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what do your fingernails say about your health?

from white marks to chips and breakage, your nails can offer important wellness clues.

by nick beare

published jun 09, 2022

3 minute read

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3 minute read

join the conversation

what do your fingernails say about your health?

leukonychia is a condition that refers to the little white spots or lines on your fingernails. getty

though they are regarded mainly for aesthetic purposes these days, fingernails are mysterious little bits of keratin that not only help with scratching, picking things up and supports our everyday motor functions, but our nails can be important indicators of a potential underlying health condition. fingernails also seem to hold a lot of mystery: what are those little white spots? and does the little half-moon shaped mark at the base of our nails serve a purpose? also, why do our nails chip and break? here’s what you should know about the hard tissue that covers your fingertips.

what do white marks on your nail mean?

it’s not uncommon to see little white spots or lines on your fingernails, a condition known as leukonychia, and there are a couple different reasons why they might occur and what they mean.

there are three anatomical types of leukonychia: true leukonychia, pseudo-leukonychia and apparent leukonychia, with distinct differences.

“leukonychia, or white nails, is usually not an alarming sign, but it can sometimes unmask severe systemic disorders or congenital conditions,” wrote researchers in a 2022 study on leukonychia. “the white colour can be due to nail plate or nail bed abnormalities.”

there are the three anatomical types of leukonychia. true leukonychia refers to abnormalities related to the ‘matrix’ of the nail, or the part that is responsible for nail production; pseudo-leukonychia describes the whiteness of the nail plate; and apparent leukonychia is an abnormality of the nail bed, which is the area underneath the nail.

the whiteness you might see on your nails can appear in many different patterns, for many different reasons, and may indicate a variety of different underlying conditions, including an allergic reaction to nail products, rare disorders such as bart-pumphrey syndrome, bauer syndrome, or buschkell-gorlin, a nail injury and in rare cases, white spots on your nails could be a clue to potentially life-threatening illnesses, such as kidney or liver failure. however, in most cases, leukonychia is harmless. if you are curious, though, it’s worth contacting your doctor.

what are those half-moons at the base of your nail?

those little moons, situated where the nail meets the cuticle and often a whiteish shade much lighter in colour than the rest of the nail, are called lunula.

the lunula is simply the visible portion of the matrix of the nail and is comprised of the newest part of the nail as it grows.

while some people may not be able to see it because of the colour of their skin, in other cases lunulae won’t be visible due to an underlying health condition. “alterations in the morphologic features or color (or both) of the lunula can be an indication of either a cutaneous or a systemic disorder,” according to one study, such as malnourishment, vitiligo, amenia, erythronychia, cirrhosis and heart or kidney disease.

what other things can go wrong with your nails?

many nail abnormalities are harmless, and it’s quite common for nails to change over time with grooves, ripples and bumps that come and go. however, sometimes the way your nails look is worth paying attention to. rippled nails can be a sign of psoriasis, while cracking or splitting can be linked to thyroid problems or simply a vitamin deficiency.

black or dark lines can be a sign of melanoma underneath the nail and should be looked at as soon as possible by a doctor. and if your nails are looking a little greyish or blue or purple (as well as other areas on your hands or fingers), it can be a sign that your red blood cells aren’t carrying enough oxygen. this could be a sign of cyanosis and should be investigated immediately.

generally, fingernails should look pretty similar across the board and “are smooth, without pits or grooves. they’re uniform in colour and consistency and free of spots or discolouration,” according to the mayo clinic, “sometimes fingernails develop harmless vertical ridges that run from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. vertical ridges tend to become more prominent with age.”

there are dozens of conditions that may present themselves in our fingernails — many of them not concerning — still, it’s important to keep an eye on major changes and consult a doctor if you have any concerns.

nick beare is a toronto-based writer.

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what do your fingernails say about your health?

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what do your fingernails say about your health?

from white marks to chips and breakage, your nails can offer important wellness clues.

what do white marks on your nail mean?

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