Could your nails hold hidden clues to your health?
Do you have spots, dots or ridges on your fingernails? Rather than simple quirks, they could be an indicator of other health matters, according to experts.
Nails are one of the most visible parts of your body but, having a fantastic manicure aside, they could also provide clues to your overall health.
Dermatologist Dr Anita Patel says we don’t think about our nails that much, beyond how they look cosmetically – especially women – but nails can absolutely be an indicator of disease and infection, and can signal that further investigation is warranted.
8 nail conditions to watch for and what they mean
Thick yellow nails
“If your nails are thickening, dry and, sometimes, (showing) a yellowing of the actual nail plate, it can be a sign of a fungal infection,” Dr Patel, of Complete Dermatology Bondi, says.
Fungal issues are not necessarily bad for your overall health, but they can be uncomfortable and unsightly.
They can also be an indication that you may have other infections such as athlete’s foot or a skin infection, so it’s worth seeing an expert for treatment, Dr Patel says.
White spots
A lot of people report having white spots on their nails.
The good news is, in most cases, these are common and typically not a cause for concern, Dr Patel says.
“Often, these are related to some sort of stressful episode or a nutritional deficiency that has occurred, something that has happened while the nail is growing,” she says.
Nail psoriasis
This impacts over 50 per cent of people who have skin psoriasis and Australasian College of Dermatologists specialist Dr Jo-Ann See says nails can sometimes be the first indicator someone has the skin condition.
“Often you look at someone’s nails, and they’ve got little dots, as if someone’s put a pin in them – that’s really common in psoriasis and eczema,” Dr See says.
Beau’s lines
These are horizontal ridges that appear on the nails and may be caused by trauma or injury to the nail bed, but they’re generally not something to worry about.
Dr See says Beau’s lines are often due to an incident where your health has been compromised, such as an acute, sudden onset of illness – including pneumonia, a heart attack, measles, mumps or an infection.
“Basically, at some point, you’ve lost blood flow to the nail bed, so your nail plate doesn’t grow – so, it could be a period of illness, but it comes out later as the nail grows out,” she says.
However, if these occur frequently, it could be a sign of an underlying chronic illness such as diabetes or hypothyroidism.
Clubbing
A deformity of the nails, clubbing is a condition in which the plates curve downward, and the fingertips become enlarged.
“Clubbing is often seen with lung disease, chronic inflammatory bowel disease and heart disease, but it is rare,” Dr See says.
Brittle nails
Dry or cracked nails are a common complaint.
While brittle nails can be aggravated by overexposure to water, soaps or chemicals – or, can be caused by nutritional deficiencies – our nails will lack lustre as we age.
“We get people talking about brittle nails a lot but, unfortunately, it is not uncommon as we grow older,” Dr See says.
Pseudomonas
Often called green nail syndrome, this condition can be alarming for people if it occurs.
“Pseudomonas is bacterial rather than fungal and is usually noticeable as a green discolouration of the nail plate,” Dr See says.
She says it’s common in people who do a lot of wet work, but the good news is it’s easy to treat with antibiotics.
Haemorrhages
Almost everyone has banged a fingernail in a car door or stubbed their toe.
Typically, you’d notice a red or black spot – which can hang around for months – form under the nail.
“This is what’s called a subungual haemorrhage, where you bleed under the nail, and the blood is trapped,” Dr See explains.
“It can be so dark it looks almost black (but) the spot will grow out over time.”
However, she adds, it’s worth taking a good look at it as in rare cases it can be a subungual melanoma – a rare but deadly type of skin cancer that occurs under the nails.
