One of the most common nail diseases that a dermatologist sees is Onychoschizia, otherwise known as forked nails. The most common cause of this problem is excessive exposure to chemicals, water, or dry conditions; all that dries the nail. The term onychoschizia refers to the condition of brittle, fissile, thin or soft nails and often includes nails with ridges, and this condition is more common in women.
Some of the causes or risk factors associated with oniochosis are drying of the nails due to excessive exposure to water, chemicals, or dry air. Vitamin deficiencies can also create conditions for onychoshizii. Trauma to the area, excessive bleach, and some skin conditions may also contribute to splitting. Onychoschizia is a technical term for splitting nails, and therefore the symptoms are obvious; splitting nails or nails. It can begin and even remain on the same horizontal split between the layers of the nail plate or be vertical splitting on a nail or there can be several gaps in one or several nails.
The best and effective treatment and prevention of splitting is to protect the area from the conditions causing the problem. This often means using protective gloves in water or chemicals. Simply wearing rubber gloves with a cotton pad when washing dishes or cleaning with chemicals can protect nails from drying conditions. Keep your nails trimmed and filed to avoid cracks, splits and chips, while weak brittle nails grow to avoid further damage and pain. Use an oil-free hand lotion or cream and rub into the area and cuticle to provide moisture as well as protect the nail. Finally, increase the health and nutrition of your body by taking multivitamin and mineral supplements to help treat and prevent oniochemistry.
If you decide to wear nail polish, be sure to put on a nourishing base coat, avoid excessive exposure to harsh brighteners, and never clean or polish the nail. When polishing the area does it with grain and nail growth and never back and forth against the grain, as this can lead to the separation of the area.
Onychoschizia can not only be painful, as the area splits into soft nail polish, which can lead to harmful bacteria and fungi in the nail, allowing you to become infected. Nail fungus can be difficult to treat and when it penetrates the nail into the nail, the bed can cause irreversible damage to the nail, including a complete peel of the nail. A fungus that attacks nails is a common occurrence, and people regularly come into contact with these spores without harm. Healthy and clean nails that do not have splits, cuts or other injuries will, in most cases, be protected from a fungal attack; however, damaged nails are the main nesting sites. Women who wear close-fitting high-heeled shoes often find that a shoe injury causes onychose and a dark, moist foot environment will enable a fungal attack.
