Leukonychia is a very common and completely harmless condition where white lines or dots appear on your finger or toenails. Having these spots is probably not a sign of a serious medical condition because many healthy adults have them at some point in their lives.
The white spots may affect one nail or more, and they may appear on the nail in different ways for different people. For some, the white spots may be small dots scattered across the nail, while for others, they may be larger and cover the entire nail.
The most frequent cause of leukonychia is injury to the nail bed, which can happen if you pinch or strike your nail or finger, use gel or acrylic nails frequently, get frequent manicures and pedicures, and several other factors may also be to blame for the unusual spots on the nails.
Causes of Leukonychia
There are numerous problems that can result in white spots or dots on your nails, including the following.
- allergic reaction
- fungal infection
- nail injury
- mineral deficiency
Allergic reaction
White spots on your nails can result from a number of things, including acrylic or gel nail use, which can seriously harm your nails, and allergies to nail polish, gloss, hardeners, or polish remover.
Fungi
The first indication of an infection may be a few tiny white dots on the toenails, which are caused by a common nail fungus called white superficial onychomycosis.
Toenails may start out flaky and then turn thick and brittle as the infection progresses and penetrates the nail bed.
Injury to the nail
White spots or dots can appear on your fingernail as it grows as a result of a wound at the base, but because fingernails grow slowly, you might not remember the wound for up to four weeks.
Nail injuries are frequently caused by the following:
- closing a door with your fingers
- using a hammer to strike your finger
- rubbing a desk or counter with your fingernails
The pressure used by the manicurist while giving you a manicure may harm the nail beds, resulting in damage that shows up as these white spots on your nails.
Mineral deficiency
The deficiencies most frequently associated with this problem are zinc deficiency and calcium deficiency, which can cause white spots or streaks along your nails if you are deficient in those nutrients.
Additional causes
White nail spots are less frequently caused by the following:
- heart disease
- bad health
- renal (kidney) failure
- psoriasis or eczema
- pneumonia
- arsenic poisoning
Your doctor will likely examine a variety of other conditions if you have persistent white spots on your nails before considering these more severe issues, even though these causes are theoretically possible but extremely uncommon.
Symptoms of Leukonychia
There are numerous ways that white spots can manifest themselves, including:
- tiny pen-point–sized dots
- the nail has more pronounced “lines”
- larger individual dots
The appearance of the white dots or lines may differ on each nail depending on the reason why they are there. A nail injury may result in a large dot in the center of the nail, while an allergic reaction may result in numerous dots spread out over the nail.
Homeopathic Treatment of Leukonychia
ALUMINA– Brittle or thick nails, spots on nails, ingrowing toenails, and white spots on nails are all symptoms of panaritium, along with lancinating pains, a propensity for fingertip ulceration, and gnawing beneath the fingernails with arm crawling up to the clavicle.
ANTHRACINUM-Absorption of pus into the blood and gangrenous destruction; intense burning pain in the panaritium.
ANTIMONIUM CRUDUM– Nail problems, such as splits and cracked growth.
APIS MELLIFICA– Panaritium that is throbbing, burning, and extremely sensitive to touch; the fingers quickly swell, and the surface is tense and glossy red and extends to the arm.
ARNICA MONTANA-Ulceration at the base of the fingernails, along with excruciating fingertip pain.
BERBERIS VULGARIS-Finger joint swelling, cold feet that reach the ankles, and pain under the fingernails.
BUFO RANA-Suppuration and a bluish-black swelling around the nails; striations of pain that extend from the axilla up the arm.
DIOSCOREA VILLOSA-Finger bones frequently experience sharp pains, one finger at a time; nails are brittle and are deposition to felons.
FLURORICUM ACIDUMNails grow more quickly, become crumpled or have longitudinal ridges in them; there is pain between the toes; panaritium; onychia with ulceration; a sharp, sticking pain at the root of the right thumb nail.
GRAPHITES-Toe nail that is ingrowing; finger and toe nail sides and roots that are sore, ulcerated, and odorous; and nails that are excessively thick and painful.
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