Does anyone else's nails bend? Like mine are so soft and bend really easy. They get to a certain length and then just bend down. I can bend them back but they never stay that way. They are just so soft
Nails: Does anyone else's nails bend? Like mine... - Thyroid UK
Nails
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Emmyegg
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Yes, mine are like this. But sadly I've never found a cure for the problem.
My nails are a definite weak spot. I pamper them in phases with massage oil for nails - then forget ! They split easily doing the simplest tasks - like unloading laundry or flipping the duvet. I am fleetingly envious of others who have elegant nails - only if they are natural !!
Celebrate the good bits 🌻
I find mine have vastly improved since I've been massaging them every night with hemp balm. I don't know if it's the hemp balm itself that does them good, or the massage, but they're certainly less bendy. Bendy nails is a hypo symptom.
My nails were really soft when I was hypo. Before I knew I was hypo I was pleased because they were really easy to cut and didn’t fly off when I used the nail clippers. After I was treated they became firm and clicked if I ran one nail across another. When I demonstrated this Dr Skinner he cringed as it was something he couldn’t stand.
I don’t know what physical changes hypothyroidism causes in nails but I have some clippings from 1999 stored away in case someone discovers the effect of hypothyroidism on nails. This would prove I was hypo with perfect blood test results.
I'm glad that this site gives the ability to share little clues like this. It would frustrate me when I would seek knowledge from a doctor who would brush you off with a flippant reply. A little curiosity on their part might lead to knowledge for everyone.
My nails were soft (not as soft as Emmyegg) and then I ended up with signs of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. My nails became harder (I was then able to grow them longer) but then the hardness progressed with vertical ridges and on one nail - splitting vertically. I have to keep that one very short.
The oddest thing was when the arthritis started to become worse different nails turned white. This began with swelling of the joint closest to the nail. The nail never lifted and when the swelling on that joint went down the white grew out.
Trying to explain to a doctor who can only diagnose if you have an extreme casebook presentation was frustrating.
Perhaps it’s more to do with the arthritis than the thyroid then? I’ve posted below, but just to say I’ve been hypo for many years and never had trouble with my nails.
Hi Ruby1,
The white was definitely the psoriatic arthritis. However I'm unsure of where the hardening and ridging comes from. Also the soft nails. I just assumed the soft nails were normal until I met people who could grow their nails longer. I saw it as genetic but if there are reasons why, then it would be interesting to know. Apparently with psoriatic arthritis there is pitting of the nails. Mine had slight pitting but only slight.
yes it's strange. My nails are much stronger than my husbands and he doesn't have a thyroid problem. His are always breaking and flaking.
I'm just not sure whether I'd attribute nail problems to thyroid problems - could they be related to something like vitamin or mineral levels maybe? Or perhaps just genetic disposition?
Hi Ruby1,
Yes, I agree - although a lack of certain minerals could be an indirect result of malabsorption through a sluggish gut. My doctor told me it was old age! Great! However I believe that "old age" is not a disease. Just that more people in old age tend to get certain things as a body running on empty or some lack starts to break down. I believe we need to be finding the lack.
Yes we are like finely tuned machines. My husband's digestive tract behaves so differently from mine, it is no wonder it is a jungle trying to work out how to optimise our nutrition. We are all so different.
They attribute everything to old age!
Mine, (right hand) slowly separated from the nail beds so I eventually cut them off....little fingernail recovered but the rest are an embarrassing mess. Argh! I patch them up as best I can.
GP did tests....nothing!
The little one recovered after I went T3 only....not so the others.
I suspect it has something to do with low T3....
I hoped the others would improve with high dose T3 but I suspect too much damage has been done over decades
One grandson calls them Granny's funny nails!
My nails have actually dropped off and have lifted off their nail beds in the past. That is how I can tell my levels are not right for me. At the moment they are ok but a couple do have ridges running down them so I disguise it with nail polish. I have booked to have them done at a nail salon in a couple of weeks which is my one luxury.
If frightens me that I could be so hypo that my nails were affected. The same for other patients. How severe does hypothyroidism have to be before a doctor can diagnose based on signs and symptoms.
