Black stripes on the nails and under the fingernails (like splinters, longitudinal, transverse)

Spots, grooves and stripes on nails are a fairly common occurrence. Our body thus tries to pay attention to this or that metabolic disorder.

This mechanism is implemented very simply - the nail bed is penetrated by the finest capillaries, and all metabolic disorders affect it first. When the nutrition of the nail is disrupted, a white or black groove, stripe or spot is formed.

As a rule, in such cases, most women do not go to a dermatologist, but use all kinds of methods and manipulations in order to hide the defect that has appeared. This makes it difficult to diagnose and timely treat a particular pathology.

2 Subungual melanoma is one of the most dangerous tumors
3 Dark stripes due to disruption of the digestive system
4 Bands for various types of cardiovascular pathologies
5 Mechanical damage to the nail plate
6 Examples of the most common causes of black stripes on nails
6.1 Photo gallery: common causes of dark stripes on nails
Read also: Longitudinal and transverse grooves on fingernails

7 Video: diagnosis of diseases based on the condition of nails

Causes of Streaks and Spots on Nails

The sooner the cause of a particular process is determined, the better for health.

Streaks on nails may be the result of an incorrect diet

For example, one of the most popular causes of stripes is a deficiency of microelements and vitamins in people on strict diets. In this case, the onychologist recommends vitamins, good nutrition and consultation with a nutritionist.

Amateur diets are a profanation of the very principle of diet therapy, leading to numerous metabolic disorders. The diet should take into account the individual characteristics of the body, including the rate of elimination of certain substances by the kidneys and liver, the patient’s age, concomitant pathologies and much more. Take your time - visit a nutritionist to create an adequate menu.

After the deficiency of iron, zinc and vitamins is restored, after some time the characteristic stripes and spots disappear.

Quite often the situation is associated with visits to beauty salons, i.e. with a traumatic moment. The black stripes in this case are longitudinal.

Black stripes may be associated with mechanical damage to the finger, such as a bruise

A bruised finger may also be accompanied by the appearance of black stripes, but in this case the diagnosis lies on the surface - damaged and swollen soft tissues themselves indicate the cause of this situation. With constant trauma (some working specialties), the number of such strips increases, and onychodystrophy develops.

Black longitudinal stripes often occur in older people. This is due to atherosclerosis of small vessels at the base of the nail. The nail plate itself becomes deformed due to nutritional deficiency - thickens and splits.

The condition of the nails may reflect problems with blood vessels

Sometimes dark stripes appear on the big toe nail due to gout, in other cases they accompany arthritis and psoriasis. The color of the stripes in this case can vary, what is more important is their very presence. In case of cardiovascular diseases, the stripes on the nails are mainly located in pairs along the edge of the nail plate.

If a bumpy surface of the nail is added to the dark stripes, this may indicate arthritis or arthrosis.

Processes that cause predominantly black stripes on nails:

What does this mean: description of the reasons for the appearance of stripes and photos

Important! Unpleasant dark stripes may appear on the nail plates. They are vertical and horizontal, differ in color, size and location. This is not just a cosmetic defect.

This most often means that there may be health problems, so if stripes occur, you should go to the doctor to find out their nature and begin treatment.

This is what the black stripes on the nails look like in the photo:

Subungual melanoma

Attention! Black streaks on the nail beds may appear due to hemorrhage associated with subungual melanoma.

This is a dangerous malignant tumor. Melanoma is a very aggressive neoplasm, so soon after its appearance, ichor begins to leak from under the nail plate, and the skin around it becomes inflamed.

If the surgeon mistakes the tumor for a panaritium and opens it, it will be fatal for the patient. Rapid metastasis will occur and the patient will have stage 4 cancer.

Digestive system dysfunction

Discoloration of the nail can be caused by ulcers, colitis, gastritis and other diseases of the digestive system. After recovery, the nails are completely renewed and the stripes disappear.

Cardiovascular diseases

In people with cardiovascular diseases, clearly visible black stripes appear on the edges of the thumbnails. Their occurrence is associated with diseases such as:

anemia;
pathology of the heart muscle;
endocarditis caused by infection.

Reference. Stripes also appear when there are circulatory problems.

Mechanical damage

If the spots on the nails have a deep black, bluish or sometimes reddish tint, and do not have clearly defined boundaries, then most likely this is some kind of mechanical damage.
Depending on the severity of the injury, the stripe may be small or cover the entire plate. Very often, such stripes are found among professional athletes and fans of outdoor games that involve the hands (basketball, volleyball, tennis). As the nail plate is renewed, the stripes disappear. If the injury was very severe, the nail may fall off, but after a while a new nail plate grows in its place.

