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Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:06 pm  |
Why do nails get harder as a person ages?
What exactly is behind it, and what could a person do to prevent or slow it? |
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Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:31 pm |
| Do you mean more brittle rather than harder? |
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Sensitivity, forehead pigmentation & elevens, nose & chin clogged pores. Topicals: Aloe vera, squalane, lactic acid, Myfawnie KinNiaNag HG: Weleda calendula, Lanolips, Guinot masque essentiel, Flexitol Naturals, Careprost. Gadgets: Vaughter dermarollers, Lightstim. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 12:35 am |
| No, harder, tougher, thicker. Just as with hair. Maybe it doesn't happen to everyone, but at least to some. A friend of mine and me, both the same age, noticed. At last I can grow nails that don't split and break, and hair volume has definitely improved. My friend has it too (and has decided to wear her hair long now she's finally got volume and it isn't as limp as it used to be). Must be a hormone thing. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 2:26 am |
| Around what ages are we talking about regarding these things? |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 2:38 am |
| Both my friend and I are 50. Mind you, most stories you hear about perimenopause and hair and nails are that hair thins and nails get brittle, just goes to show how different things can be! |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 2:43 am |
| I remember when I was little, my aunt was around 55 and my mom was around 45 and I distinctly remember their nails being thicker/stronger/longer. My aunts nails even more so. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:50 am |
It also seems as if the color changes with age.
In other words, the nails become less translucent and yellower. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:39 am |
| VeronicaM wrote: |
No, harder, tougher, thicker. Just as with hair. Maybe it doesn't happen to everyone, but at least to some. A friend of mine and me, both the same age, noticed. At last I can grow nails that don't split and break, and hair volume has definitely improved. My friend has it too (and has decided to wear her hair long now she's finally got volume and it isn't as limp as it used to be). Must be a hormone thing.
It also seems as if the color changes with age.
In other words, the nails become less translucent and yellower. |
Are you sure you don't have a fungal nail infection? Sometimes these are really obvious, sometimes quite subtle. My nails break more, this seems to be mostly dryness because hand cream makes a huge difference but I never used to need this. Hormones do play a role one into the menopause; the male hormones are more dominant with hair/ skin texture and growth patterns. Perhaps with nails too. |
_________________
Sensitivity, forehead pigmentation & elevens, nose & chin clogged pores. Topicals: Aloe vera, squalane, lactic acid, Myfawnie KinNiaNag HG: Weleda calendula, Lanolips, Guinot masque essentiel, Flexitol Naturals, Careprost. Gadgets: Vaughter dermarollers, Lightstim. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:44 am |
FireFox, I don't have this myself.
I've just noticed that a lot of older people have hardened, jaundiced toenails/fingernails.
I was wondering if there's a scientific reason for it. |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:44 am |
| Lotusesther wrote: |
| Both my friend and I are 50. Mind you, most stories you hear about perimenopause and hair and nails are that hair thins and nails get brittle, just goes to show how different things can be! |
Interesting Lotus,
I have not noticed a change in nails (they are decent to begin with) but my hair while not thinning with age has gone straighter and straighter over about 15 years!
It does show we are all unique, most women once grey shows complain of more "wiry" hair!  |
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I'LL SEE YOU ON THE DARKSIDE OF THE MOON.... |
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Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:08 am |
| VeronicaM wrote: |
FireFox, I don't have this myself.
I've just noticed that a lot of older people have hardened, jaundiced toenails/fingernails.
I was wondering if there's a scientific reason for it. |
I doubt there is a single cause. Sometimes an undiagnosed fungal nail infection. Also in women damage to the nail bed from poor footwear or acrylic/ gel nails. Keratin is naturally yellow, so I am wondering if changes in blood flow to the extremities (pink) would play a role.
"Frequency
United States
The recent proliferation of fungal infections in the United States can be traced to the large immigration of dermatophytes, especially Trichophyton rubrum, from West Africa and Southeast Asia to North America and Europe.[2]
International
The incidence of onychomycosis has been reported to be 2-13% in North America.[3] A multicenter survey in Canada showed the prevalence of onychomycosis at 6.5%.[4] Onychomycosis accounts for half of all nail disorders, and onychomycosis is the most common nail disease in adults. Toenails are much more likely to be infected than fingernails. Thirty percent of patients with a cutaneous fungal infection also have onychomycosis. The incidence of onychomycosis has been increasing, owing to such factors as diabetes, immunosuppression, and increasing age.[2]
Studies in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Finland found prevalence rates of onychomycosis to be 3-8%."
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1105828-overview#a0199 |
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Sensitivity, forehead pigmentation & elevens, nose & chin clogged pores. Topicals: Aloe vera, squalane, lactic acid, Myfawnie KinNiaNag HG: Weleda calendula, Lanolips, Guinot masque essentiel, Flexitol Naturals, Careprost. Gadgets: Vaughter dermarollers, Lightstim. |
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