I actually showed my GP my nails and my hair I had collected in a bag when I was feeling ill and he said it was my age or it was because I had been to a nail salon. I don't bother him with anything to do with my thyroid disease now after last year when I had a thyroid storm. Even after being admitted to hospital my surgery only tested my TSH and nothing else. What is funny is that I have a letter asking me to come in every 6 months for a blood test to monitor my condition even though they won't acknowledge that I do have something wrong with me.
Dreadful, I've often thought we should have a ten year ban on thyroid blood tests so they learn to diagnose.
If I was incharge of the NHS I would send all doctors for a course about thyroid disease. A lot of doctors don't have a clue and the consultant who I saw after being admitted for a suspected heart attack (thyroid storm) last July admitted he knew nothing about it. He then advised me to see my GP who also has told me he knows nothing either. I have read that the government is now going to take more control of the NHS because of the coronavirus. I dread to think what will happen then because when I worked for them I could see what was wrong as did my husband who was a manager for over 20 years. When I was in A & E last July I noticed there were old people lying on trolleys in corridors because there were no beds available. Some of them were in pain and I was tempted to ask if they were ok because not one nurse checked on them for over an hour. I dread to think what it will be like in the winter months if it was like that in July. When I worked for the service I worked in admin in the Pharmacy which unfortunately was next to the morgue. Every winter they would use a refrigerated lorry because the morgue was full of people who had died from the flu. There was also always a bed shortage which happened every winter.
One of my friends has just had a nasty experience with NHS when her husband was misdiagnosed. I hope she complains about the surgeon who treated her and her family in a uncompassionate way. As far as I know she hasn't apologised for making a life and death decision which was completely wrong.
What your symptoms like for the suspected heart attack/thyroid storm? (And what do you mean by thyroid storm?) My best friend and I (both hypo) have both been to hospital in the last few months with chest pains. (I was there last week in acute care - the previous time I phoned the clinic the woman told me to take aspirin!)
Unfortunately, they wouldn’t know a symptom if it jumped up and bit them on their a**
Me too!
Nails....oh just paint them said one otherwise very good GP.
I was given all the "excuse" diagnoses until a GP admitted she had no idea what to do next. I knew then I had to work through exhaustion, pain, brain fog etc to find answers that I was by then convinced must exist. The GP thought I'd lost the plot! I saw an endo a couple of times who was clueless.....a diabetes specialist!
Miraculously I found the experts here,.... a bit late in life but I'm now far from dead which at one point I feared was a possibility.
Interestingly a student doctor was on placement once when I visited the surgery, he had to do an assessment then report back to the GP etc etc. I asked him about my nails and he muttered (almost reluctantly) " it could be thyroid related".
I nearly fell of the chair and said "that's what I suspect".
He went off to relate his findings to the supervising GP and they both came back to me..... I said to the GP that it was suggested my nail condition could be thyroid related. She very quickly hit that on the head and said, "No! Not possible." I should have pursued it but I was speechless!
I felt heart sorry for that pleasant young student who seemed to have more nouse than the rest of them put together. I often wonder where that potentially good medic is now.....probably like others crushed by the highly questionable guidance they are expected to follow. Or else!
Diagnosis by tick list .....no wonder they miss the signs. They did much better in the late 18th and early 19th century when they had to look and listen and join up the dots!
Rant over!!
DD
I can’t even have mine painted, they start detaching from the nail bed, it’s weird I have times when they grow for a month and look nice, then they get brittle And I have stubs. I am on Amour thyroid compound Sometimes I think the pharmacist maybe adding fillers I am going to ask him next time I go pick up my meds.
I have always had weak nails & would search for cures. I came across tip that women use in the Caribbean... cut up some garlic gloves & put them in a base coat or any varnish you want to use. Leave in in a dark place for 5-7 days. Then use it as a nail varnish. At first it smell quite strong but after a couple of hand washes the smell wears off. My nails have been strong & grown really well since.
The only time I could grow my nails is while pregnant. Mine flake and break so easily, as well.