Fungus of feet and hands

The most common cause of black spots is nail fungus.

People with weak immune systems who visit public places with high humidity and high temperature are especially often infected with the fungus.

It often happens that stripes on the nails appear after a manicure done by a specialist. This means that the master did not properly process the instruments and gave you an infection. First, the disease affects the legs, since the process of sweating is most active there, and this is the most favorable environment for the propagation of the pathogen and the appearance of stripes.

Important! Hands are less likely to suffer from fungus; it usually spreads to the hands in the absence of timely or correct treatment. To solve this problem, long-term treatment will be required. Therapy can last about a year.

Diabetes

In people with high blood sugar levels, black stripes on the nails can be seen quite often. The change in color of the nail plate is caused by impaired blood flow in the vessels.

Hormones

Stripes or dots on the nails indicate hormonal system disorders. This may be caused by prolonged use of hormonal drugs during pregnancy or menopause.
Also, a change in nail color may be associated with taking contraceptives.

Age-related changes

Mature people often experience natural deformation of their nails. Gradually, the nail plates lose their previous shape, thicken and darken. The deformation is caused by atherosclerosis of the capillaries at the root of the plate. The flow of oxygen to the nail root is hampered. Pathological changes occur.

External exposure to chemicals

Attention! Nails are very sensitive to chemical exposure. Cleaning products and glue can affect their appearance.

Frequent use of cosmetics and nail extensions also negatively affect changes in their appearance. Spots and streaks can be caused by a lack of oxygen from prolonged use of nail polish or false nails.

Subungual melanoma is one of the most dangerous tumors

It is a dangerous malignant neoplasm that occurs in this case under the nail plate. The danger from this location is colossal, since melanoma usually arises from nevi, and it is absolutely not expected under the nail.

With subungual melanoma, streaks can be caused by both the tumor itself and hemorrhages

The dark stripe (spot) in this case is black due to the color of the melanocytes (pigment cells that make up the body of the tumor).

However, the color of the formation can also be brown, purple, blue-black, blue-red.

Melanoma is a very aggressive tumor, so soon ichor begins to ooze from under the nail, and the skin around it becomes inflamed, which can be perceived by the surgeon as felon. If such an “abscess” is opened without understanding what exactly we are opening, the consequences can be very sad - fulminant metastasis and stage 4 cancer.

In this case, longitudinal black stripes can be either the tumor itself or hemorrhages caused by tissue destruction.

Spots have appeared on the nails of the hands and feet: White, Dark, Black, Yellow

Home » Nails » Spots Appear on the Nails of the Hands and Toes: White, Dark, Black, Yellow

Stains on the nails. What does it mean?

A healthy person looks great. Many human diseases have an external manifestation either on the skin or on the nails. Normally, the nails of a healthy person have a soft pink color, without spots or stripes.

But if the nails have spots or stripes of a different color, then this indicates an internal imbalance.

What can cause nail color to change? There may be several such reasons: smoking, infections, liver and gallbladder diseases and many others.

White spots The appearance of white spots on the nails - leukenychia - indicates poor nutrition and the use of incorrect diets. The spots also indicate that there is a lack of vitamins and microelements and microelements in the human body. The white color of the nail indicates low hemoglobin, reduced immunity, colds, and diabetes.

If the spots look like stripes, this indicates that the body needs calcium, iron, zinc, as well as vitamins C, A and E. In addition, such spots can appear in people with diabetes and cardiovascular and nervous diseases.

Dark spots. Dark or black spots on the nail appear after a bruise or injury, this indicates the presence of a hematoma under the nail. But if you have black, brown spots or streaks not as a result of injury, then you need to urgently consult a doctor: sometimes black spots appear in people with a diseased liver or heart disease. Black spots indicate a lack of folic acid, protein and vitamin C.

Yellow spots. Yellow coloring of the nail indicates several diseases: liver, brain, respiratory tract (from smoking). Yellow nails become due to fungal diseases, psoriasis, dermatitis, and diabetes.

Beige or brown spots Beige spots on the nails are called melanonychia, they appear in people with cancer. Such tumors are removed surgically.

Our body is wisely designed. In case of any disease, it gives us alarming signals. You just need to learn to recognize these signals and take the necessary measures in time.

