Did you know that finger and toenails can alert Specialists to Organ Failure, Inflammation, or Worse?

Finger and toenails, and dis-ease, don’t often go together in most minds, but they should. Your finger and toenails can give you valuable health warnings and signal the presence of severe disease.

Take a good, long look at your nails. Hold a hand level with your nose about a foot out from your face and scrutinise each one.

Look at the curves, dips, ridges, and grooves. Observe the thickness or thinness of the nail and check for chipping or breaking. Please note the colour of the nail itself, the skin under it, and the skin around the nail.

Check your memory – have your nails always looked like this?

Changes to your fingernails and the onset of dis-ease are linked, so note any new developments. With this fresh view, compare what you see with this list of eight potential fingernail health warnings.

1. Discoloured nails

A healthy finger or toenail should be pink with a touch of pinkish-white (moony) near the base, or buffish-off-white, allowing for variations in skin tone. If your nails are a dull colour or streaked with other colours, you may have a serious hidden health problem.

-Green nails are a sign of bacterial infection

-Red streaks in your nail bed are a warning of a heart valve infection

-Blueish nails signal low oxygen levels in your blood

-Dull nails mean a vitamin deficiency

-White nails may signal liver disease, such as hepatitis

-Dark stripes at the top (Terry’s nails) are associated with ageing and congestive heart failure

Scrub those nails clean and look at your natural nail colour! Given the “rainbow” of potential health challenges, you want to be sure you see what your fingers are saying.

2. Thick nails

Thick nails are not natural. You want your nails to be strong, but if they resemble talons or claws more than traditional nails, watch out!

-Thickened nails that are otherwise normal can signal lung disease

-Thick and rough-textured nails can signal a fungal infection

-Thick and separated nails may mean thyroid disease or psoriasis

-Unusual thickness may also be a symptom of a circulation problem

Thickening nails are a change that should alert you to other health symptoms you may be ignoring. Also, be aware of allergic reactions to new medications, which can manifest as suddenly thickened nails.

3. Split nails

Split nails aren’t just occasionally chipped or shut in doors. Instead, these nails seem to flake away in layers. Don’t blame frequent handwashing or nail polish for everything, especially since:

-Split nails result from folic acid, Vitamin C, and protein deficiencies

-Split nails with a pitted nail bed can indicate psoriasis, which affects the nails in 10% of cases.

-Split nails may result from chronic malnutrition

Watch what you eat and consider the connection between your diet and psoriasis to fight back and pay closer attention to your overall health.

4. Concave (Spoon) nails

Spoon fingernails signal several internal issues. To be considered full spoons, nails will be soft and curve up, forming a dip that is often big enough to hold water. Spoon nails signal:

-Iron deficiency (usually from anaemia)

-Hemochromatosis, a liver disorder where your body absorbs too much iron

-Heart disease

-Hypothyroidism

For many people, their nail and health challenges go hand in hand; resolving their health issues often leads to their nails returning to normal.

5. Pitted nails

Small dips or holes in your nails can be a result of banging up your hands, or they could be a sign that you need to look more closely at your health. Nail pitting can signal:

-Psoriasis

-Connective tissue disorder

-Alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss

-Zinc deficiency (when the pit seems to form a line across the middle of your nail)

Observe your hands and feet to distinguish between natural nail dents and dings, as well as any lasting pits. The first will clear up quickly, but pits associated with disease can linger.

6. Ridges

Nails should have smooth surfaces with almost imperceptible lines. Obvious ridgelines are a signal that something is up with your body. Some of the most common conditions associated with heavy ridges lines are:

-Iron deficiency

-Inflammatory arthritis

-Lupus (for red lines at the base of your nails)

Don’t just buff away your ridges – hear their warning!

7. Dry, brittle nails

You don’t need lotion or cuticle oil. If your nails are dry and brittle, consider checking your hormone levels and bacterial health.

Thyroid disease leads to brittle, dry fingernails that crack and split easily.

Fungus can cause nails to become dry or even crumbly, affecting approximately 12% of individuals.

Both thyroid and fungal issues require time to treat, so you won’t see a noticeable difference in the appearance of your nails until the complete growth cycle is complete.

8. Clubbed nails

If you have plump skin that seems to swell around the nail, or if your nails seem to have puffed around your fingers, they are said to be “clubbed”. Clubbed nails can mean:

-Lung disease, especially if you already have trouble breathing

-Inflammatory bowel disease

-Liver disease

-AIDS

Your nails won’t be the only signs of dis-ease, but they can provide confirmation or motivation to seek medical care. Please don’t ignore the warnings your hands and feet send.  Nails and disease are more closely related than you think.

Check your nails often to protect your health, give yourself a treat and consider a relaxing manicure and pedicure at home, salon, or spa this week and for acute, chronic, or mild concerns. act now,find out more.