Yes my nails were very bendy like that
Yes! Hair teeth nails... the na il on mum ring fingers are lifting away and other nails split and peel off .. have to patch them up with microporous tape and a coat of nailtiques no2 A piece of teabag paper works just as well.. 😀 cover it with coats of the same. If nIltiques is out of stock still . Their factory fell down in some bad weather in Florida.. I got Orly Tough Cookie instead.
All patchwork and no remedy.
However my hair improved no end taking collagen supplement ..
I had the same problem for years, until I heard of a fulvic acid nail cream which I use every night. It has made a huge difference in three months. It is about £12 for 30 ml, but is sometimes on offer.
My nails are strong and quite tough and always have been. My hair has always been fragile - always wished it was the other way round 😂
I’m hypo but have remained stable on treatment for many years.
I recently heard that ridges in fingernails can signal low stomach acid (I suppose because they indicate low absorption of minerals), and when I googled it, I found all kinds of websites purporting to explain what various fingernail issues mean health-wise. Not sure if any of it is based on real research or science, but just thought I'd mention this stuff exists in case anyone's interested in taking a look.
Hi I have been hypo for 21 years now & yes I too have horrible nails. They are brittle, flaky and all have vertical ridges on them. I have tried all sorts of expensive nail products and treatments but had no joy. I hate it if ever treating myself to a manicure to be told by the stylist every time that I have weird nails. Sometimes others in the salon will then pop over for a look, it's not nice. I have just had to accept this now, although this symptom is the least of my concerns , It's just not very flattering g when so many ladies have beautiful manicured nails.
Hi Emmyegg mine are exactly the same. Unnaturally soft and brake so easily and my toenails are in same. Must be deficit in something but don't know what sorry.
You need more silica - you can try homeopathic silica 200 or even 1M for a week and evaluate if it works for you.
Another way to get good quality silica is to use Regenerate toothpaste. My daughter had thin and soft nails and noticed significant improvement within a week of using Regenerate. Worth a try.
PurpleNailsAdministrator
When I was hyper my nail began to lift of the nail bed. A practice nurse sent of clippings to see if it was fungal (wasn’t). The Pharmacist was a slightly more helpful and recommended a supplement. I’m more hypo than hyper these days and my nail peel/flake & have to keep them super short.
No longer are my nails painted purple or any colour. I need to alter my name to naked stubs..
Since I've been taking Adcal along with K2-MK7 and magnesium, my nails have started growing and become strong as they used to be when I was young. Even before I had a thyroid problem my nails had gone soft so I think it's a nutrient problem not a thyroid problem. However, thyroid conditions can exacerbate poor absorption of nutrients which can lead to low vitamin D and other nutrients necessary for good nail and bone health. Just my opinion.
Hi Emmyegg, my nails are similar. Start bending if too long.
I like my thumb nails fairly long, but they just start turning under.
I have always had vertical ridges on my ring fingers (since I can remember, probably 45+ yrs).
Also more recently my nails are flatter.
They don’t have the nice curve round the finger, just flat.
I’ve never had a manicure, certainly won’t be starting now.
I’m pretty certain it’s a hypo thing. 🙁
Not sure what it is that I take that is doing the trick, but nails are better than they were for many years (very bendy and broke whenever I did gardening). It could be zinc, selenium, vitamin C ..... or better T3 levels. I have bone broth in the colder months, which may be helping. I was regularly eating liver from the butcher, but during lockdown I've been out shopping less, so taking vitamin A and iron twice a week (vitamins A and C help iron absorption).
Toe nails became weird when more Hypo, so I cover them with colourful glittery metallic polish to hide the uneven growth, so my feet look vaguely alright when I swim or wear sandals.
