A fever, injury, chemotherapy, or major stress can cause your nails to grow slowly or stop growing. If you cannot think of what could may have caused your nails to grow slowly or stop growing, see your dermatologist or primary care doctor. Once you find and get rid of the cause, nails often start growing normally.
Zinc enables proteins in the body to grow and remain strong. This includes proteins in the nails. A 2013 article suggests that without enough zinc, the rate of nail growth decreases, and the nails themselves become fragile and brittle, causing them to crack.
Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia.
2 Nail changes in vitamin B12 deficiency present as hyperpigmentation of nails like bluish discoloration of nails, blue-black pigmentation with dark longitudinal streaks, and longitudinal and reticulate darkened streaks. The nail pigmentation associated with B12 deficiency is more frequent in patients with dark skin.
This is usually nothing serious, and considered normal signs of aging. However, toenails that grow slowly or seem to stop growing altogether, there may be an underlying cause requiring medical attention, such as peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Nail artist Julie Kandalec says promoting circulation and blood flow to your nails can help speed up nail growth. She suggests doing this by massaging them twice daily with hand cream or cuticle oil.
Plenty of nutrients in food can help your nails, taking them from dry and brittle to healthy and strong. Foods that can improve your nails include fruits, lean meats, salmon, leafy greens, beans, eggs, nuts, and whole grains.
Usually, it begins as brittle nails that crack and chip easily. In later stages, when iron deficiency continues untreated for long, it may lead to spoon shaped nails – meaning they form a curve with a dip in the middle and edges raise to give it a rounded spoon shaped appearance.
Healthy nails are generally pink. Very pale nails may indicate illnesses, such as anemia, congestive heart failure or liver disease. Poor nutrition also may be a culprit. It's a good idea to have them checked by a doctor.
Rather strangely however the longer your fingers the faster your nails grow and the nails on your more active hand grow faster than on the other. Your middle nail grows the fastest and your thumb nails the slowest.
If your nails are peeling, brittle, or have vertical ridges, you may be vitamin D deficient. Dubbed “the sunshine vitamin,” one of the best sources is sunlight. It can also be found in fatty fish, beef, liver, egg yolk, and fortified dairy, orange juice, and cereals.
Foods that contain the most biotin include organ meats, eggs, fish, meat, seeds, nuts, and certain vegetables (such as sweet potatoes) [2,12].
One of the most important causes of restricted hair growth and hair thinning is nutritional deficiency. Nutrients like iron, protein, biotin and zinc contribute to healthy hair. However, if you are deficient in these essential nutrients, your risk of restricted hair growth and hair thinning increases.
Healthy fingernails are smooth, without pits or grooves. They're uniform in color and consistency and free of spots or discoloration. Sometimes fingernails develop harmless vertical ridges that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. Vertical ridges tend to become more prominent with age.
"It helps your cuticles, keeps your hands and nails hydrated, and works better than callus removal if you put it on your feet and wear socks overnight," says Nguyen. "The best part is that it's affordable and probably already in your medicine cabinet!" she adds.
Nail Health & Diabetes
In some people with diabetes, the nails take on a yellowish hue and become brittle. This is often associated with the breakdown of sugar and its effect on the collagen in nails. In certain cases, this yellowing of nails can be a sign of a nail infection.
Growth Rate
As early as the age of 25, that rate slows by about 0.5% per year. So by the age of 85, your fingernails may only be growing 2 mm in length per month.