Dear Dr. K: I’ve always been proud of my smooth, healthy-looking fingernails, but recently I’ve noticed some changes. I have developed vertical ridges in my nails and, although I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, they also seem thicker. Should I be alarmed by these changes?

Dear Reader: It’s true that healthy people usually have normal-appearing nails. The trouble is, so do most sick people. Normal nails are smooth, uniformly shaped and uniformly colored, often with a lighter, half-moon shape under the nail near the cuticle.

But even healthy people can have nails that aren’t fit for a photo shoot. Vertical ridges like the type you’ve developed are found in perfectly healthy people. So are occasional “pits” (indentations), darkened bands, and flatter or rounded nails.

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