not my finger nails but my toe nails look horrible.

well....it seems like I got booted, while posting my comment. My toe nails are mishapen, and big toe nail keeps turning purple.

Sisterkitty,

I think I\'m having the same problem you had and it happens every time I post. About 30 seconds after I start typing my message, the page refreshes and I lose what I\'ve typed.

Marah im inclined to bite my nails but when i do manage to stop the nails that grow are thin and brittle and break easily then i bite them again lol maggie

Well mine sure are. My finger nails hardly grow no matter what i do. My toes & nails would frighten fish if I went into the water.

I wouldn't know, i have always been a nail biter.
It does seem that they have a odd flat shape because when i do the acrylics they never seem to look right.

I have bad nails and cuticles. But, I think I get it from my mom who's NF-1 free. I think it's just one of those things. Years ago, I had fake nails and my nails and cuticles were fantasic. But it was too expenseive and time consuming. I just use a Sally Hansen nail oil and try to keep them half-way decent.

My nails are brittle sometimes...I don't think it's from NF though. I had acrylic nails (still do) for many years. Last year I decided to gorow them out and give the nails a rest. I mean they were spliting all over the PLACE. i have about 4 or 5 fingers that split constantly and bleed. I tried this stuff called "nailtique". It was too expensive for the little 1 oz. bottle they gave you . So this cashier at the Sally's Beauty store told me to try "Gelous" nail polish (clear). It worked like a charm and wasn't expensive. Only thing is if you wear false nails you will need to take them off for at least 3 months or so. I heard of the gelatin drinking growing your nails...but I am scared to try. I don't want to consume too much sugar. I also heard folic acid is good for nail growth but I don't know how true that is.
Good luck with your nails.

my nails are also very thin and weak the also split and tear... but i think it has more to do with your diet. i notice more nail problems when go through a period of not drinking much milk or getting much protein. or even being a little dehydrated. try rubbing a little olive oil into the nail and cuticle, it will help prevent hang-nails..

Weak nails are common in the general population... don't know that it's NF related but it's common, otherwise you wouldn't see so much 'nail growth' related nail products.

Putting anything on already grown nail won't help. The growth plates are below your cuticle and what you see is essentially dead cells... like hair.

What does help if your nail splits is keeping them moisturized with good cuticle oil or heavy moisturizer -- whatever you like really, different products work differently for each person. It also helps to keep them protected as much as possible... going as far as to wearing gloves while hand washing dishes. Don't use corse nail files either. They destroy the free edge and essentially 'start' off a split or make an existing split worse. Clippers aren't good either. They flatten and can cause cracks.

I only file my nails with glass files. They are a little more than the chepo paper backed files but last forever since the glass particles are strong. You just rinse it once in a while to clean it and it's good as new.

Biotin which is vitamin B7 is supposed to help nails grow but I don't know personally wether that is true or not. I'm not going to get additional amounts outside of from whatever I eat that promotes growth (of any cells, wether proven to be nf/nerve related or not)

You can try ridge-fill nail polish/treatment if you want your nails to look smoother. I also know from friends it takes months to go from splitting/weak nails to healthier nails.