If toenails turn white, can this symptom be a sign of a disease? There are actually many reasons, not all of them can be dangerous, but often white toenails indicate the presence of a fungus, allergic manifestations of the body, injury, or a lack of beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Lack of useful elements
White toenails can occur in different ways. But most often, staining starts from the base, where there is already a white hole, closer to the cuticle. The color change then spreads throughout the nail. Sometimes white spots appear, which gradually fill the entire plate.
White toenails? The reasons for this phenomenon may be as follows:
- Lack of vitamins - this is the most common reason. She's not that scary. It can be prevented by improving nutrition and enriching the body with various fortified foods. In addition, vitamin deficiency can develop against the background of errors in nail care, when using low-qualitycosmetics.
- Lack of iron in the body doctors call iron deficiency anemia, the symptoms and treatment of such a pathology are interconnected. It is known that this element is present in human blood, and the bloodstream is able to supply organs with oxygen. If there is a lack of iron in the body, then the nails begin to suffer from this, acquire an unsightly shape and an unnatural white color. For symptoms of iron deficiency anemia, treatment will be essential.
Natural causes
Perhaps a similar condition was passed on to you from your direct relatives. In this case, no special treatment is required. But just in case, it does not interfere with a full examination. There is a possibility that white nails are a sign of some hereditary disease.
Why did my toenails turn white and deformed? Most often, whitening can be due to a strong blow or prolonged compression on the fingers. This happens due to the death of the upper plates. As a result, they lose their color, becoming colorless.
Possible diseases
Nails may turn white due to the development of the following pathologies:
- Another common factor that affects the discoloration of toenails is a fungal disease. The disease has a scientific name - it is onychomycosis. As additional signs of the presence of a fungus are: thinning of the nail plate, the occurrence of itching, redness of adjacent tissues. If the toenail turns white and crumbles, then this is an obvioussign of onychomycosis.
- Allergic reactions. In this case, not all nails turn white, but only those that have been exposed to the allergen. This may be a care gel, nail polish remover, etc. If the whitening of the toenails did not occur immediately, then this may mean that an allergen has accumulated in the tissues, which has led to a change in the color of the nail.
- Failures in the internal organs. This doesn't happen often. But there is a place to be. Often this symptom can be observed in diseases of the heart, liver, spleen or kidneys.
- Worm infestation.
Toenails turned white: what to do?
To find out the exact cause of the white color of the nails, you need to seek help from a doctor. Many doctors deal with a similar problem - a therapist, a dermatologist, a mycologist (specialist in fungal diseases).
It is also worth remembering that an unstable mental state can affect the condition of the nails. Therefore, avoid stress, nervous breakdowns and depressive states.
Basic methods of dealing with white formations
Treatment will depend on the underlying cause. If vitamin deficiency is to blame, then the emphasis is on restoring good nutrition and maintaining a he althy lifestyle. You can restore the lack of vitamins by taking special multivitamin complexes. They should be appointed by a competent specialist.
In the presence of a fungal disease, you will need a whole complexrestoration activities. In this case, the therapy is also carried out by a specialist after diagnostic studies, since each type of fungal infection requires its own approach to treatment and appropriate drugs aimed at destroying a certain type of pathogen. It will not be so easy to cope with this disease, moreover, if it is already in advanced form. Onychomycosis is a fungal infection that can be controlled both externally and internally.
Allergy, which is manifested by the white color of the nails, is extremely rare. If no other symptoms are observed, then the problem can be eliminated by abandoning the substances that previously affected the nail plate.
Diseases of the internal organs can be detected only after a comprehensive study of the body. If symptoms of iron deficiency anemia develop along with white nails, treatment will include taking iron supplements and following a special diet.
Cosmetic procedures in the fight against the problem of white nails
Cosmetic procedures, if the toenails turn white, will be effective, of course, if the change in the nail plate has occurred for minor reasons. For example, due to a minor injury or lack of vitamins.
In this case, you can regularly do foot baths with warm water. It is desirable to add s alt to such water. The proportions should be as follows: 1 teaspoon of s alt is taken per 100-150 ml of liquid. Nails are immersed in such a bath andkept for 10-15 minutes. The water should be slightly hotter than just warm.
It is known that hot water improves microcirculation, including in the area of the toes, as a result, nutrients come here in the proper amount. As a result, the white color on the toes in the nail area disappears. To improve the effect of the procedure, after the bath, rub fish oil into your nails so that it is completely absorbed.
Oil baths are prepared as follows:
- Take a glass of olive or almond oil.
- Add 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice.
- Heat everything in a water bath.
- Dip your nails and fingers into the solution.
- After several such procedures, the white surface of the nail will acquire its natural shade.
Prevention of whitening nails
If you managed to fix the problem, then the next task should be to prevent this condition from happening again. And for this, preventive measures should be taken. Everything will depend on the reason why white formations appeared on the nails.
If white plates appeared on the legs due to the development of a fungus, then after treatment it is worthwhile to carefully treat the rules of personal hygiene, especially after visiting public pools, baths or saunas. In this case, you should immediately wash your feet using antiseptics.
Remember that many diseases of the nail plate are prone to relapse.
Choose only he althylifestyle, strengthen your immune system, as a weakened immune system is an impetus for the development of many diseases. Eat more plant foods. Use high-quality cosmetics for your feet, do more often strengthening baths for nails.
Often, pedicure lovers subsequently suffer from the unaesthetic appearance of their nails. To prevent this from happening in the future, reduce trips to the manicure parlor. Let your nails rest from various dyes, polishing and other salon intervention. When choosing nail polish remover in the store, do not take cheap products, as they tend to damage the nail plate.
Conclusion
You should not try to get rid of the problem yourself without knowing the exact reason for acquiring white nails. This will only exacerbate the situation. Seek help from a specialist who will certainly be able to help you and get rid of the disease in a short time. For the duration of the treatment, it is worth refusing to use nail polishes and pedicure procedures.
