Isla Bennett
White spots on your nails, also known as leukonychia, are usually harmless but may indicate a medical condition. Experts say the discolouration is most commonly due to injury, but it could also be a sign of a fungal infection, an allergic reaction, or a side effect of medication. In rare cases, white spots on your nails can be a symptom of a systemic disease, such as diabetes, heart failure, HIV, or liver cirrhosis.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cause | Injury, fungal infection, allergic reaction, medication side effect, medical condition, hereditary condition, systemic disease |
| Appearance | One or two medium-sized spots, many tiny specks, very large spots, white lines |
| Medical term | Leukonychia, pseudoleukonychia, Muehrcke's lines |
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What You'll Learn
White spots on nails are usually harmless
White spots on nails, also known as leukonychia, are usually harmless. They are often caused by injury, such as hitting your nail against a hard surface, but can also be caused by an infection or an allergic reaction. In some cases, they may be a side effect of medication. Experts say that white spots on nails are most commonly due to injury and are usually not a major cause for concern.
However, white spots on nails can sometimes indicate a medical condition. For example, certain fungal infections can cause white spots on nails, and a specific type of fungal infection called superficial white glycomycosis is characterised by white flaking on the top of the fingernail. Skin conditions like alopecia areata, lichen planus, and atopic dermatitis can also cause white spots on the nails.
Additionally, white spots on nails can sometimes be a symptom of a systemic disease, which is a disease that affects the entire body. While rare, white spots on nails can be a symptom of diabetes, heart failure, HIV, liver cirrhosis, or psoriasis. Hereditary conditions, such as Bart-Pumphrey syndrome and Darier disease, may also cause white spots to appear on nails.
If you are concerned about white spots on your nails, it is best to consult a healthcare professional.
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White spots can be caused by injury
White spots on your nails, also known as leukonychia, are usually harmless but can be caused by injury. This could be from hitting your nail against a hard surface, which is known as trauma-related leukonychia. This type of white spot will usually grow out with the nail plate over time. While you wait for the spots to disappear, it is recommended that you keep your nails trimmed short to avoid further trauma from bumping or snagging. You should also avoid over-filing or buffing your nails.
White spots on your nails can also be caused by outside organisms, such as fungi, which cause pseudoleukonychia. This can appear as one or two medium-sized spots or many tiny specks, and may be present on one or many nails. In some cases, a specific type of fungal infection called superficial white glycomycosis may cause white flaking on the top of the fingernail.
In addition to injury and infection, white spots on your nails can be caused by an allergic reaction or as a side effect of medication. They may also indicate a medical condition, such as a systemic disease that affects your entire body. For example, white spots on your nails can sometimes be a rare symptom of diabetes, heart failure, HIV, liver cirrhosis, or psoriasis.
Certain hereditary conditions that affect your nails, such as Bart-Pumphrey syndrome and Darier disease, may also cause white spots to appear. However, it is not yet clear whether deficiencies, such as a lack of albumin protein, cause white spots on your nails. While white spots on your nails are usually not a major cause for concern, it is always a good idea to consult a healthcare professional if you have any concerns or if the spots persist.
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White spots can be caused by infection
White spots on nails, also known as leukonychia, are usually harmless but may indicate a medical condition. White spots usually mean that your nails have experienced some sort of stress. This stress could be from an injury, like hitting your nail against a hard surface, an infection or an allergic reaction.
White spots on your nails can be caused by a fungal infection. Dr Camp explains that some fungal infections can cause a white discolouration of the nail plate as opposed to the more traditional yellow colour associated with fungal infections. Dr Lal says that he often sees a specific type of fungal infection called superficial white glycomycosis, which is characterised by "white flaking on the top of the fingernail".
Fungal infections are outside organisms that cause pseudoleukonychia, where the white spots form on the surface of your nail. In some people, pseudoleukonychia appears as one or two medium-sized spots or many tiny specks. In others, the spots may be very large. You may have spots on only one nail, or you may have spots on many nails.
White spots on your nails can also be a rare symptom of a systemic disease, which is a disease that affects your entire body. These include diabetes, heart failure, HIV, liver cirrhosis and psoriasis.
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White spots can be caused by an allergic reaction
White spots on nails, also known as leukonychia, are usually harmless but may indicate a medical condition. White spots usually mean that your nails have experienced some sort of stress, such as an injury, an infection, an allergic reaction or a side effect of medication.
White spots on your nails can be caused by an allergic reaction. The spots can appear as one or two medium-sized spots or many tiny specks. They may appear on one nail or many nails. White spots can also be a rare symptom of a systemic disease, which is a disease that affects your entire body. These diseases include diabetes, heart failure, HIV, liver cirrhosis and psoriasis.
White spots on your nails can also be caused by hereditary conditions, such as Bart-Pumphrey syndrome and Darier disease.
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White spots can be a symptom of a systemic disease
White spots on your nails, also known as leukonychia, are usually harmless but may indicate a medical condition.
White spots on your nails can also be a symptom of a hereditary condition. Hereditary means inherited – a biological parent passes down something from their genes to their child. Genes determine a person's physical traits, including hair colour, eye colour and height. Some hereditary conditions that affect your nails, including Bart-Pumphrey syndrome and Darier disease, may cause white spots to appear.
White spots can also be caused by injury, infection, an allergic reaction, or as a side effect of medication. Outside organisms, such as fungi, can cause pseudoleukonychia, which is characterised by white spots on the surface of the nail.
Other skin conditions like alopecia areata, lichen planus, and atopic dermatitis can also cause white spots on the nails.
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Frequently asked questions
White spots on nails, also known as leukonychia, are usually harmless but may indicate a medical condition. They are most commonly caused by injury, but can also be caused by infection, an allergic reaction, medication, or a fungal infection.
There are two types of leukonychia: pseudoleukonychia, where the white spots form on the surface of your nail and are caused by outside organisms like fungi; and trauma-related leukonychia, which usually grows out with the nail plate over time.
Leukonychia can be a symptom of systemic diseases, which are diseases that affect the entire body, including diabetes, heart failure, HIV, liver cirrhosis, and psoriasis. It can also be caused by hereditary conditions, such as Bart-Pumphrey syndrome and Darier disease.
Dermatologists recommend keeping your nails trimmed short to protect them from further trauma, and avoiding over-filing or buffing your nails.