Dark streaks due to disruption of the digestive system

Stripes on nails may reflect dietary habits

Oddly enough, eating undercooked pork often provokes dark streaks. In this case, it is recommended to consult a nutritionist and replace certain types of meat with fish, eggs, dairy products and seafood.

Fruits are recommended, especially green apples, as well as vegetable salads.

In addition, such phenomena often occur with gastritis or ulcers of the stomach and/or duodenum, as well as with gastroduodenitis and ulcerative colitis.

Furrows and spots. How to diagnose nails?

Larisa Kruglova, professor, head of the department of dermatovenereology and cosmetology of the Central State Medical Academy of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation:

— Any changes in the nails (doctors call them onychodystrophies) indicate disorders in the body. There are about 20 types of onychodystrophy, which can be either a nail problem or a manifestation of some disease. All nail pathologies can be divided into two groups: infectious lesions of the nail plates (onychomycosis, which accounts for up to 80% of nail lesions) and non-infectious lesions, which are observed in other diseases.

Questions and Answers How fast do nails grow?

A distinctive feature of infection is its gradual onset. First, changes in the color and structure of the nail occur on one nail, then the plates on other fingers are involved. With non-infectious lesions, changes occur on all nails at once.

Healthy nails:

- durable - do not break when caught; - elastic - if the nail is curled, there are no creases left on it - evenly colored (pale pink) - even (if you run your fingertip over the nail, you won’t feel any bumps or bumps).

1. Thinning, flaking nails

As a rule, this is the result of constant use of varnish, especially long-lasting gel varnish. But the cause of splitting nails may be a deficiency of certain vitamins and microelements or a fungal infection of the nail plates. Go to a dermatologist and take vitamins for healthy nails (group A, B, C, D, E complex, calcium, zinc, iodine, iron).

2. Increased fragility

May be a consequence of frequent exposure to household chemicals and aggressive detergents. Often indicates thyroid disease, especially if brittle nails are accompanied by weakness and nervousness.

Your pen! How to care for your nails at home Read more

3. Yellow nails - “smoky nail syndrome”

Smokers have such nails - from cigarettes. However, nails may turn yellow due to lung diseases, chronic sinusitis and lymphodema - a violation of the outflow of lymph.

4. Steeply protruding nails - “drumsticks”

A characteristic sign of lung disease (most often indicating pulmonary hypertension) and heart disease. Get examined by a cardiologist, get a fluorography or chest x-ray.

Question answer

What will help with brittle nails?

5. Concave nails - “spoon syndrome”

They signal anemia - an acute lack of iron. Include red meat, buckwheat, pomegranates, oatmeal, and legumes (lentils, peas, beans) in your diet.

6. Many small dots on the nails - “thimble syndrome”

Sign of psoriasis. Changes in the nail plate appear first when other symptoms of the disease are absent.

7. Grooves on the nails

They often appear after injuries to the nail plate and after heart attacks - at the time of a cardiac accident, nail growth stops, and later begins to grow again.

8. Specks

Lack of zinc or calcium in the diet. Load up on dairy products and hard cheese (calcium), as well as peanuts and sesame seeds (zinc).

Question answer

Why do people bite their nails?

9. White or subungual black spot extending to the ridge

See a doctor urgently! This is one of the manifestations of melanoma (skin cancer) - one of the most aggressive and fastest-growing types of cancer.

10. Halves of different colors

One half of the nail is white, the other remains its normal pink color. A characteristic sign of kidney disease is renal failure, uremia, etc. Take a urine test and consult a urologist or nephrologist.

Stripes for various types of cardiovascular pathologies

Infective endocarditis, i.e. inflammation of the membranes of the heart, which occurs with constant chronic foci of infection in the body (sinusitis, pharyngitis, pyelonephritis, etc.), manifests itself as black stripes on the nails.

In addition, similar symptoms occur with a variety of vasculitis, massive atherosclerosis and anemia of any origin.

Anemia, by the way, often accompanies malignant blood diseases, so signs of anemia in combination with dark stripes on the nails are a reason to visit a hematologist.

Factors leading to black stripes in the nail area

If the coloring of the nail plates is associated with heredity, there should be no reason to worry. But, if black stripes appear on the fingernails due to tissue damage by fungi or bacteria, it is necessary to urgently take action.

