The fingernails occasionally break horizontally, causing the thin layers to peel back. Onychoschizia, the medical term for peeling or splitting nails, has numerous reasons. Layers of keratin, a protective fiber protein found in skin, hair, and nails, make up nails. Although exterior trauma or an underlying medical condition can cause thin layers of the nail to peel away, keratin keeps the nails strong. When this happens, the nails may appear frail. They might also experience discomfort or sensitivity. The reasons for nail flaking are covered in this blog.
- Moisture
Although you might imagine that your nails are naturally dry, they contain moisture and require the ideal humidity quantity to remain sturdy and intact. And if you frequently soak your hands, you are simply removing the natural oils and hydration from your skin and nails, causing them to dry out and become slightly more brittle. Although it seems counterintuitive because you’re soaking them in water, this is one of the things that dehydrate them because the nail won’t be able to absorb or keep as much water or oil.
- Iron deficiency
The most prevalent type of anemia, iron deficiency anemia, can cause patients to have peeling nails, so you don’t want to disregard any potential underlying internal problems like anemia. Therefore, you might want to seek an assessment from your dermatologist if a patient has a history of anemia or presents with mail changes and other symptoms like fatigue, as they will ask you to perform some blood tests to determine whether you are iron deficient as one of the leading causes of nail flaking, an iron deficit.
- Chemical contact
Generally speaking, you want to look at what they may be doing to the nail, mainly if they are young, healthy, and don’t have any other known health issues. Working with chemical solvents or extremely potent soaps can dry out the nail and cause flakes or a slight peeling off because of the frequent hand cleaning. Because soaps and cleaning products are made to eliminate oil and grease from objects, they also remove the natural oils from your skin and nails. As a result, the nail’s natural layer and coating begin to deteriorate, and the nail peeling is apparent to the unaided eye.
- Excessive polishing
Nails over buffed can become dry and brittle, just like moisture-laden nails can be prone to peeling and fracturing. The nails become brittle due to excessive dryness, making minor trauma to the nail readily damaging. A tiny nick can develop into a significant split if nails are too dry. So, to prevent drying out of your nails, use a moisturizer or manicure oil after buffing them.
We hope this information was helpful, do let us know what you do to prevent thinning of your nails or to prevent such damage. Along with it, we also advise you to follow a proper diet and follow instructions to avoid further deterioration of your nails.
