How To Get Rid of Vertical Ridges On Fingernails | Nail Ridges And Vitamin Deficiencies

reduce vertical nail ridges

If you have recently observed these strange vertical lines on your nails, I am sure you are wondering “what are these lines on my nails and How To get rid of Vertical Ridges on fingernails”. Worry not, you are not alone, there are many on-board with you as these ridges on nails are quite common and here we are discussing what to do to get rid of vertical ridges on fingernails at home naturally with the help of some time tested home remedies..

“Vertical Nail Ridges are the bumpy lines which extends from cuticles to the tip of the nails. These vertical lines will have an uneven texture caused due to raised lines which are called nail ridges”. Getting rid of nail ridges can be a daunting task as you first need to determine the cause of ridged nails

What are The Causes of Vertical Ridges On Nails And How To Get Rid With Home Remedies

The occurrence  of these vertical lines that run from cuticle to tip of your nail can be because of following reasons

  1. Aging Fingernail Ridges : The ridges may become more prominent with age. Our body goes through a lot of change as we age. Increased oxidative stress, loss of collagen. becoming deficient in certain nutrients are a few to name.
  2. Injury to nail bed or nail plate : if you have had an injury in your nail bed in the past, occurrence of ridges on nail doesn’t come as a surprise.
  3. Nutritional deficiencies : If the food eaten lacks balance you are likely to have these lines on your nails. The sources of nutrients should also be balanced for eg : if you rely a lot on animal protein and ignore the other sources you may have brittle nails. Mostly deficiency of certain B vitamins and Zinc is linked to fingernail ridges and other nail abnormalities. Our nails are built up of protein ( like keratin ). Lacking in this can also make the groves show up.

These are the most common causes of vertical finger nail ridges and these do not indicate any serious issues.

Are Vertical Ridges on Nails A Cause of Concern

In most cases no, you only need to worry if you have nutritional deficiencies. Leading a healthy lifestyle will certainly help in achieving overall fitness. Eat a balanced diet and ensure that the nutrients supplied to your body through the food are absorbed as well. Mal absorption of nutrients will also lead to deficiency and will possibly be reflected through your nails.

According to Mayo Clinic

“Vertical nail ridges are fairly common and nothing to worry about. Vertical nail ridges extend from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. Vertical nail ridges often become more numerous or prominent with age, possibly due to variations in cell turnover within the nail”

What Should You Do If You Have Vertical Lines on Nails?

Although vertical lines do not indicate in any serious health conditions, you must still not ignore it as it may be a result of imbalanced diet, which in itself is a unhealthy practice. In longer run it will lead to health issues.

So you can meet a doctor and and get his opinion on your nail’s vertical ridges. Following a regime to maintain the health of fingernails is of equal importance. Keeping Fingernails healthy naturally isn’t difficult at all clip, buff and moisturize your nails from time to time to keep them healthy and avoid uneven and unhealthy nails.

 Vitamin Deficiencies And Ridges On Nails

Vitamin B which is a group of 8 vitamins collectively referred as B-Complex. One of the key functions of Vitamins is cell growth. Vitamin B-12 and Folic Acid (B-9) are considered to affect the growth of nails therefore, a deficiency in B vitamins may cause abnormalities in nail health like slow growth and even  fingernail ridges. Other vitamins like Vitamin C is also considered helpful in damage repair owing to its anti-oxidizing properties. Vitamin deficiency is not always about under nutrition or inadequate intake of vitamins, it can also be a result of poor absorption of vitamins.

So it is very clear that having Vitamin Deficiency may show up through the nails in the form of fading moons, nails ridges, slow growth, excessively dry nails etc. Deficiency of Vitamin B, Vitamin B-12 and keratin can be linked with ridges on fingers nails. However hormonal imbalance can also be a cause of ridged nails.

Get Rid of Vertical Ridges On Fingernails With Home Remedies 

Buff Them

Gently buff your nails with a three way or four way buffer to get rid of those ugly bumps on your nails. Do not go overboard while buffing, deeper ridges cannot be removed completely by buffing. Aim to minimize the appearance of ridges by buffing gently. Aggressive and frequent buffing will weaken your nails so be very gentle.

Eat A Balanced Diet

Throughout this article  I have emphasized the importance of eating a balanced diet and once again I repeat ” Eat a Well Rounded Diet ” to keep your fingernails, hair, skin and whole body healthy. This definitely help in reducing vertical ridges on nails by providing the nails with essential nutrients and restoring the natural oils that is lost due to various reasons. If your body has issues like mal-absorption of nutrients you may consult a nutritionist or dermatologist to get suitable guidance on supplementation of vital nutrients for hair and nail, biotin is one to name.

Use A Ridge Filler Base Coat

While buffing your nail ridges may not be the best bet to smooth out the corrugated nails, and eating a balance diet will not work instantly, Ridge Filler Base coat works as a quick fix for nail ridges. Keep one handy to cover the uneven nails on the go.

While getting rid of vertical nail ridges is something that is achievable, your focus should be more on attaining overall healthy body. Determining the cause of ridges on fingernails is of prime importance, as only then you will make the best choice of treatment for those vertical lines on your nails, Horizontal nail ridges are altogether a different subject and is more serious that the vertical line.

Use A Hydrating Oil

Vitamin E oil, Coconut oil and Olive oil are also hydrating in nature and thus can help in fixing dehydrated nails. Vitamin E oil is very moisturizing in nature and thus can keep your nails from becoming dry and brittle. Applying Vitamin E oil on ridged nail can be beneficial in more than one ways. It will keep the nails hydrated and at the same time boost the repair process of damaged nails and cuticles.

Jojoba Oil For Fingernails

if you suffer dry skin and dry scalp there are fair chances that your nail ridges are due to dehydration. Jjojoba oil is a very good hydrator and thus used in several nail / cuticle nourishing oils. Itl is also antifungal and thus can help in preventing fungus in nails and can also help in repairing damaged nails.

Coconut Oil For Fingernail Ridges

Coconut oil is also very hydrating thus used in several lotions, soaps and creams. A good reason for keeping your nails moisturized is to prevent nail ridges. Nail ridges are likely to appear when the nails are too dry. Massaging coconut oil on the nails regularly will help in reducing the appearance of nail ridges.

Homemade coconut oil or virgin coconut oil are ideal to use.


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