Peeling nails are a common problem that many people face, regardless of age or lifestyle. Why does this happen? The reasons can be different — improper manicure, lack of vitamins, unbalanced diet, stress, frequent contact with aggressive chemicals. As a result, the nails become thin, brittle, and prone to splitting. To solve this problem, it is important not only to strengthen the nail plate, but also to eliminate the root cause. In this article, we'll figure out why nails are peeling and talk about effective methods of restoring them.
Why do your fingernails peel?
There are many reasons why your fingernails peel. This problem can be associated with external and internal factors. External factors include:
- Improper care. Frequent use of aggressive products (for example, nail polish remover with acetone) severely dries out the nail plate. This leads to its thinning, loss of natural moisture, which causes the nails to become brittle and begin to exfoliate.
- Contact with household chemicals. When cleaning without protective gloves, the aggressive components of detergents penetrate the nail structure. This destroys their protective layer, causing dryness and splitting.
- Mechanical damage. The use of metal files with a rough surface injures the plate, creating microcracks on it.
Internal factors include:
- Lack of nutrients. A deficiency of key vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, sulfur, silicon, as well as vitamins A, D, E, B) weakens the structure of nails.
- Unbalanced diet. A poor diet with insufficient protein or a strict low-fat diet can trigger the onset of finger nail detachment.
- Health problems. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, dysbiosis), endocrine disorders (including thyroid problems), as well as hormonal changes during pregnancy, menopause, or puberty affect metabolism. This worsens the nutrition of the nails, making them thin and prone to splitting.
- Genetic predisposition. If your parents or close relatives have naturally weak, thin, or prone to splitting nails, you may also experience these problems.
Why do nails peal after gel polish
Now, let's figure out why nails peal after gel polish. This is a durable coating that looks very beautiful and can last for weeks. But there are situations when it can harm your nails, namely, provoke their delamination. This happens most often in the following situations:
- Using low-quality or expired materials. If a nail technician uses cheap or expired gel polish, base, or top, it can cause a chemical reaction that destroys the structure of the plate. This is why nails often peel.
- Lack of disinfection of instruments. Insufficient sterilization of working tools (drill bits, nippers, files) increases the risk of infection. Bacteria that get under the nail during a manicure can cause inflammation, which leads to onycholysis.
- Excessive thinning of the nail during gel polish removal. Aggressive cutting off of the coating with a nail drill a bit severely injures the plate. This makes the plate thin, brittle, and prone to delamination.
- Long-term wearing of the coating. If gel polish is worn for more than 3 weeks, it puts additional stress on the nail. This eventually leads to its delamination.
Also, some people have flaky nails due to allergies to degreases, primers, bases, gel polish, or other materials used during manicure.
Why do toenails peel
Now let's figure out why your toenails are peeling. One of the main reasons is uncomfortable shoes. Tight shoes, high heels, or boots that squeeze your toes create constant pressure on the nail plate, causing it to deform and split. Nails can also peel due to insufficient care. Most often, the problem occurs if you cut them irregularly or incorrectly (for example, too short).
Toenails, as well as fingernails, can also become split due to internal causes. These include vitamin deficiencies, hormonal changes, and metabolic problems. An additional factor can be overweight or pregnancy, when the load on the legs increases. Also, nails can become flaky due to fungal infections, which most often affect the feet.
Why do children's nails peel?
Many parents face the problem that their children's nails are peeling. This is usually due to:
- Bad habits. Children often bite their nails, which is very traumatic for the plate. This can lead to splitting and brittleness.
- Lack of nutrients. The child's body grows rapidly, and if the diet is poor in calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins D, A, E, or B, the plate becomes weakened.
- External factors. The problem can arise if parents cut their nails too short or use the wrong tools for this purpose.
Another reason why children's nails are splitting is a reaction to allergens contained in cosmetics or soap.
Treatment of nail splitting
If your nails are splitting, you shouldn't hope that the problem will go away on its own. Most often, it progresses and leads to painful cracks that are difficult to treat.
To solve the problem, you first need to find its cause:
- If the stratification is due to internal disorders, you should consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
- If the problem is associated with vitamin deficiency, you should take vitamin and mineral complexes and enrich your diet with foods high in protein, calcium, and iron.
- If the fungus is causing the nails to peel, medication (antifungal ointments or pills) is required as prescribed by a doctor.
- In case of onycholysis (detachment of the nail from the bed), you should visit a podiatrist.
- If the nails are peeling due to gel polish, you need to remove it immediately and take a break for 1-2 months.
Additionally, you can strengthen your nails from the outside. For this purpose, special strengthening varnishes or the professional IBX system are suitable, which penetrates deeply into the nail plate, restoring and strengthening it from the inside. Another effective method is the wrapping procedure. During this procedure, the nail technician applies nutritional mixtures with vitamins and moisturizers to the nails, and then wraps them in a special film. When the film is removed, a light massage of the nails and cuticles is performed to stimulate blood circulation and ensure even absorption of nutrients. Such mixtures usually contain glycerin, jojoba and almond oil, vitamin E, panthenol, calcium, zinc, and aloe vera extract.
Preventing nail splitting
To avoid nail splitting, follow simple rules:
- Proper care — file your nails regularly with high-quality glass or ceramic files.
- Protection — wear gloves when cleaning or washing dishes to avoid contact with chemicals.
- Moisturize — apply hand and nail cream daily, rub in cuticle oil (for example, with vitamin E).
- Nutrition — balance your diet by adding foods rich in calcium, iron, and zinc (milk, nuts, fish, vegetables).
- Breaks in manicure — after 3-4 sessions of gel polish, take a break for 1-2 weeks to allow your nails to recover.
Conclusion
Nail splitting is not just an aesthetic flaw, but also a signal of possible disorders in the body. The causes can vary from improper care and lack of vitamins to fungal infections. If you have this problem, you shouldn't wait for it to resolve on its own. It is important to identify and eliminate the root cause. Take care of your nails and they will always look perfect.