ridges and grooves on fingernails

I have horizontal ridges on one thumbnail and vertical ridges on the other one! Even my doctor at the time wasn't sure what had caused it. It definitely weakens the nails. The only way I can hide it is some nail filler which is applied when I have a gel polish manicure. So annoying and unsightly ?

My nails are such a disgrace that I should wear gloves permanently!! I have vertical grooves on all my nails, my thumb nails seem to have sunken patches (if this is a sign of anything horrid, please don’t tell me!), and all are prone to splitting. I should paraphrase Pam Ayers poem “I wish I’d looked after me teeth nails!”

I’ve always had terrible hails, ridges, splits etc. Over the years I’ve tried several commercial remedies, nothing worked.
But I read somewhere about massaging Vaseline into the nail bed, every night. I’ve been doing this for about a month and the difference is amazing.
My nails are stronger and growing with no splitting. Simple and cheap remedy, perhaps.

Ridges in Toenail are not only horizontal but also vertical and it really annoys. It usually occurs due to the deficiency in vitamins, nail polish as it contains chemicals that cause peeling toenails, lack of nail cells production, age factor, dryness, injury, etc. It gets heel gradually if you take good care of them by applying some home remedy therapy. Follow www.curetoenailfungus.info/blog/get-rid-of-ridges-in-toenails to know each and every detail of Ridges in Toenail.

Sorry kitty, I'm afraid I was judging you by my own standards - took me ages to remember which was which...

I know what horizontal means Ana but not which ones are which on a person's nails. Mine are horizontal if I hold my hand in one direction and vertical if I hold it another way.

Anyway, I've had mine years now so I presume they are age related because I'm still hale and hearty apart from the blessed cough!!

Horizontal ridges can be a sign of trauma, either physical or mental, especially if they appear on all the nails. Just two fingers, have you injured your hand? Or even your arm? When I broke my shoulder, all my fingers on that side had a horizontal ridge on them.

I have found since I've been getting gel nail polish done that the ridges have disappeared and they have stopped splitting and peeling. Only downside you have to go to the nail salon regularly .

I developed ridges and grooves on my nails, as well as spaces under some of them, after I'd had Asian Flu when I was 17. I got all kinds of topical treatment from doctors who mostly thought it was a fungal condition. About ten years ago I bought a bottle of OPI Nail Envy and, to my astonishment, the spaces disappeared. More recently, a couple of nails have been peeling and splitting. I found a product that claimed to strengthen nails, called Nailtiques,Formula 2, Nail Protein. It worked well and, although I still have some ridges, I no longer need to wear coloured nail polish to hide the ugly mess they once were. I only wish it hadn't taken almost 60 years to sort out!

I get little patches of psoriasis on a couple of fingers but 2 years ago had a really bad patch on the top knuckle of a different finger. My GP gave me a topical corticosteroid cream which I blamed for the grooves that formed on that nail. However your post made me wonder POGS and I've just checked the NHS site, where it does say the psoriasis can cause those grooves.

The good news is that the cream sorted out the finger and the nail has grown up healthy.

Yes. To remember the difference, just think of 'horizon'...

I have them too, I've got one of those buffer thingies and it makes a slight difference, think they're age-related.

Horizontal ridges are usually a sign of some sort of trauma, as in harrigan's case, but it's odd you've only got them on two fingernails, caererof123.

I'd call that vertical. I have some on my nails now and they have also become fragile and split if grown...I think it's the Pentasa I am on for colitis. Also my hair falls out, slowly.

Please explain which are vertical and which are horizontal. I have ridges on all my nails (which were my pride and joy! ) which run from the half moon to the tips - are they vertical?

Do you suffer from psoriasis by any chance?

Notch?? Nothing....

Vertical ridges are notch to worry about just a sign of ageing. Not sure about the horizontal ones.

No i am not on anything. Being as it is only two fingers it is rather bizarre!!!

Are you taking medication ? I have hoizontal ridges on all of my nails and it was caused by chemotherapy.