Ridges in your nails can be a sign of a health condition that needs your attention. Just like your skin and hair, your nails can offer insight into your overall health. Vertical ridges are usually benign, but horizontal ridges, called Beau's lines, can be a sign of trauma to the nail or an underlying health problem. If you have a thyroid problem like hypothyroidism, you may need to take thyroid hormone replacement medication.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Direction | Vertical or horizontal |
| Appearance | Lines or indentations |
| Cause | Ageing, trauma, or underlying health problem |
| Treatment | Thyroid hormone replacement medication |
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What You'll Learn
- Ridges in nails can be a sign of hypothyroidism
- Vertical ridges are more common and less of a concern than horizontal ridges
- Horizontal ridges can be a sign of trauma to the nail or an underlying health problem
- Ridges can form when cellular turnover slows down, allowing keratin cells to build up
- Thyroid medication is usually the first step in treating hypothyroidism
Ridges in nails can be a sign of hypothyroidism
Nails are made of keratin, a protein also found in the hair and skin's epidermis (outer layer). Just like your hair can become brittle and your skin can dry out, your nail health can also change depending on your age and health status. Ridges can form when cellular turnover slows down, allowing keratin cells to build up before they have a chance to grow out.
Vertical ridges on the nails are pretty common and are usually benign, meaning that they do not signal that anything is wrong. Running from your cuticle to the tip of your nail, these ridges in fingernails are generally a sign of ageing, and as such, can become more pronounced the older you get.
Horizontal ridges are usually a greater cause for concern. Called Beau's lines, these horizontal ridges or indentations typically show up if there has been trauma to the nail or an underlying problem with your health. If there is one horizontal line that looks like an indentation, it usually means there was trauma. Often, these lines only appear on one nail. You will need to be more concerned about a horizontal line if it occurs on multiple fingers or multiple ridges appear on one nail without an apparent cause. The appearance of horizontal ridges on numerous fingers may be a sign of chronic disease or systemic illness.
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Vertical ridges are more common and less of a concern than horizontal ridges
Horizontal ridges, on the other hand, can be a sign of trauma to the nail or an underlying health problem. If there is a single horizontal line, this usually means there has been trauma to the nail. However, if there are multiple horizontal lines on one nail or they appear on multiple nails, this could be a sign of a chronic disease or systemic illness.
Ridges can form when cellular turnover slows down, allowing keratin cells to build up before they have a chance to grow out. If you have a thyroid problem, you may need to take thyroid hormone replacement medication to optimise your thyroid hormone levels.
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Horizontal ridges can be a sign of trauma to the nail or an underlying health problem
Horizontal ridges in your nails can be a sign of trauma to the nail or an underlying health problem. These are called Beau's lines and are indentations that typically appear if there has been trauma to the nail or an underlying health problem. If there is one horizontal line, it usually means there was trauma to the nail. However, if there are multiple horizontal lines on one nail or horizontal lines on multiple nails, this could be a sign of a chronic disease or systemic illness.
Vertical ridges on the nails are more common and are usually benign, meaning they do not signal that anything is wrong. These ridges are a sign of ageing and can become more pronounced as you get older.
Just like your skin and hair, your nails can offer insight into your overall health. Changes to your nail thickness, appearance, strength, and colour can be a sign of a health condition that may need attention. If you have a thyroid problem like hypothyroidism, you may need to optimise your thyroid hormone levels with thyroid hormone replacement medication.
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Ridges can form when cellular turnover slows down, allowing keratin cells to build up
Ridges in nails can be a sign of a health condition that may need attention. Just like your skin and hair, your nails can offer insight into your overall health. Changes to your nail thickness, appearance, strength, and colour can be a sign of a health condition.
Nails are made of keratin, a protein in the hair and the skin's epidermis (outer layer). Just like your hair can become brittle and your skin can dry out, your nail health can also change depending on your age and health status.
Vertical ridges on the nails are pretty common and are usually benign, meaning that they do not signal that anything is wrong. Running from your cuticle to the tip of your nail, these ridges in fingernails are generally a sign of ageing, and as such, can become more pronounced the older you get.
Horizontal ridges are usually a greater cause for concern. Called Beau's lines, these horizontal ridges or indentations typically show up if there has been trauma to the nail or an underlying problem with your health. If there is one horizontal line that looks like an indentation, it usually means there was trauma. Often, these lines only appear on one nail. You will need to be more concerned about a horizontal line if it occurs on multiple fingers or multiple ridges appear on one nail without an apparent cause. The appearance of horizontal ridges on numerous fingers may be a sign of chronic disease or systemic illness.
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Thyroid medication is usually the first step in treating hypothyroidism
Ridges in your nails can be a sign of a health condition that may need your attention. Vertical ridges are usually benign, and are a common sign of ageing. However, horizontal ridges, or indentations, can be a sign of trauma to the nail, or an underlying health problem.
If you have a thyroid problem like hypothyroidism, you need to optimise your thyroid hormone levels with thyroid hormone replacement medication. Thyroid medication is usually the first step in treating hypothyroidism. The most common medication used to treat hypothyroidism is levothyroxine, a synthetic version of thyroxine (T4), a thyroid hormone your body produces naturally. Levothyroxine replaces the thyroxine hormone, which your thyroid does not make enough of. You'll initially have regular blood tests until the correct dose of levothyroxine is reached. This can take a little while to get right. You may start on a low dose of levothyroxine, which may be increased gradually, depending on how your body responds. Some people start to feel better soon after beginning treatment, while others do not notice an improvement in their symptoms for several months. Once you're taking the correct dose, you'll usually have a blood test once a year to monitor your hormone levels.
Other medications are also available, namely liothyronine, a synthetic version of another thyroid hormone called triiodothronine (T3); liotrix, a synthetic combination of T4 and T3; and desiccated natural thyroid (natural thyroid hormone prepared from dried porcine [pig] thyroid). Since these medications simply supplement a hormone that is missing, the only real safety concern is ensuring that you take the right amount. Therefore, your doctor will need to regularly check your thyroid and TSH levels to make sure you are receiving the correct dosage.
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Frequently asked questions
Ridges in nails can be vertical or horizontal lines. Vertical ridges are usually benign and are a sign of ageing. Horizontal ridges, called Beau's lines, can indicate trauma to the nail or an underlying health problem.
Vertical ridges run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. Horizontal ridges are indentations that can appear on one or multiple nails.
If you have a thyroid problem, such as hypothyroidism, you may need to take thyroid hormone replacement medication to optimise your thyroid hormone levels.
Ridges can form when cellular turnover slows down, allowing keratin cells to build up. This can be influenced by age and health status.
Changes to nail thickness, appearance, strength, and colour can be a sign of an underlying health condition.
