![]() ![]() Mark Davis, a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic's Rochester, Minn., campus. And if there is no evident reason for the change in pigmentation, it should be checked out, says Dr. People don't look too much at their toenails."Ī brown or black streak or dot under a nail that persists can be skin cancer – melanoma, which can be deadly if it isn't caught early. "It may be an open door for cellulitis, for infections of the skin, in diabetic people," Poulin says. The longer the problem festers, the harder it is to treat, he says.Īnd while thickened toe nails may be merely an esthetic problem for a 60-year-old, when that person is 80 and diabetic, toenails that can't be trimmed can trigger infections in the skin around the nail bed, erode foot health and threaten mobility. Onychomycosis can and should be treated, Poulin says, and the earlier the better. Called onychomycosis, the condition is unsightly and makes the nails difficult to trim and maintain. Thickened, misshapen and cloudy nails – sometimes on the fingers, but more often on the toes – are generally a sign of infection with a fungus. Strangely shaped or marked nails are also indicative of a variety of conditions. And he had a nose surgery and it all went away," Poulin says. "I had a guy in recently, he was an attorney, he was 40 and he had yellow nails on all his nails. It can be corrected in some cases, depending on the cause. Poulin says respiratory tract problems – such as nasal polyps and chronic sinusitis – can trigger yellow nail syndrome, which he describes as rare. Green nails can be caused by infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium which is common in the environment. Kidney problems are suspected with a condition known as half-and-half nail, in which the lower part of the nail bed is white but a portion towards the tip of the nail is pink.īluish nails can signal a lack of oxygen, a sign a person might be suffering from one of a number of lung conditions. White nails with a dark band at the tip – a condition called Terry's nails – can be a sign of aging but could also signal congestive heart failure, diabetes or liver disease, according to a photo slide show on fingernail conditions on the Mayo Clinic website. When the nails themselves grow opaque and white, it can be a sign of liver disease. Nail beds that are white may suggest anemia – a red blood cell deficiency which itself can be a symptom of other, sometimes serious, diseases. The bed of the fingernails of healthy individuals should be a light pink. "For us, it helps to make the correct diagnosis to look at the nail," Poulin says. In others, the state of a patient's nails will help a physician clarify what is at play. In some cases those alterations can prompt people to seek medical attention, in the process bringing to light previously undiagnosed conditions. Lung disorders, nasal polyps, anemia, inflammatory bowel syndrome and liver diseases can provoke changes in the fingernails. Yves Poulin, a Quebec City dermatologist and president-elect of the Canadian Dermatology Association. "It may be the first sign, it may be the herald sign of. ![]() But when it comes to discerning the state of one's health, turning the hand over is far more illuminating.įingernails can reveal an amazing amount about a person's health, medical experts say, with a surprising number of conditions manifesting themselves with changes in the shape, colour or overall state of the nails. ![]() Fortune tellers say they can divine a person's destiny by reading the lines in the palm of the hand.
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