Once we speak about nails it’s always in reference to a favourite polish color or the nail art trend we won’t wait to try. And unless they’re continually breaking, the health of our nails typically takes a back seat to other concerns. It is smart: Nail health is not exactly sexy, so it is easy to forget that our hands can tell us so much about what is going on on inside our bodies.

But one thing that’ll get you to concentrate to your nails is when they modify the way in which they appear or feel. In case you begin to notice that your manicure is not as smooth because it was, otherwise you see little white spots or lines — also called nail ridges — slowly show up and stick around, you may be wondering what it means.

• What is a nail ridge?
• What causes nail ridges?
• How do you prevent and treat nail ridges?
• When to see a doctor for a nail ridge

• Mona GoharaMD, is a Connecticut-based board-certified dermatologist and associate clinical professor at Yale.
• Dana SternMD, is a Recent York City-based dermatologist who makes a speciality of nail health.

A fingernail ridge is, at its simplest, a depression within the nail. This valley, often accompanied by white spots or lines, can feel uneven, bumpy, or raised to the touch and it will probably occur to each your finger and toenails. The excellent news is that nail ridges aren’t painful and they don’t seem to be normally a reason to fret.

Contrary to popular belief, they don’t seem to be actually calcium deposits or a scarcity thereof. As a substitute, Mona GoharaMD, a dermatologist and associate clinical professor at Yale, likens nail ridges to wrinkles within the skin: More often than not they’re just something that happens with age. Longitudinal ridges, the lines that run out of your cuticle to the tip of your nail are probably the most common and typically don’t mean much. “For probably the most part, [they just] mean that point has passed and your nails are changing,” Dr. Gohara says.

So why do these nail changes occur? Some individuals are genetically predisposed to weak, brittle nails which can be vulnerable to ridging and as you become older, circulation to your extremities can decelerate, says Dana SternMD a Recent York City-based dermatologist who makes a speciality of nail health. “This compromise of oxygenated-rich blood and nutrients is why nails largely develop into brittle,” and possibly develop ridges, says Dr. Stern.