As I get older, the vertical ridges on my nails seem to become more prominent. I recently really noticed that ugly line in the pictures of the Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip recipe where my thumb is holding a Nilla Wafer. That’s when I decided to look into whether these ridges meant anything to my health and if there was anything I could do to get rid of them.
What they mean about your health
After doing a lot of research, I found that these ridges are a small and rare occurrence that could mean an underlying medical condition or even nail damage, but it’s normal for most of us to see them become more noticeable as we age. Especially if you have dry skin or a skin condition like eczema.
I’m 36 and they just started bothering me, but I’m relieved to find out they’re harmless. I’m just getting old. 🙂
But why are they there?
They are basically like fingernail wrinkles! As we age, the nail matrix begins to lose its effectiveness in some areas, causing your nails to grow unevenly, resulting in lines or ridges that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail as we see it.