Beau's Lines - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Tips

Beau's lines are Transverse lines or grooves across the fingernails; transverse concavities in the nail plate. Nail abnormalities refer to abnormal color, shape, texture, or thickness of the fingernails or toenails.

The lines advance distally with normal nail growth and ultimately disappear at the free edge. They develop in retroaction to many diseases, such as syphilis, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, myocarditis, peripheral vascular disease, and zinc deficiency, and to illness accompanied by high fevers, such as scarlet fever, measles, mumps, and pneumonia.

Symptoms of Beau's Lines

Transverse grooves or lines seen on fingernails following an fatiguing disease, usually a sign of systemic disease. Beau's lines may be symptoms of malnutrition, zinc or iron deficiency, anemia, any major metabolic condition. May be due to trauma, coronary occlusion, hypocalcaemia, or skin disease. Ridges (linear elevations) can develop along the nail occurring in a " lengthways" or "crosswise" direction.

Causes of Beau's Lines

Beau's Lines nails are distinguished by horizontal lines of darkened cells and linear depressions. The all Causes of Beau's Lines are includes.

Trauma

• A crush injury to base of the nail or the nail bed may produce a permanent malformation
• Nail biting can be a sign of anxiety, chronic tension or uncontrollable compulsion
• Chronic picking or rubbing of the skin behind the visible section of the nail can create a washboard nail
• Chronic exposure to moisture or to nail polish can produce delicate nails with peeling of the edge of the nail

Infection

• Fungus or yeast produce changes in the color, texture, and shape of the nails
• Bacterial infection may cause a variation in color (green nails with Pseudomonas) or painful pockets of infection under the nail or in skin surrounding the nail -- severe infections can cause loss of the nail plate
• Viral warts may cause a change in the shape of the nail or ingrown skin under the nail

Internal diseases

• Disorders which affect the level of oxygen in the blood (such as abnormal heart anatomy and lung diseases including cancer or infection) may create " clubbing " of the nail, that looks like the back of a teaspoon
• Kidney disease that causes a build-up of nitrogen waste products in the blood
• Liver disease including chronic liver failure

Skin diseases

• Psoriasis may produce pitting, slashting of nail plate from nail bed (onycholysis), and chronic destruction of the nail plate (nail dystrophy)
• Lichen planus

Heavy metal ingestion

• Arsenic poisoning may produce white lines and horizontal ridges
• Silver intake can produce a blue nail

Treatment of Beau's Lines

• Ingrown toenails should be treated as soon as they are recognized.
• Apply a moisturizer on nails each time when you wash your hands or feet.
• Avoid tight fitting foot wear.
• Apply a mild antiseptic solution to the area
• Bandage the toe
• Soak the feet in warm salt water
• Dry them thoroughly with a clean towel
• Bandage the toe
• Don't use nail polish remover more than twice a month, touch up the polish.
• Avoid removers with acetone, which dries nails.