What Nail Abnormalities Say About Your Health (Page 4 ) | March 29, 2025

Beau’s Lines
Beau’s lines are indentations that run across the nails and may initially appear in the area under the cuticle and this phenomenon was first described in 1846 by French physician Joseph Honoré Simon Beau. The lines are caused by diseases that affect the entire body, including malnutrition, heart attack, liver disease, serious infections such as mumps, measles, scarlet fever, pneumonia, and metabolic disorders such as poorly controlled diabetes.
However, Beau’s lines can result from any disease process that is severe enough to affect the growth of the nail. Malnutrition and chemotherapy drugs for cancer can also cause Beau’s lines, as can zinc deficiency. Trauma or injury can also be a cause of Beau’s lines or nail veins. The onset of the disease can be estimated by measuring the distance from Beau’s line to the base of the nail.