Problem with nails

[daisymoo]

My nails are so awful, the usual hypo ridges some even look like they might crack. I also have noticed a few dents in the middle of a couple of my nails. The bed of my nail where the cuticles grow are looking red and raised on some of them and the skin splits. Another strange thing is some of the tips the white part is growing very uneven and seems to be growing further down the nail.

[Framboise]

Hi, where the white of your nail is starting to extend down the nail it could be a fungus. This happened to three of my nails which I'd damaged, I thought they were going to come off completely. They didn't look yellow and black like some of the photos on the internet, just as if the white was growing down the nail unevenly, two nails were doing it at the sides and one down the middle as well. My GP prescribed a nail varnish type thing called Loceryl which got rid of it, you can also buy it in pharmacies but it's quite a lot.

netdoctor.co.uk/skin-and-ha...

[Framboise in reply to Framboise]

Also.. the ends of my nails crack horizontally in winter and the complementary practitioner I go to told me to take spirulina, which strengthened them and they stopped the splitting, I'm still taking it. According to Mercola it seems to cure most things!

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

[greygoose in reply to Framboise]

Yes, but it's not recommended if you have Hashi's because of the iodine content.

Grey

[Framboise in reply to greygoose]

Sorry I didn't know that, I don't have Hashi's so guess it's ok that I take it.

[Guillemette]

I have the ridges and my nails split and break.I find Avon's nail remedies cheap and effective.

[Flowers2]

This also happened to me and on my toes daisymoo. The Dr sent off a test for fungus but it was clear so I think it's just another effect of the hypothyroidism which doesn't seem to be cured by taking Levo. On special occasions I've had a gel nail varnish applied, which looks good, hides all the ridges and the fact that my white bits are uneven.

Do you also get really flakey skin and scalp? I do and that has also not cleared up with the meds.

Ali

[valerie]

I had a fungus test on my nails once as they seemed to have an uneven white piece at the top and were flakey but the test was negative. I had terrible nails before I started treating my hypothyroidism and they would also split vertically and were VERY ridged. Now they are pretty tough and fairly smooth and actually grow with the help of Horsetail supplement. They are not perfect but one hell of a lot better....Val

[Zephyrbear]

I had some problems with my finger nails some years ago when I was taking 200mcg T4, where they started detaching from the nail bed, leaving some very ugly spaces underneath. Both the doctor and pharmacist suggested it could be fungal, but some time later I happened to be watching an episode of Chicago Hope and one character (played by Mandy Patinkin) pointed out to another that he looked as if he had a problem related to hyper-thyroidism, i.e. too much thyroxine in the blood, and cited the nails lifting off their nailbeds as a symptom... I adjusted my own dosage down to 150mcg and suddenly my nails started re-attaching and growing properly again.

[Pink_Bear]

I had horrible nails for several years - they split all the time, were soft and covered in little pockmarks. Since I started taking vitamin D last year they have recovered well and I feel they now look fairly presentable - healthy and a nice sheen. It took several months, and then suddenly one day I noticed they were looking OK, and I feel sure this must have been down to the vitamin D supplement. Have you ever been tested?

[Caro123]

I had similar problems with my nails and when I was diagnosed with an under-active thyroid my endo said that the problems were caused by my low Vitamin D levels. I now take a vit. D supplement, have my vitamin D levels monitored regularly and there has been quite an improvement in the state of my nails.

[lizanne]

Yes I think VIt D has made a big diference to my nails too - have you had your levels checked?

I had a very low Vit D levels and split soft nails. Taking VIt D has really improved them.

[daisymoo]

Many thanks for all your comments on how to deal with my nails. I can see that it is a common problem with hypothyroidism. I have never been tested for vitamin D deficiency, so I guess I will have to fight for that one!!