Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Nails, a window to your health

I used to think about fingernails only in terms of appearance. Painting them wasn’t for me because I didn’t want to draw attention to my stubby fingers.


Then three recent emails arrived linking nails to a myriad of unhealthy conditions. That my nails break easily may be not just a cosmetic liability. 


“There are hundreds of medical conditions, disorders, and diseases that may cause nail changes,” Mayo Clinic dermatologist Dawn Davis said in a clinic newsletter. “Fingernails are a window to your health.”