What are Beau lines on toenails?

Beau's lines are indentations that run across the nails. The indentations can appear when growth at the area under the cuticle is interrupted by injury or severe illness.

Are Beau's lines serious?

Beau's lines aren't a disease and aren't harmful by themselves. They're usually a sign that you had an illness or nail damage a few weeks or months ago. Chronic conditions that need treatment can cause them, so don't ignore them.

What deficiency causes Beau's lines?

Beau's lines are grooves that run horizontally across the fingernails. They develop when there is a disruption to the area where nail growth starts. Zinc deficiency is not the only cause of Beau's lines, but it is a common one.

What causes Beau lines?

Causes of Beau's lines include high fevers caused by infection, severe cutaneous inflammatory diseases such as Stevens–Johnson syndrome or Kawasaki disease, a reaction to medications, and acrodermatitis enteropathica. Beau's lines may occur in infants, 4–10 weeks of age, as a result of the stress of delivery.

What do Beau's lines in toenails look like?

Beau's lines are deep grooved lines that run from side to side on the fingernail or the toenail. They may look like indentations or ridges in the nail plate. This condition of the nail was named by a French physician, Joseph Honoré Simon Beau (1806–1865), who first described it in 1846.

What Are Beau's Lines? - Dr. Jacoby

How do you stop Beau's lines?

There's no specific treatment for Beau's lines; most often, they grow out on their own. “It's common to find them, and they'll go away if the factors affecting the condition are managed,” says Hodges.

Is there a cure for Beau's lines?

Nails grow at a slow pace and take up to 6 months to develop fully and replace the broken or damaged tissues. If injury or infection is the cause of Beau's lines, then applying creams to soothe pain and swelling in the area of the fingernails will heal the condition.

What do Beau's lines look like?

What do Beau's lines look like? Beau's lines are horizontal indentations, or ridges, that develop across the nails. They usually run straight across the nail. A person may develop one or more Beau's lines on any nail, or across multiple nails.

What autoimmune diseases cause Beau's lines?

Cutaneous disorders have also been associated with Beau's lines, including eczema, pustular psoriasis, pemphigus vulgaris, paronychia, telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, Stevens Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, erythroderma, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

Can toenail fungus cause Beau's lines?

While onycholysis can be the starting point for onychomycosis, Beau's lines can occur in fungal nails and onychoatrophia on the fifth toes may appear similar to nail fungus.

Why do my toenails have horizontal ridges?

The most common cause of horizontal ridges on the nails is called “Beau's lines.” Horizontal ridging of the nails is trauma to the nail matrix, which is located just behind the cuticle. There are also a few, rarer nail conditions that can portend liver or kidney issues.

Do thyroid problems cause nail ridges?

Horizontal ridges can be caused by trauma to the nail and may be deep or discolored. The can also indicate malnutrition, psoriasis or a thyroid problem. Check with your doctor if you see horizontal ridges on your nails; they may indicate a more serious problem. Need to make an appointment with a Piedmont physician?

Can vitamin D deficiency cause nail ridges?

Ridges in nails usually come from aging but can also indicate improper nail care, nail trauma, vitamin deficiency, or even a more pressing medical condition, according to 2022 research.

How do I get rid of horizontal ridges on my toenails?

Can alcoholism cause Beau's lines?

Beau's lines are among the most common of nail signs of nutritional deficiencies, including protein defi- ciency and the general malnourished state associated with chronic alcohol- ism.

Can hypothyroidism cause Beau's lines?

Some medical conditions that have been associated with the development of Beau's Lines include: coronary thrombosis, myocarditis, hypopituitarism, hyperthyroidism, gout, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, epilepsy, renal failure, and glomerulonephritis.

Can lupus cause Beau's lines?

Grooves across the fingernails (Beau's lines)

These can occur due to illness, injury or cold temperatures interrupting nail growth. These could appear following a flare of lupus or exposure to cold temperatures if you have Raynaud's.

How do you get dents out of your nails?

Nail pitting is quite difficult to treat, although some modern methods have been shown to be effective. Treatments that can be applied to the nail include steroids, salicylic acid, calcipotriol, and tazarotene, although these are often not very effective.

What is my body lacking if my nails have ridges?

Our nails naturally develop slight vertical ridges as we age. However, severe and raised ridges can be a sign of iron deficiency anemia. Nutritional deficiencies, such as a lack of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin B12 or keratin can result in fingernail ridges. Hormonal changes can also cause ridges to appear.

Why do my toenails have vertical ridges?

Vertical nail ridges are fairly common and nothing to worry about. Vertical nail ridges extend from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. With age, vertical nail ridges may become more numerous or prominent because of changes in cell turnover within the nail.

Does magnesium deficiency cause nail ridges?

Vitamin B12, iron, zinc, or magnesium deficiencies can cause vertical ridges on the nail beds.

What do your nails look like with hypothyroidism?

Topic Guide. Can You Tell If You Have Hypothyroidism by Looking at Your Hands?: An underactive thyroid is called hypothyroidism. Some signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include vertical white ridges on the nails, brittle nails, slow nail growth, dry skin, hair loss, and weight gain.

What do nails look like with thyroid problems?

Curved nails with swollen fingertip

A swollen fingertip, curved nail, and thickening skin above a nail are often signs of thyroid disease.

Can diabetes cause Beau's lines?

Conditions associated with Beau's lines include uncontrolled diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, as well as illnesses associated with a high fever, such as scarlet fever, measles, mumps and pneumonia. Beau's lines can also be a sign of zinc deficiency.

Why do I have indents on my toenails?

Nail pitting is when you have tiny dents in your fingernails or toenails. It can be a sign of psoriasis, eczema, or joint inflammation. You might also get them if they run in your family.