What are the white marks on your fingernails?

Question

and No, they are not calcium deposits.

Answer 1

an indication of zinc deficiency

Answer 2

Medically speaking, those little white marks that sometimes appear as dots or lines on the fingernail are known as leukonychia. There are several possible causes for the discoloration, but the most common are mild trauma, a fungal infection, skin conditions, or nutritional deficiencies.
This WebMDHealth column gives an overview of how leukonychia can occur. For example, if you accidentally slam your fingernail into an object, a white mark will likely develop. But because a normal fingernail takes months to grow, by the time a blemish appears you may have forgotten what caused the trauma.

White marks on your nails that are more linear could be a sign of a fungal infection. Gyms and nail salons are hotbeds for fungus and yeast, and are common places for contracting infections. These infections attack your nail directly, causing discoloration and even separation from the nailbed. If you suspect that's the cause for the white on your claws, see a dermatologist about a culture sample and diagnosis.

Another culprit, although not as common, is psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that causes red, irritated blemishes and scaling throughout the body. In extreme cases, fingernails are affected by dead skin cells that accumulate in the nailbed and form thick layers, also known as "plaque." Treatment varies from prescription creams to ultraviolet light therapy.

Finally, an old wives' tale fingers another suspect: your diet. In folklore, the most commonly cited cause for those white marks (and probably something your mom warned you about) is a deficiency of certain minerals in your body, such as zinc and calcium. Adding nutritional supplements or foods containing these minerals to your diet could clear up your white flecks in a few months.

Answer 3

Fingernails and toenails grow from a point near the roots below the skin, at the base of the nail where the nail is very thin. White in color, and half-moon in shape, this semi-circle is appropriately named the "lunula," and comprises a group of cells that manufacture keratin, a dead, hoof-like protein. The keratin like protein produced, gathers and merges with the nail plate, the dead armor that protects the soft and tender nail bed underneath, and pushes the entire nail up and out. Though the fingernails and toenails grow an average of two inches per year, their growth slows with age, and the average adult's fingernails grow only one inch over the course of eight months.

The base of the fingernails and toenails, as well as some of the nail along both sides of the nail, are embedded into the skin. Unlike other skin, this skin contains elastic fibers that connect it to the fingernail or toenail, and hold it firmly in place. The cuticle, a rim of skin over the lunula, protects it from bacterial infection, serves as a shock absorber, and shields the nail from any sudden impacts.

Though many consider dressing the fingernails up to go out a statement of beauty, or one of vanity, they serve those in the medical field as a diagnostic tool. Normally, the lunula, or half-moon, is white in color, indicating proper nutrition and good overall health. Blue lunula raise red flags that circulatory problems to the fingers may exist. Nails that are hard, brittle, and tend to split easily, may also be clues to poor circulation, infection, or disturbances of the glandular and nutritional systems.

Further nails that curl sharply around the finger point to coronary, liver, or lung diseases. Nails that are sunken in appearance often indicate anemia, a condition where an insufficient amount of oxygen is carried by the blood.

Answer 4

Medically speaking, those little white marks that sometimes appear as dots or lines on the fingernail are known as leukonychia. There are several possible causes for the discoloration, but the most common are mild trauma, a fungal infection, skin conditions, or nutritional deficiencies.
This WebMDHealth column gives an overview of how leukonychia can occur. For example, if you accidentally slam your fingernail into an object, a white mark will likely develop. But because a normal fingernail takes months to grow, by the time a blemish appears you may have forgotten what caused the trauma.

White marks on your nails that are more linear could be a sign of a fungal infection. Gyms and nail salons are hotbeds for fungus and yeast, and are common places for contracting infections. These infections attack your nail directly, causing discoloration and even separation from the nailbed. If you suspect that's the cause for the white on your claws, see a dermatologist about a culture sample and diagnosis.

Another culprit, although not as common, is psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that causes red, irritated blemishes and scaling throughout the body. In extreme cases, fingernails are affected by dead skin cells that accumulate in the nailbed and form thick layers, also known as "plaque." Treatment varies from prescription creams to ultraviolet light therapy.

Finally, an old wives' tale fingers another suspect: your diet. In folklore, the most commonly cited cause for those white marks (and probably something your mom warned you about) is a deficiency of certain minerals in your body, such as zinc and calcium. Adding nutritional supplements or foods containing these minerals to your diet could clear up your white flecks in a few months.

Answer 5

if you bang the top of your finger right below where the nail comes out it makes amark when the nail developes sort of like a scar

Answer 6

simply put, most likely trauma that happened during nail formation before it was exposed.Maybe you hit your finger in the right spot where the nail starts to grow for example..

Answer 7

the bigger the marks ,the more your lacking in calcium. get more dairy products in your system

Answer 8

I believe its just the upper "skin" on the surface on your nails thats a little lose or dead. No big deal, I have them sometimes.

Answer 9

Lack of potassium/zinc.

Answer 10

Sure signs of a Zincdeficiency !!!!