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Learn more about the Nails

Broad and Square Nails

Broad and square nails reveal an easy going, calm, honest, patient, upright, balanced, and broad minded person

Short Wide Nails

Watch out for these short wide nails, where they may be a temper which can flare up very quickly indeed. This person may also love to take an opposing point of view for the hell of it, and may be extremely critical of both themselves and of you.

Almond Nails

Almond shaped nails reveal a person who is gentle, refined, sensitive and creative

Long Narrow Nails

These long narrow nails are the most beautiful of all. They can reveal a very intuitive nature, but also one which can be selfish, lacking in energy, insecure or even a little neurotic

Just as the shape of the fingers reveal clues about the personality, so too, do the fingernails. Nail shapes can vary quite considerably but nevertheless can be categorised into basic shapes.

Square nails that are as broad as they are long reveal an honest, capable person who is responsible, balanced and patient. Such a person will come across as being someone who can be relied on. A patient would have natural confidence in the doctor whose nails are square and broad.

Short nails in a similar manner to short fingers, reveal a tendency towards impatience and quick thinking. However, the shorter the nail, the more critical the nature. In fairness, a person with such a short nail will be just as critical of himself as he is of others. This short nail, because of it's association with impatience, also reveals quite a temper that can flare up at a moments notice. Luckily though, this temper will be just as quick to die down. But when the short nail is also very wide, the nature becomes very argumentative and pugnacious. Whatever view someone takes, this person is likely to take the opposite, regardless of whether he believes his opinion is correct or not. He likes to argue for the sake of it and will do so on every possible occasion.

Long nails that are also wide will have the same interpretation as the square nail, but when long nails are also narrow, the character will be prone to selfishness and narrow-mindedness. Regardless of whether the nail is long or short, this narrow-minded attitude will result in a cynical, cold character who tends to consider himself first and others later, if at all. When the narrow nail is very long, the person will be intuitive and impractical but possibly also self centred. I has always been considered that these nails are the most beautiful of all the nail shapes, but unfortunately tend to reveal a person who can be particularly selfish and even a little neurotic.

Very small, square nails that are neither long, nor wide, that appear to be dwarfed by the finger reveal a person who can be tight fisted, mean, and stingy. Such a person is likely to be narrow minded, critical and cold.

Almond shaped nails tend to reveal people who are sensitive, gentle and kind, with a strong creative streak.

Fan shaped nails, with a narrow base which widen out towards the top of the finger like a fan, indicate highly strung and nervous people.

Health

In addition to revealing personality, the nails can offer many clues regarding the health of the subject. The nails themselves can be affected by ill health, and as the nail takes about six months to grow from the nail bed to the quick, in some cases it is possible to gauge how long ago the ill health first appeared.

Some common nail problems

Vertical Ridging

Visible vertical ridging which actually dents the nails hints that the system could be feeling run down, but has also been associated with a predisposition towards rheumatic complaints which could be hereditary. These could include rheumatic fever and /or rheumatoid arthritis. They have also been associated with chronic disease such as colitis and skin disorders.

Horizontal Ridging

Occasionally horizontal ridges creating actual dents appear on the nail, starting at the root of the nail and gradually moving up towards the the nail as the nail grows. When only one ridge forms it can indicate actual physical trauma, or a particular shock to the system which has interfered with the growth of the nail. By looking at the position of the ridge on the nail it is possible to discover when the problem occurred. Occasionally there will be several of these horizontal ridges indicating that a possible disease has temporarily affected nail growth. This may have occurred as a result of a deficient diet such as a lack of essential vitamins, or it may have occurred as a result of a specific illness such as measles or mumps, or even coronary thrombosis. Whatever the cause, the result is a temporary lack or growth of the nail itself.

Spoon Shaped Nails

The spoon shaped effect of a nail is caused by dietary deficiency which has resulted in the nail softening and thinning out. When seen, it is necessary to improve the diet as soon as possible to replace vitamins, so that health does not continue on a downward spiral. This is frequently seen on those suffering from anaemia but has also occasionally been associated with mental illness.

Hippocratic Nails

The Hippocratic nail or watch glass nail as it is sometimes called, appears as a swollen, humped, curved nail that wraps itself around the finger. The Hippocratic nail is most often found on swollen, clubbed fingertips. This is generally a sign of lung or heart trouble, but just occasionally cirrhosis of the liver. Sometimes it may just indicate the possible future threat of such an illness. In most cases, the nail reveals a problem to the respiratory system or the heart. A heavy smoker might develop these nails if the lungs or heart were being damaged in some way and the blood was short of oxygen. Tuberculosis and emphysema are two of many possibilities which could result.

A slightly less severe formation of the Hippocratic nail is the nail which begins to curl under and around the fingertip. This could appear as a result of persistent coughs, colds and bronchitis which may be damaging the air sacs in the lungs.