FINGERNAILS – 3 Signs of Health Problems: Beau’s lines, yellow fingernail syndrome & nail pitting!
November 4, 2009
 Your fingernails can provide clues to your overall health. But do you know how to read the signs? MayoClinic presented a slideshow of various signs of possible health problems:
Learn about some nail conditions that might require medical attention. If you have a nail problem that doesn’t seem to be going away, or is associated with other signs and symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor to get it checked out. 3 IMPORTANT FINGERNAIL PROBLEMS:
Causes & remedies of Beau’s lines: Beau’s lines are indentations that run across your nails. They can appear when growth at the area under your cuticle is interrupted by injury or severe illness. Diseases or illnesses associated with Beau’s lines include: • Circulatory diseases, such as peripheral artery disease;
Causes & remedies of yellow fingernails: Yellow nail syndrome concerns the yellow discoloration in your fingernails may result from a respiratory condition, such as chronic bronchitis, or from swelling of your hands (lymphedema). In yellow nail syndrome, nails thicken and new growth slows, resulting in discoloration. Nails affected with this condition may lack a cuticle and may detach from the nail bed in places. Although this condition is often a sign of respiratory disease, it’s possible to have yellow nails and not have a respiratory condition. Yellow nails may also result from any condition that causes the growth of your nails to slow down.
Causes & remedies of nail pitting: Small depressions in the nails are common in people with psoriasis — a skin condition that produces scaly patches. They may also result from nail injuries. Pitting may cause your nails to crumble. Pitting is also associated with conditions that can damage your nail’s cuticle, such as chronic dermatitis of your fingers or alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss! MORE RELATED SOURCES: • Nail disorders in the hands of children! |
Is your fingernail turning white or yellow at the distal part – it could be nail onycholysis!
September 9, 2009
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What is onycholysis? Onycholysis concerns the (painless) loosening of the nail plate from the nail bed. This nail condition is usually featured with a changing color in the distal part of fingernail – often turning whitish (white nails) or yellowish (yellow nails), reflecting the presence of air under the fingernail plate. What causes onycholysis? Onycholysis is often a harmless nail condition caused by a nail trauma/injury – in general you can reduce the risk for having this nail condition by keeping your nails short (and dry)! Less common causes of onycholysis are: • Skin conditions, such as psoriasis or lichen planus; What is the treatment for onycholysis? The treatment for onlycholysis is simple when caused by a nail trauma/injury: trim the nail short, do not clean under the nail, and be patient. It generally takes 2 to 3 months to clear up. In other cases you must try to ‘tackle’ the cause. THE TREATMENT OF THIS FINGERNAIL DISORDER: |
PHOTO – An example of ‘onycholysis’ featured with various colors:
Nail pitting: the meaning & causes of fingernail pits!
August 27, 2009
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What is nail pitting? Nail pits are small, round depressions on the surface of the nail plate. They are usually due to disease in the proximal matrix, or sometimes, the proximal nail fold. And the arrangement of the depressions in the surface of the nail is presumably due to the extent and location of the disease in the nail matrix. Random pits in the nail can be seen as an idiopatic finding. When the pitting is uniformly distributed, giving the entire nail plate a roughned appearance, it is called trachyonychia. Treatment of nail pits should be directed to the matrix of the nail. What causes nail pitting? Nail pits are usually the result of: • psoriasis (10-50% of patients have nail pits); MORE ABOUT THIS FINGERNAIL DISORDER: |
PHOTO – Nail piting in fingernails:
• Common diseases in the fingernail & toe nail!
• News about fingernails!
• Fingernails are the barometer of your health!
Your Finger Nails 