Full Answer
How to get rid of black lines on your toenails?
Repeat the treatment two times per day to remove fungus while preventing black lines from recurring. Coconut oil also has some potent antifungal properties. More importantly, the oil will create a barrier on your nail to protect against moisture.
What are the black lines on my fingernails?
However, there are times when a person may experience black lines on the nail. When a person has linear melanonychia, they may see dark stripes running down the nails. They may have color variations that range from black to deep brown and gray.
How to get rid of discoloration on fingernails?
12 Remedies For Nail Discoloration. 1 Keep Clean. Because fungi are everywhere, including the skin, they can be present months before they find opportunities to strike. By following proper ... 2 Wear Your Shoes In Yucky Surroundings. 3 Snip Nails Short. 4 Keep Feet Cool. 5 Wash Your Hands. More items
How do you get rid of white spots on your nails?
Pour some white vinegar in a bowl and soak your nails in it a few times a day. Vinegar is actually a mild acid, and it can be helpful in these cases. To remove run-of-the mill stains from your fingernails, soak them in lemon juice, suggests Gina Morgan, a nail care instructor.
How do you get rid of black lines on your nails naturally?
With the help of a cotton ball apply lemon juice to the affected part of the nail. For black lines or splinter hemorrhage caused due to an injury or nail trauma, it may take up to days or months to heal.
How do you treat black lines on fingernails?
Most causes of black lines on the nail do not require treatment. Melanoma is an exception. A doctor will usually first remove the area of melanoma as well as the skin under the fingernail. A doctor can perform a skin graft over the fingernail to improve the finger's appearance post-surgery.
What deficiency causes dark lines on nails?
Melanonychia can be caused by inflammatory skin diseases that affect your nails. It can also be caused by inflammation due to friction from shoes and biting your nails. Poor nutrition. Malnutrition can cause melanonychia, especially a lack of protein, vitamin D, or vitamin B12.
What causes black lines on fingernails?
Melanonychia is caused when the pigment cells, called melanocytes, deposit melanin — brown-colored pigment — into the nail. These deposits are usually grouped together. As your nail grows, it causes the stripe of brown or black to appear on your nail.
Do black lines on nails go away?
A trauma to the nail can be a painful experience but is certainly not a matter of much concern. The black line on nail due to stubbing usually goes away within a few days of the trauma suffered and is healed back to its normal color.
What do nails look like with anemia?
Spoon nails (koilonychia) are soft nails that look scooped out. The depression usually is large enough to hold a drop of liquid. Often, spoon nails are a sign of iron deficiency anemia or a liver condition known as hemochromatosis, in which your body absorbs too much iron from the food you eat.
Why do I have lines in my fingernails?
Ridges in the fingernails are usually signs of aging. Slight vertical ridges commonly develop in older adults. In some cases, ridges may be a sign of health problems like vitamin deficiencies or diabetes. Deep horizontal ridges, called Beau's lines, may indicate a serious condition.
Can your fingernails show signs of illness?
Did you know your nails can reveal clues to your overall health? A touch of white here, a rosy tinge there, or some rippling or bumps may be a sign of disease in the body. Problems in the liver, lungs, and heart can show up in your nails.
Why do I have black lines on my nails?
More seriously, a black line or lines on the nails can indicate the presence of melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer. Melanoma under a fingernail is known as subungual ...
Why do I have dark stripes on my nails?
Most commonly, dark stripes down a person’s nail are due to a symptom known as linear melanonychia. According to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, these stripes commonly occur in those of African-American descent who are age 20 and older. Linear melanonychia is considered a normal fingernail color variation.
What does it mean when your fingernails are bleedy?
Sometimes, the nail will be painful or bleed. The pigmentation may also extend to the area where the fingernail meets the cuticle. This is known as Hutchinson’s sign, which is often an indicator of melanoma. The stripe can occur on either the fingernails or toenails.
What is a melanoma under a fingernail called?
Melanoma under a fingernail is known as subungual melanoma. One of the melanoma types is known as acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM). According to clinical guidelines published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research. Trusted Source.
What causes nail melanonychia?
These include: taking certain medications, such as chemotherapy drugs, beta blockers, anti-malarial drugs, or the medication azidothymidine. HIV.
How long does it take for a splinter to heal?
They usually heal on their own within a few days.
What does linear melanonychia mean?
Linear melanonychia. When a person has linear melanonychia, they may see dark stripes running down the nails. They may have color variations that range from black to deep brown and gray. These lines will normally appear on 2 to 5 fingernails, but not necessarily all 10.
What is it called when you have black lines on your toenails?
Melanonychia is a condition of either the fingernails or the toenails. Melanonychia is when you have brown or black lines on your nails. The decolorization is usually in a stripe that starts at the bottom of your nail bed and continues to the top. It may be in one nail or several. These lines can be a natural occurrence if you have a dark complexion.
What to do if you have a melanonychia?
taking antibiotic or antifungal medications, if an infection is the cause. treating the underlying disease or medical condition causing the melanonychia. If your melanonychia is malignant or cancerous, then the tumor or cancerous area must be completely removed. The may mean that you’ll lose all or part of your nail.
What are the complications of melanonychia?
