Question
You seem to be so helpful to everyone so I'm hoping you might give me some advice.
I've since stopped biting my nails, but was doing do so for over 25 years. At a very early age and up til I stop biting my nails, I developed dark vertical lines that grow with the nail (not underneath) and have never gone away. The dark vertical lines go from the cuticle to the tip of my nail, with some lines darker and wider than others. Some fingers have multilple lines. I always attributed these lines to my awful nail biting habits, but have started to grow concerned after reading many of the posts of this board.
Can you tell me any info on why my nails are like this and advice on what I should do if this is a serious problem.
Answer
Dark lines can signify a couple of things: If there is one wide line running down the length of the nail, you might have a 'mole' in the matrix; in which event you should see your physician. Dark lines can also be permanent damage to the matrix due to severe nail biting which compromises the surface of the nail plate. In other words, if you don't only chew a tthe rough free edge, but chew on the surface of the nail plate, the damage done to the nail bed from the pressure can cause dark lines. The nail plate grows forward on the nail bed by a series of rails and grooves much like a train rides forward on its tracks. The rails are on the surface of the nail bed and the grooves are on the underside of the nail plate. There are tiny spaces between the sides of the raisl and grooves which can fill up with blood from the underlying nail bed and look like brown lines. They can be very light brown, or almost black.
You might try moistruizing the nails with a good quality nail and cuticle oil such as Solar Oil or Botanical Oil. solar oil is available in fine nail salons or in Ulta Cosmetic outlets nationwide. botanical oil is availalbe in the nail department of Sally Beauty Supply. Apply a couple of times a day and always at night. More often if you have your hands in water a lot. Either oil will also work to moisturize and conditon the cutilce skin.
