DEAR DR. GOTT: I have fingernails with horizontal ripples and lines, and they are concave. Any ideas? I’ve been to several doctors who couldn’t help me.
DEAR READER: There are a number of reasons why fingernails become ridged or concave. They include injury, extensive exposure to moisture or nail polish, fungus and bacterial infection, kidney or liver disease, and various other possibilities. Depressions across the fingernail and horizontal ridging are known as Beau’s lines, which can occur following illness, malnourishment or direct injury to the nail. Horizontal ridges might also be an indication of diabetes. Those that curve inward may be associated with iron-deficiency anemia. Vertical ridges that extend from the cuticle to the tip of the nail are common and can occur with advancing age.
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