Saltwater vs. Keratin

FritzCat66 · March 24th, 2009, 01:38 PM

Can persistent exposure to saltwater negatively affect the integrity of one's fingernails and toenails?

While I have had my cert for many years, I have only been diving regularly this past year (100 dives the past 12 months, all but a few in saltwater). During that time, I have noticed an increasing tendency for my fingernails and toenails to split or crack longitudinally.

I have never experienced a problem with my nails before, and during this time my diet has not changed, my medications have not changed, and I have always taken a multivitamin supplement daily. The nails are otherwise well tended; being a guy, I don't expose them to the kinds of harsh chemicals and toluenes, etc. involved in nail colors or polishes. I do wear gloves and boots 90% of the time I dive, so I suppose there is the added factor of neoprene exposure. The nails otherwise appear normal and healthy.

The only significantly different factor I can think of is the added exposure to saltwater, and/or some other internal biological process related to regular diving. Well, that and aging a year from 42 to 43.

1) Is there any known diving-related cause for this? and if so (or regardless),

2) What is the best way to treat this condition?

>*< Fritz

cutlass · April 1st, 2009, 05:09 PM

Keratin is a large family of proteins found in many tissues but most commonly associated with the nails, hair, skin, and cornea. I'm not aware of any routine adverse connection between seawater by itself and keratin as a protein. Besides the nails, have there been any changes in the others?

Besides exposure and medication side-effects, there was mention of vitamin supplements. If there's a question of deficency behind mentioning this, just as a caution when thinking about such things: A deficency can have 2 causes; not enough or not being absorbed. If not careful to distinguish between the two, overdosing can result.

Nails grow at a rate of a few millimeters per month (average 3mm). This implies that changes now noticed at the nails' free edge actually began about 3-4 months ago at the nail fold origin.

At this point, all I can suggest is to make an appointment and have it checked. If you can get a dermatologist, that might be the place to start. You've already noted that nothing else seems amiss in your health habits. But because of the nail's slow growth rate, I suggest widening and sharpening your observations of changes in your health and environment; potential causes may have been dismissed as trifles or isolated coincidences. Sorry that I can't offer more but IMO, there're are just too many reasons for a change in nail health to say anything really useful without doing a history and examination.