Caleb Foster
White nails can be indicative of a number of health conditions, including anaemia, overuse of nail polish, weak nails, kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, liver disease, and more. The medical term for white nails is leukonychia, which is the partial or full discolouration of the nail plate on one or more fingernails or toenails. In this article, we will explore the various causes of white nails and discuss potential treatments.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Colour | Lose their general pink undertone and appear white |
| Cause | Anemia, overuse of nail polish, weak nails, kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, liver disease, trauma, heavy metal poisoning, chemotherapy, lack of nutrients in the diet, ageing, fungal infection |
| Type of discolouration | Partial or full discolouration of the nail plate on one or more fingernails or toenails |
| Type of discolouration | True leukonychia: discolouration due to abnormal nail plate keratinisation. Apparent leukonychia: secondary to disease of the nail bed |
| Condition | Terry's nails |
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What You'll Learn
White nails can be a sign of trauma
White nails are the most common nail dyschromia. The nail will lose its general pink undertone and appear white. This is known as leukonychia, which can be classified by underlying pathology, its distribution, or how it develops. Leukonychia can be subdivided into true and apparent discolouration. True leukonychia is discolouration due to abnormal nail plate keratinisation. The white nail will not be hidden by pressure application of the nail plate to the bed. Apparent leukonychia is secondary to disease of the nail bed.
If your nails are mostly white with a narrow pink band at the tip, you have a condition called Terry's nails. It can result from ageing, but it can also herald diabetes or kidney, liver, or heart disease. Terry's nails may signify a serious health anomaly.
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White nails can be a sign of liver disease
White nails can be indicative of a combination of conditions, including anemia, overuse of nail polish, weak nails, kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and liver disease. Whole nail whitening is generally seen in cases of kidney problems, where there is protein deficiency in the body. When whitening is associated with thickened nail plates, the cause could be a fungal infection. Some white spots on nails are indicative of previous trauma to the nail plate.
If your nails are mostly white with a narrow pink band at the tip, you have a condition called Terry's nails. It can result from ageing, but it can also herald diabetes or kidney, liver, or heart disease. Terry's nails are partly or entirely white with a pink band at the top of the nail bed and may signify a serious health anomaly.
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White nails can be a sign of diabetes
White nails, also known as leukonychia, are the partial or full discolouration of the nail plate on one or more fingernails or toenails. The nail loses its general pink undertone and appears white. This can be caused by a number of conditions, including anemia, overuse of nail polish, weak nails, kidney disease, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, liver disease, and diabetes.
Whole nail whitening is generally seen in cases of kidney problems, where there is protein deficiency in the body. When whitening is associated with thickened nail plates, the cause could be a fungal infection. Some white spots on nails are indicative of previous trauma to the nail plate.
If your nails are mostly white with a narrow pink band at the tip, you have a condition called Terry's nails. It can result from ageing, but it can also be a sign of diabetes or kidney, liver, or heart disease.
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White nails can be a sign of an overactive thyroid
White nails are indicative of any or a combination of these conditions. Whole nail whitening is generally seen in cases of kidney problems, where there is protein deficiency in the body. When whitening is associated with thickened nail plates, the cause could be a fungal infection. Some white spots on nails are indicative of previous trauma to the nail plate.
White nails are the most common type of nail dyschromia. The nail will lose its general pink undertone and appear white. This is known as leukonychia, which can be classified by underlying pathology, its distribution, or how it develops. Leukonychia can be subdivided into true and apparent discolouration. True leukonychia is discolouration due to abnormal nail plate keratinisation. The white nail will not be hidden by pressure application of the nail plate to the bed. Apparent leukonychia is secondary to disease of the nail bed.
If your nails are mostly white with a narrow pink band at the tip, you have a condition called Terry's nails. It can result from ageing, but it can also herald diabetes or kidney, liver, or heart disease. Terry's nails may also signify a serious health anomaly.
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White nails can be a sign of poor nutrition
White nails, also known as leukonychia, are the partial or full discolouration of the nail plate on one or more fingernails or toenails. The nail will lose its general pink undertone and appear white. Leukonychia can be classified by underlying pathology, its distribution, or how it develops. Leukonychia can be subdivided into true and apparent discolouration. True leukonychia is discolouration due to abnormal nail plate keratinisation. The white nail will not be hidden by pressure application of the nail plate to the bed. Apparent leukonychia is secondary to disease of the nail bed.
White nails can also signal trauma, liver disease, diabetes, an overactive thyroid, heart failure, heavy metal poisoning, chemotherapy, or a lack of nutrients in the diet. If your nails are mostly white with a narrow pink band at the tip, you have a condition called Terry’s nails. It can result from ageing, but it can also herald diabetes or kidney, liver, or heart disease. Whole nail whitening is generally seen in cases of kidney problems, where there is protein deficiency in the body.
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Frequently asked questions
Pure white nails could be indicative of a number of conditions, including anemia, overuse of nail polish, weak nails, kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, liver disease, or a fungal infection.
White nails are also known as leukonychia, which is the partial or full discolouration of the nail plate on one or more fingernails or toenails.
This is known as Terry's nails and it can result from ageing, but it can also be a sign of diabetes or kidney, liver or heart disease.
Random white spots that appear on the nails are generally harmless and caused by an injury, such as striking the fingertip or repeated trauma to the nails.
