Like hair, nails undergo changes over time, due to disease, internal processes in the body as it ages, nutritional deficiencies, or external factors like long-term exposure to chemicals or ultraviolet light.
The changes nails may undergo over time involve growth rate, texture, thickness, shape or contour, and color.
More serious brittleness can cause ridges along the length of the nail and fragmenting of the nail tips.
Conditions like anemia, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and hormonal problems can be a cause, so consult your health provider if you notice significant texture changes in your nails.
Fungal infections, which account for about half of all nail disorders and are more common in the elderly, can cause nail thickening and discoloration. The scientific term for a nail fungal infection is onychomycosis.
Treatments for fungal nail infections include oral or topical (applied to the nail) antifungal preparations, which may need to be administered for a period of months.
Being maleDiseases like diabetes and immune deficiency conditionsSmoking
Choosing the right medication will depend on other prescriptions you may be taking (to avoid drug interactions) and the severity of the infection.
Pressure from too-tight shoes or foot deformities that pushes a nail inward can cause ingrown toenails. Though more common in younger people, ingrown nails in the elderly can cause substantial pain and walking problems.
Simple treatment involves soaking the foot to ease the ingrown nail out using small pieces of cotton. Minor surgery to remove a narrow strip of the nail is usually more effective at preventing future ingrowth.
One type of color change involves dark stripes or ridges along the length of the nail. The medical term for this is longitudinal melanonychia.
Darker-skinned people, such as Hispanics and African Americans, often develop longitudinal melanonychia as they age. The stripes are made up of the same pigment, or melanin, that accounts for the color of your hair.
Bowen’s disease, a form of skin cancer, may occasionally show up as a darker stripe on the nail. More typically, it appears on the skin of the hand. A dark stripe may also be caused by a splinter hemorrhage, or bruise beneath the nail, which in the elderly is usually due to minor trauma to the nail and resolves on its own.
Ask Your Healthcare Provider
While many of the nail changes that occur with age are minor, some can signal more serious health problems like heart and lung disease, anemia, liver and kidney problems, and diabetes. See your family healthcare provider or dermatologist if you have any concerns.
