One of the most common nail conditions a dermatologist sees is onychoschizia, also known as split nails. The most common cause of this problem is excessive exposure to chemicals, water, or dry conditions; anything that dries the nail. The term onychoschizia refers to a condition of brittle, split, thin or soft nails and often includes ridged nails and the condition is seen more often in women.

Some of the causes or risk factors involved with onychoschizia are drying of the nails due to overexposure to water, chemicals, or dry air. A vitamin deficiency can also create the conditions of onychoschizia. Trauma to the area, excess nail polish remover, and some skin conditions can also contribute to cracking. Onychoschizia is the technical term for split nails and therefore the symptoms are quite obvious; split fingernail or toenail. It may start and even remain in a single horizontal indentation between the layers of the nail plate or it may be a vertical indentation in the nail or there may be multiple indentations in one or more nails.

The best and most effective treatment and prevention of splitting is to protect the area from the conditions that are causing the problem. This will often mean wearing protective gloves when in water or chemicals. Simply wearing cotton-lined rubber gloves when doing dishes or cleaning with chemicals can protect your nails from drying conditions. Keep your nails trimmed and filed to prevent cracks, splits and chips while weak and brittle nails grow to prevent further damage and pain. Use a non-petroleum based hand lotion or cream and rub it into the area and cuticle to moisturize and protect the nail. Finally, improve your body’s health and nutrition levels by taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement to help treat and prevent onychoschizia.

If you choose to wear nail polish, be sure to use a nourishing base coat, avoid overexposure to harsh polish removers, and never scrape or peel the polish from the nail. When buffing the area, buff with the grain and nail growth and never back and forth against the grain as this can cause the area to split.

Onychoschizia can not only be painful as the area splits into the tender nail bed, but it can also allow harmful bacteria and fungi to enter the nail bed, allowing an infection to set in. Nail fungus can be difficult to treat and when it infiltrates under the nail in the nail bed it can cause irreversible damage to the nail, including complete detachment of the nail. Nail fungus is common and people come in contact with these spores regularly without harm. Healthy and clean nails that do not have cracks, cuts or other trauma will in most cases be protected from a fungal attack; however, damaged nails are the main breeding grounds. Women who wear tight, closed-toed high-heeled shoes often find that the trauma of the shoe will cause onychoschizia and the dark, moist environment of the foot will allow a fungal attack to set in.