Lately I've been getting some split fingernails. It's winter and heaters leave my skin dry. What can I do?

The medical term for split fingernails is onychoschizia (horizontal splits) and onychorrhexis (longitudinal splits). According to the Mayo Clinic split fingernails are caused by "repetitive or prolonged contact with water," such as dish washing or soaking in the tub. It can also be caused by nail polish remover, and warm dry heat.

Tips for Avoiding Split Fingernails 1. Wear rubber gloves when washing dishes or using harsh chemicals. 2.

Avoid long baths. 3. Limit manicures and the use of nail polish remover.4.

Avoid using you nails for prying and pushing. 5. Keep your nails short.

Tips for Repairing Split Fingernails 1. Use a hand moisturizer (like lanolin, jojoba lotion, petroleum jelly or lotions containing alpha-hydroxy acids).2. Trim your nails.

3. Use clear nail polish to repair cracks. 4.

Take a biotin supplement ( the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology warns not to use this if you are pregnant). Hope this helps!

To prevent the nail from cracking further, either clip off the part that is cracked, or clip off most of it and file down the rest from the top. Keep taking those multivitamins. Be careful not to scratch or press on your nails at all if you ever clip your cuticles.

And let your nails grow slowly. Don't be afraid to clip a nail a little if you look at it and it looks like it might crack soon. The weakness in the nail goes back a lot farther than the crack, and you're probably more aware of your nail condition than you think, so you might be able to eliminate nail weakness just by clipping nails you think will eventually crack.

Finally, putting on glossy nail hardener in thick layers will help a lot. Put a layer on each night and it will help.

Biotin works wonders for this. I was taking it this summer and noticed a big difference in my hair, skin and nails. I need to dig out the bottle and start taking it again!

Also, emu oil. Rub it into your nails and cuticles before bed. It will absorb.It's also great for heel cracks and dry elbows.

If you work in a way that does a number on your hands (like having to reach into file cabinets a lot) or if you notice one particular finger that's more damaged than the others, you can rub the emu oil in and then wear a finger cot on that finger during the day, as well as rubbing the oil in at night. Finally, there is a hand creme called Gloves in a Bottle that bonds to your skin and forms a barrier that takes weeks to slough off. Your skin won't get as dried out, even when you're not wearing gloves when cleaning.

Hope this helps!

If your house is exceptionally dry, a humidifier will do wonders. I sometimes have a humidifier turn on automatically with a timer for 1 hour before bed. Also, drinking a good amount of water throughout the day to keep hydrated is never a bad idea.

Linda gives some very solid tips on repairing split nails: lindarose.com/art-brokennails.asp For small cracks and breaks, carefully placed crazy glue sounds like a great fast and cheap option. For larger regular cracks, large splits, and anything that really hurts, you're right to think about this a bit more medically. I sincerely hope that this helps.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.