How To Treat Split Nails

Hello I'm Charles Goldman, a qualified Chiropodist/Podiatrist. I run “The Foot Pad” chiropody and physical therapy clinic in Holborn, Central London. Today I'm going to talk to you about various foot problems and their treatment.

We're now going to talk about the treatment of split nails. Split nails can be caused by many things. Initially it can be caused by bad diet, lack of zinc, lack of other products in your diet.

it can also be caused by something called like lichen planus which is normally an infection that affects the bottom of the foot but it can affect the nail growth. It can also be caused by over filing of the nails, just natural tearing of the nails. The first thing to do is to make sure your nails are strong, make sure your diet is adequate.

The next thing is to make sure you moisturize and including the nails, this helps strengthen the nails. The other thing is to ascertain what has caused it. If it is splitting from the tip and it's more likely a functional problem rather than an infection.

If it is splitting from the root of the nail or the base of the nail then it could be an infection and its worth seeking a professional advice to try and find out what has caused it. The other things that can cause problems with the nails are the endocrine or glandular problems so it is worth seeking advice if symptoms persist. What you need to do to prevent the situation getting worse if the nail is starting to split at the top you don't want it to tear along and cause bleeding so put a sterile plaster over it and keep it on till the nail grows out.

The nails grow quite slowly, only about a millimeter a month, so it's worth thinking about it and preventing it getting worse. And that's how you should treat a split nail.