My nails have been really weak for many years. They split, flake and break constantlly. My GP of 13 years ago did two thyroid tests which he said needed investigation so I was referred to an endo who did a few tests over a period of time. I was going to see him every month for about five months when he said he didn't know what to do about me as some tests were hypo and sone were hyper. He gave me an open appointment which I never bothered with as I concluded that, if he didn't know whay to do there was no point. My eyebrows have almost disappeared and I have hair loss and feel rotten. Unfortunately my GP died and we moved house into another area. I have had thyroid tests every year for the last 11 years and keep being told that I am borderline. Last year, the CCG closed the practice I was with and all patients were returned to the practice we had left more or less en masse. We are now left with no choice but the practice we are now with as other practices are too far away. Just before the previous practice was closed, the GP I went to see said he would refer me to another endo but that has come to nothing owing to the closure. I have totally given up on medics as the practice I am with now is not well thought of by most people and consultations are by phone. Being 85 years old I am just plodding on as best I can.
Hi,
An alternative medicine doctor may be able to help. They are usually very expensive but as a doctor they can prescribe thyroid treatments that may pick you up and they are usually more attuned to these problems. Each person is different so it's then up to the individual to see if it's too much or too little or working or not.
It may be worth one more try.
You can do your own blood tests for thyroiD and essential nutrients through medichecks or blue horizon. If you post results here people will tell you what to do next.
I think I accidentally deleted my reply...trying again....Typically my nails are very soft. A few months ago I saw psych for depressed mood. She thought cause was thyroid because I had a doc who switched me from NDT to T4 and there’s evidence that T3 affects mood. She also started me back on iron, B12 and vitamin D because deficiency can also mimic depression. I also started vitamin C to help with iron absorption. I started “going to” a new endocrinologist who put me back on NDT. Lately my nails are so strong! They definitely will start to curve up when I’m anemic (classic spoon nails) but now they curve down more symmetrically than ever. They don’t break at all and I have to cut them (I’m a nutritionist in a hospital so we have nail length rules). I’ve been on this combo before and never had nails this nice. Even my husband keeps asking what I did. I read some research articles on vitamin/mineral deficiency but still couldn’t find anything. My best guess is the vitamin C because they were sold out of the 500 mg and I’ve been on 1000 mg plus the NDT and iron made the difference. I see psych and endocrine for follow up this week. I hope they check my labs. In particular I want to know if my ferritin has improved. I never in a million years had nails this long. Part of me worries it’s a symptom of something not good because it seems so odd.
Yep, mine do exactly that, then split and break. They’re particularly bad at the moment, all cut short because of it.
My nails were brittle, flaky, ridged and chipped or broke really easily. They have got much stronger since taking a calcium supplement every day. It took a few weeks to notice the difference but they are very much improved now. Might be worth a try?
Mine are terrible too. Since I teach music, I need to keep them short but they are ridged, and split and break easily. My ring finger nail is very weak and often splits to the quick.
PS They were better before hypo.
My sister used to be a manicurist (50 years ago so not like a nail bar!). She was taught that a cube of jelly strengthened nails because of the gelatin. I know this doesn’t address the thyroid problem but may help anyway. Luckily nail problems was one of the thyroid related symptoms I didn’t have!
Yes, my nails are the same. They also "flake", where the layers can split apart. I don't have any solution to it.
Hi, could be onychoshzia, repeated washing/drying of nails. Using strong detergents /acrylic nails/nail polish. Common in women. You might have to try more natural cleaning products. Or vitamin supplement. Biotin is one. You could ask Dr to refer you dermatology dept. Advice on products/vitamins etc. Good luck
I wish I had made a note of who on this forum gave me the solution to my splitting, flaking nails: collagen peptides. I have been taking a scoopful in my morning coffee for about a year now and all but one of my nails are completely healed. I still have a vertical split in my left thumbnail. My husband is taking an androgen depriving medication to keep his prostate cancer from returning and his nails had gone the same way. Now, we both take the collagen peptides. To the very nice lady who first told me about collagen, thank you, thank you, thank you.
My nails are as long as can be but see thru, and they bend - my Endo never saw such brittle nails he said, They have ridges too, and my hair and teeth are affected too. I'd say it's a combo of Hypo and the gut affects everything, so figuring out what's up in there with good stool testing, and healing and sealing the gut lining will help everything - I am still a work in progress 
Prayers for all, and that Dr.'s come to understand this, and Lyme. It's sad how many suffer because they don't know ;(
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