Reasons for the appearance of black stripes on the nail plates of the hands:

If a dark pattern covers the nails of an African, Indian or Asian, there is no reason to worry. This phenomenon is natural and safe for these races.
Development of trichinosis.
The occurrence of autoimmune diseases - lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis.
Problems with the cardiovascular system.
Impaired functioning of the adrenal glands.
Eating large quantities of fried pork.
Improperly done manicure, which damages the cuticle and base of the nail.
If your toes are covered with black stripes, then the reason lies in wearing tight, uncomfortable shoes, which causes injury to your feet and toes.
Dark stripes in the nail area may occur due to the development of melanoma, a cancer of the skin.
It is very rare, but there are dark stripes with ulcerative disease of the digestive tract.

For any reason why black stripes appear on the fingernails or toenails, it is important not to ignore the situation. Consult a doctor, get examined and strictly follow all doctor's prescriptions.

What other situations lead to the appearance of pathology?

Black vertical stripes in the area of the finger, especially on the fingernail, appear due to blockage of the artery located on the shoulder and insufficient blood circulation. Sometimes the nail plate changes color due to taking certain types of medications. In such a situation, each fingernail becomes covered with black stripes or spots.

Fungal infection

When a fungus enters the body and the immune system is weakened, black stripes develop on the nail plates. If the strip is located vertically, then the pathology is caused by melanonychia. The disease often occurs due to the use of tetracycline, antimalarial and anticancer drugs.

Mechanical damage to the nail plate

Very often, stripes are observed in athletes, as well as lovers of active outdoor games and other activities where the hands are involved (basketball, tennis, contact types of combat).

In addition to manicure, spots and dark stripes on toenails are caused by excessively tight shoes, fungal infection (dark spots due to fungi occur, but very rarely), and trichinosis.

A separate point is hormonal pathologies in women. Dark stripes in this case signal changes in the body and are caused by menopause, a new contraceptive, or diseases of the endocrine glands.

Preventive measures

So that you are no longer bothered by white stripes on your nails, be they longitudinal or transverse, you need to follow basic rules of prevention.

Start eating right. Try to include more fresh vegetables in your diet. Take extra vitamin supplements.
Since the appearance of longitudinal stripes on nails is often associated with constant stress or overwork, try to give yourself some time to rest.
Get basic tests every year to monitor your health.
Observe basic hygiene rules.
Take good care of your hands and feet.
Try not to injure the nail plates.

Now you know why black and white stripes appear, and what to do if you find them. In conclusion, we bring to your attention a very interesting and educational video in which a phytoreflexologist will tell you what the nail plates can tell about a person’s state of health.

Examples of the most common causes of black stripes on nails

Stripes with uneven edges up to 3mm wide are often found in older people (50-70 years old). In addition, among Asians, Indians, Africans and Mexicans, this is generally a common phenomenon associated with pigmentation characteristics.

Negroids of Africa in 75% of cases have such stripes; they are called Hutchinson's signs and do not mean anything at all.

Due to the use of some antimalarial drugs, as well as tetracycline antibiotics, vertical dark stripes may appear on several fingers.

Photo gallery: common causes of dark stripes on nails

If you or your loved ones experience similar symptoms, consult a dermatologist immediately. An exception may be if you have a known finger injury. In other cases, it is necessary to undergo diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

White stripes

The appearance of longitudinal stripes on the nails can tell you about many problems in the body. So why do they form?

You may have problems with your intestines or pancreas.
Longitudinal stripes can be a result of physical or mental stress.
Many chronic diseases also lead to their formation on the fingernails. Among them are psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lichen planus, and circulatory disorders.
Old age and natural weakening of the nail plates.
There may be more innocent reasons. For example, lack of vitamins or microtrauma.

If the white longitudinal stripes disappear as the nail grows, then you have no reason to worry. Transverse white stripes on your nails may occur due to improper kidney function or anemia - be careful, this is a very alarming signal !

Video: diagnosis of diseases based on the condition of nails

Author: Alexandra
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General practitioner at a city clinic. Eight years ago I graduated from Tver State Medical University with honors. Rate this article:

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Lack of vitamins in the body

Also, the cause of such defects may be a lack of vitamins in the body. The diet of a person with black stripes under the nails should include foods that contain large quantities of vitamins A, C, and B. These vitamins are found in fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, and fish.

A similar problem can be caused by a lack of microelements. This diagnosis must be made by a doctor. And finally, unpleasant black stripes under the nails can appear if the nail plates are damaged.

In any case, if you have such defects on your nails, you should not self-medicate and delay going to the doctor. Since these stripes not only spoil the appearance of nails and hands, but can also indicate a number of different dangerous diseases.