Did you know that your fingernails can provide clues to your overall health?
Abnormalities that occur on the nails may warrant a closer look.
White Dots On Nails Leukonychia
Commonly called white nails or milk spots, and is more frequently located on fingernails compared to toenails and often can be found in the central portion of the nail plate. The normal nail beds needs to be pink in color.
These white spots usually are not hatrmful, although in some other situations it could be an indication of an underlying disease. Bacterial or perhaps fungal infection on the nails could potentially cause, this effect.
This condition can also be found in people with arsenic poisoning, kidney failure or respiratory conditions. Contact with extreme cold could possibly result in this condition, but these spots will slowly vanish over time.
Cracked or Split Nails
Dry, brittle nails that frequently crack or split have been linked to thyroid disease. Cracking or splitting combined with a yellowish colour is more likely due to a fungal infection. Low levels of Vitamin C, folic acid, and certain proteins in the diet are also known to cause nail splitting.
White Nails
If the nails are mostly white with darker rims, this can indicate liver problems, such as hepatitis. Nails yellowish in color can indicate jaundice, which is another sign of liver trouble.
Very pale nails can sometimes be a sign of other serious illnesses, such as:
Anemia
Congestive heart failure
Liver disease
Malnutrition
White Dots
If small white dots that appear on the surface of the nail that won’t budge when you try to buff them off, this is usually due to some type of trauma—such as a banged finger. In time they should grow out and fade, but if they don’t go away it could be a sign of milk spots as discussed earlier so you may need to see a dermatologist.
Bluish Nails
The medical term of Blue fingernails is cyanosis, and can be a sign of various disorders so it should be checked out. While very cold temperatures can temporarily slow the flow of blood through the skin leading to a bluish color, this should go away once you warm up. It can also be a sign of Raynaud’s disease.
Yellow Nails Syndrome
With yellow nail syndrome, nails thicken and new growth slows. This results in a yellowish discoloration of the nails. One of the most common causes of yellow nails is a fungal infection. As the infection worsens, the nail bed may retract, and nails may thicken, crumble, lack a cuticle and detach from the nail bed in places.
Yellow nail syndrome is often a sign of respiratory disease, such as chronic bronchitis. Yellow nail syndrome can also be related to swelling of the hands (lymphedema). In rare cases, yellow nails can indicate a more serious condition such as severe thyroid disease, lung disease, diabetes or psoriasis
Nail Pitting
Small hole or ice pick-like depressions in the nails (nail pitting) are common in people who have psoriasis, which is a condition characterized by scaly patches on the skin. Nail pitting can also be related to connective tissue disorders, such as Reiter’s syndrome, and alopecia
Green Nails
Green nails are the result of a pseudomonal infection, which is usually caused by the environment. This means that those who’s immune system is already low are very susceptible to this type of nail infection which makes the nail often appears green in color.
Nail Ridges
These can either be horizontal or vertical. With vertical nail ridges, this can signify nutrition issues, moisture loss or nutritional absorption issues. Horizontal ridges in the nail are often associated with diabetes, liver diseases or other chronic diseases.
Dark Lines Beneath the Nail
If you have dark skin, it’s fairly common to have streaks of the pigment melanin down your fingernails. However, you should still get this checked by a doctor, as it may occasionally indicate a form of skin cancer called subungual melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Generally this only affects one nail, causing the stripe to change in appearance, and becoming wider or darker over time. The pigmentation may also affect the surrounding skin.
Rippled Nails
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