No, we’re not talking about the latest manicure trends – your nails (without any cutex) actually give us many clues about your health-status. Just by looking at them, a well trained eye can pick up potential problems! Before you panic when you see this list, it’s important to note that we don’t only use the nails to diagnose, but your nails can give doctors a good sense of what to expect.
What is the most serious nail issue?
If you have this symptom, it’s very important to visit your doctor:
- A black/ dark discolouration in the nail bed or cuticle. Melanoma of the hand/ nail is something to be on alert for in this case.
What other things can nails reveal?
- Thickened, yellow, splitting nails: Fungal infections of the hails are very common and can make your nails appear this way. This needs treatment, so see your doctor
- Bitten nails, picked cuticles: Anxiety can lead to bad habits of biting and picking- sometimes the anxiety is serious enough to need treatment, other times not. Either way, it’s very unhealthy to bite your nails. Maybe try out other ways to deal with your anxiety, like these tips.
- Yellow staining on the nails and fingers: excessive smoking
- White nails: Liver disease
- Pale nail beds: Low iron levels
- Half pink, half white nails: Kidney disease
- Blue nail beds: Lung disease
- Red nail beds: Heart disease
- Small pits/ ripples in the nails: Psoriasis, Arthritis
- Large “clubbed” nails: Lung disease
- Indentation line through the middle of the nails: Poorly controlled diabetes
Dermatologists (doctors who specialize in skin problems) are very good at picking up nail issues that may be important.
Next time your doctor takes your hand and has a look, you will know they are not checking out when last you had a manicure, but actually picking up vital clues about your health!