Beau's Lines - Symptoms and Treatment

Beau's lines are Transverse lines or grooves across the fingernails; transverse depressions in the nail plate. Nail abnormalities refer to abnormal color, shape, texture, or thickness of the fingernails or toenails. The lines progress distally with normal nail growth and eventually disappear at the free edge. They develop in response 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 exhausting disease, usually a sign of systemic disease. Beau's lines may be signs 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 "lengthwise" or "crosswise" direction.

Causes of Beau's Lines

Beau's Lines nails are characterized 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 deformity
• Nail biting can be a sign of anxiety, chronic tension or uncontrollable compulsion
• Chronic picking or rubbing of the skin behind the visible portion of the nail can produce a washboard nail
• Chronic exposure to moisture or to nail polish can produce brittle 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 change 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 that affect the amount of oxygen in the blood (such as abnormal heart anatomy and lung diseases including cancer or infection) may produce " clubbing " of the nail, which 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, splitting 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.

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