What is a common cause of ridged nails?

• A. Excess hydration
• B. Malnutrition or vitamin deficiencies
• C. Frequent manicures
• D. Using ridge filler

Answer: (B)

Ridges appear when the nail matrix isn’t able to form the keratin evenly, so lines run from base to tip. Nutrition plays a big part in how smoothly that process happens. When someone isn’t getting enough nutrients—especially protein and minerals like iron, zinc, and vitamins such as the B vitamins and biotin—the nail grows with visible ridges. That’s why malnutrition or vitamin deficiencies are a common cause of ridged nails. Excess hydration tends to soften nails rather than create ridges, frequent manicures can damage nails in other ways but don’t typically produce these vertical ridges, and ridge filler is simply a cosmetic fix, not a cause.