Possible complications of melanonychia include nail cancer, bleeding under the nail, splitting of your nail, and deformity of your nail. The nail biopsy can also cause nail deformity because it removes a portion of the nail.
Why do my toes have brown spots?
Causes. The nails of your toes or fingers are usually translucent and not pigmented. Melanonychia is caused when the pigment cells, called melanocytes, deposit melanin into the nail. Melanin is a brown colored pigment. These deposits are usually grouped together. As your nail grows, it causes the stripe of brown or black to appear on your nail.
Why is a biopsy important for melanonychia?
A biopsy is an important step in the diagnosis of melanonychia because it will tell your doctor with certainty if it’s malignant or not.
What are the two types of melanonychia?
Types of melanonychia. There are two broad types of melanonychia: Melanocytic activation. This type is an increase in the production and deposits of melanin in your nail, but not an increase in pigment cells. Melanocytic hyperplasia. This type is an increase in the number of pigment cells in your nail bed.
What causes melanocytosis of the nail?
Melanocytic hyperplasia may be caused by: lesions (usually benign) moles or birthmarks (usually benign) cancer of the nail. Other causes of melanonychia beyond the two primary types may include: some bacteria. tobacco. hair dye. silver nitrate.
What to do if you have a black line on your nail?
Contact your doctor if you’re sure a black line on your nail wasn’t caused by trauma. If the trauma has caused another condition or doesn’t seem to be healing on its own after several weeks, you should see your doctor. If you don’t already have a doctor, the Healthline FindCare tool can help you find a physician in your area.
What is a black line under your nail called?
A narrow black line that has formed vertically underneath your nail is called a splinter hemorrhage. It occurs for a variety of reasons and may be harmless or a sign of a more serious health condition. This condition is called a splinter hemorrhage because it may look like a wood splinter under your nail.
Why is my nail black?
This condition is called a splinter hemorrhage because it may look like a wood splinter under your nail. The condition is caused by damaged small blood vessels underneath your nail. Characteristics include the following: It’s black or reddish brown in color.
What to do if you have a splinter hemorrhage?
If the splinter hemorrhage is a sign of another medical condition, you should see your doctor for treatment . The health conditions causing splinter hemorrhages are quite different, so there is no standard treatment to improve the nail condition. For example, endocarditis requires antibiotics and possibly surgery.
What to eat to prevent discoloration of nails?
With that in mind, you should eat more of healthy and nutrient-rich foods like leafy greens, bell peppers, nuts, fruits, eggs, and fishes. In addition to that, you can also take supplements like zinc, iron, vitamin C, and B as the inadequacy of any of these vitamins may lead to discolored nails. #2.
How to get a nail out of your hand?
Before you do that, make sure to disinfect both your hands and nails. Using a tweezer or other nail tools, slowly pull the object out of the nail. Once you have already removed it, wash your hands. If there is bleeding, apply a bandage to your finger.
What does it mean when your nails are black?
The black line on your nail may mean nothing, or it can indicate a serious health problem. Because of this, it is best that you seek the help or advice of a medical practitioner so you can monitor your health and address any serious health problems that your nails may indicate right away. But if the cause of the black line is not that serious, ...
What to do if you see a black line?
If you think that the black line signifies a more serious condition, you should visit a doctor right away. In this way, your doctor can perform tests on you to determine if there’s something wrong and what it might be.
Why do my nails get discolored?
According to Coyle S. Connolly, DO, the most common cause of discolored nails is a condition called onychomycosis. This nail fungus occurs when organisms known as dermatophytes move in under your nails. According to the National Onychomycosis Society, 11 million new cases are diagnosed each year.
Why do my nails turn blue?
Your eyes may be the windows to your soul, but your nails can reveal a lot about your body. “Nail discoloration can be caused by a variety of conditions, such as reactions to medications (blue discoloration), bacterial infection (green-black), fungal infection (yellow), or even melanoma (black or brown discoloration),” says Audrey Kunin, MD.
Why do my toenails lift from the bed?
“Longer nails can get caught on things or rub against tight shoes, which can cause the nail to lift from its bed,” says Connolly. “That opening can invite fungus inside.” Clip toenails straight across so that the nail doesn’t extend beyond the nail bed, he suggests.
What to ask a nail technician about getting a manicure?
Be Careful When Getting Your Nails Done. When getting a manicure or pedicure, ask the nail technician not to be overly aggressive with your cuticles, Connolly says. This thin seal of skin around the edges of your nail acts like a sort of “weather strip,” keeping out the elements.
Why are my nails yellow?
In addition, age alone—without fungal infection—can also cause your nails to become yellow, but in this case, the nails are just discolored, but not thick and misshapen. Here’s how to treat discolored nails, or keep these changes from happening to you.
What is base coat nail polish?
A base coat is typically a clear nail polish that goes onto your fingernails first, keeping the colored fingernail polish—and its potential lingering stain—off your nails, Morgan says. It also helps keep the polish on your nails. (Fnd out if your manicure is ruining your nails .)
How to get rid of fungus on hands?
So wash your hands after inspecting your feet, says Connolly. Also, smooth away dead skin by gently scrubbing it with soap and water, because fungus often attaches itself to dead, dry skin and moves on to other areas. “Watch for any rash or nail involvement of any new rash,” he advises.