Your nails can tell you much more than whether you need a manicure. They’re packed with details about your health. They can show if you have an infection, a serious disease, or even how well you’re eating.
To figure out what your nails might have to say, answer these questions. If you’re concerned, ask your doctor, as you’ll need more than a glance at your hands to know if there’s a problem.
1. Do they look pale or white?
This could mean you have a low redbloodcell count. White nails also can signaltrauma, liverdisease,diabetes, anoveractive thyroid,heart failure,heavy metal poisoning, chemotherapy, or a lack ofnutrientsin your diet.
If your nails are mostly white with a narrow pink band at the tip, you have a condition called Terry’s nails. It can result from aging, but it can also heralddiabetesorkidney,liver, orheart disease.
2. Are they yellow?
Nails that are thick, slow-growing, and yellow often point tolung diseaseslikeemphysemaorchronic bronchitis. Fluid in yourlungsand hands also can lead toyellow nail syndrome. So can Raynaud’s phenomenon, which is caused by poor circulation to the fingers, toes, and nose. Yellow nails can even be a symptom ofsinusitis,thyroid problems, lymph accumulation, andrheumatoid arthritis. Occasionally, yellow nails run in families, suggesting a genetic connection. Only your doctor can tell you what they mean.
3. Are your nail beds red?
Talk to your doctor. They’ll probably want to examine yourheart.
4. Do they look a bit blue or purple (without any nail polish)?
Your doctor may call this cyanosis, which is a medical word for that skin that looks that way. You might notice it on other parts of your body, too, such as your lips or even your earlobes. It can happen if your red blood cells aren’t carrying enough oxygen. Your doctor will see if your heart, lungs, blood cells, and blood vessels are working right.
5. Do you see thin red or brown lines?
They’re called splinter hemorrhages. They usually come from trauma to your nails or a fungal infection. They can also be frompsoriasis,melanoma, or even an infection in the lining of yourheart.
6. Are there lines that go from side to side?
These are called Beau’s lines. Sometimes they come along with a severe illness or injury. Or they might show up afterward. They’re also linked with Raynaud’s phenomenon. They can be a sign of zinc deficiency, but most often, they’re a sign of stress.
7. Are your nails spoon-shaped?
This is when your nails get thin and dip down in the middle, sometimes with raised ridges. It can be a sign ofheart disease, trauma,lupus,low thyroid, or a problem with iron -- either too little or too much.
8. Are they pitted or split?
Psoriasisoften starts in your nails. It can make them split and cause pits on the surface. Other causes include inflammatoryarthritisorthyroiddisease.
9. Are they clubbed?
This can cause the ends of your fingers to bulge. Your nails might curve over them and look like the bottom part of an upside down spoon. They can be a sign of liver, lung or heart problems, AIDS, or eveninflammatory bowel disease.
10. Are there dark lines or blobs underneath?
A thick black or brown line that runs from the bottom to the tip might bemelanoma. Sometimes it shows up as a dark-colored blob.
11. Are the nails loose?
Lots of things can cause your nails to separate from the nail bed:
- Longfingernails(the most common cause)
- Injury or infection
- Reactions to nail hardeners or adhesives
- Chemical overexposure frommanicures
- Medicationsliketetracyclineandnaproxen, which createlight sensitivityand can cause your nails to become photosensitive and lift away from the nail bed
- Psoriasis,thyroiddisease, or other illness, especially if all of the nails are affected
What Should You Do?
Don’t ignore changes in your nails, but don’t jump to conclusions either. Nails that aren’t smooth or aren’t one color can be a sign of many diseases -- or of none. Only your doctor can tell for sure.
Look for the usual suspects before you assume a serious problem.Bruises, under-the-nail bleeding, and fungal infections are the main cause for nails to crack, peel, or change color and texture. Though common, fungal infections can be hard to treat. If your symptoms don’t go away, see a dermatologist.
Nail changes are rarely the first sign of illness. Other symptoms almost always appear before that happens. For instance, emphysema causesbreathing problemsmuch earlier than it does clubbed nails.
An illness may cause nail changes in some people but not in others. Not everyone withliverdisease will develop white nails, for example -- and not everyone with white nails has liver disease.
