You must have noticed white spots on your nails sometime in your life. Don’t worry developing these spots does not always means you are suffering from some life-threatening medical condition.
According to doctors, the most common cause of these white spots on nails also known as leukonychia is an injury to the matrix of the nails. It is noteworthy that these injuries can occur if you pinch or strike your nail or finger.
However, there are several other causes that may lead to these unusual spots on your nails. Firstly, let’s understand more about this condition.
What is leukonychia?
Leukonychia is a condition in which white lines or dots appear on the fingernails or sometimes toenails. Health experts often emphasise that this is an extremely harmless and common issue.
The fingernails and toenails are supposed to be pale pink in colour and sometimes these white spots can also appear. In certain instances, these spots on your nails may also indicate underlying health conditions like liver disease or anaemia.
Anyone can have these white spots irrespective of their sex, age, or ethnicity.
What are the causes of leukonychia?
Here are some possible causes of leukonychia:
- Injury to the nail plate can also lead to white spots on the nail. Such injuries are usually caused by nail biting, manicures, day-to-day nail injuries and this is quite common among children.
- Some forms of poisoning or medication can also cause leukonychia. However, this is very rare.
- Allergic reaction
- Fungi
- Hereditary causes
- You may notice white spots or dots along your nails if you’re deficient in certain minerals or vitamins like zinc and calcium deficiency.
- Inflammatory skin diseases, like nail psoriasis and hand eczema, can also affect the nail matrix and it may lead to abnormal spots.
There are also some less common causes for white spots on nails which include:
- heart disease
- kidney failure
- pneumonia
- iron deficiency (anemia)
- liver cirrhosis
- diabetes
- hyperthyroidism
When to see a doctor?
If your white spots are infrequent, then it is not necessary to see a doctor. However, if the spots are persistent or worsening, you should see a doctor immediately. According to experts, most issues that cause white spots are easily treated once they’re diagnosed.
