Leukonychia. What do white spots on nails indicate?

Nails protect the soft tissues of the fingers from damage. To do this, the nail plate must be strong and hard.

The composition of the nail includes:

• keratin;
• sulphur;
• trace elements;
• water;
• fat.

The nail plate provides not only protection against mechanical damage to the distal phalanges of the fingers, but also indicates the presence or absence of pathological processes and diseases.

The nails may have spots, stripes, deformations, their structure and color may be disturbed.

Read more on estet-portal.com about the most common pathology of the nail plate – leukonychia.

• Causes of white spots on nails
• A variety of leukonychia depending on the cause
• What diseases should leukonychia be differentiated fromu

Causes of white spots on nails

Leukonychia refers to the presence of white spots on the nails.

The process is based on disruption of keratinization of the nail plate, in which small air bubbles appear between the layers of the nail. The most common cause of leukonychia is nail trauma.

In women, white spots on the nails appear after unprofessional manicure, pedicure, nail extensions or after mechanical damage to the nail during cuticle removal.

In addition, poor-quality nail polishes, frequent hand contact with chemicals (acetone, fertilizers, paints), as well as habit bite your nails.

Leukonychia on toenails appears after wearing uncomfortable and tight shoes.

Nails can tell a lot to an experienced specialist. Moreover, you can find out what disturbances in the body have been during the last six months, because this is the time it takes for the nail to fully grow and renew itself.

White spots on the nails can also appear against the background of a lack of trace elements and vitamins, with anorexia, as a result of strict diets.

Also, white spots on the nails may indicate the presence of problems with the gastrointestinal tract, since the substances may not be absorbedby the body, although they come in sufficient quantities.

Onychomycosis: clinical forms and diagnosis according to the latest guidelines

A variety of leukonychia depending on the cause

Leukonychia can be on one nail, or on all or several. White spots on the nails can be dotted and striped. Dots can be large and single or small and multiple. The stripes can be either horizontal or vertical.

The appearance of the nail with white spots may indicate the cause of leukonychia.

Let's take a closer look at what diseasesleukonychia appears, and how the spots differ from each other:

• single and large white spots usually appear against the background of strong emotional stress, disappearing after the nail grows back;
• small pinpoint spots or streaks appear after nail injury. In this case, the defeat of the entire plate never develops;
• if leukonychia appeared on the background of diets, unbalanced nutrition or problems with the gastrointestinal tract, then paired white stripes appear on the nail plate, which are located across the nail;
• multiple small spots on the nails indicate the presence of a lack of trace elements.

In the spring, against the background of hypovitaminosis, white spots on the nails may appear. Often, pregnant women and adolescents also experience leukonychia, as their body experiences an increased need for vitamins and trace elements;

• in patients with chronic renal failure white spots on the nails are large and localized in the lower part of the nail, and the upper part has a healthy appearance;
• in patients with pathologies of the cardiovascular system the spots with leukonychia have a bluish tint;
• Patients with gastrointestinal problems have total leukonychia, with white patches on fingernails and toenails.

What diagnostic procedures should be done in the presence of leukonychia, read one.

For more interesting articles visit Facebook!

With what diseases it is necessary to differentiate leukonychia

When white spots appear on the nails, it is important to consult a dermatologist. If necessary, the dermatologist will also advise you to consult a gastroenterologist, cardiologist or nephrologist.

You will most likely need a nail test for trace elements.

White spots on the nails in leukonychia are important to differentiate from May's stripes, which appear on the nails with thallium or arsenic poisoning.

Such strips are transverse, 5 mm wide and white-blue in color.

It is important to exclude the presence of onychomycosis, in which the nail plate changes color and thickens. Differential diagnosis with fungal infections of the nail is carried out on the basis of an assessment of the results of scraping from the nail plates for pathogenic fungi.

Treatment for white spots on the nails depends on the cause of leukonychia.

To prevent the appearance of such a pathology, it is important to monitor nutrition, undergo regular medical examinations, properly care for nails and prevent chemicals from getting on the nail plate.

Clinical features and treatment of nail psoriasis