Why do I get white spots on the nails

White spots on the nails doctors call LeukonychiaLeukonychia Striata. This is a fairly common phenomenon: It is no exaggeration to say that at least once in his life faced with it every.

Most often distinctly bright spots and stripes on the nails are only a cosmetic defect, and do not carry health risks. But sometimes Leukonychia - a signal: your body that there is something wrong, and it is not "something" - a dangerous thing.

What is Leukonychia

Let's outline imagine how the nail. Here he is:

We are interested here only three elements:

• actually, the nail plate;
• nail beds - the skin of a finger of land, which is adjacent to the nail;
• the root of the nail, it - the matrix. It is the lowest, deepest portion of the nail bed where the new nail cells develop.

A healthy, undamaged nail is translucent and tightly abuts a structure to the nail bed. Due to this, the plate seem uniformly pink: through them shine leather.

But sometimes between the bed and the nail plate adjudged air bubble. The nail penetrated departs from skin blood vessels, and a white spot appears on his pink background. It is exactly the same shape of the air bladder - may be tiny, round or elongated look like a band. This is Leukonychia.

This raises a second question: how air bubbles get under the nail? The answer to this is more complicated.

What are the white spots on the nails

Establish the reason for which under the nail suddenly appear air bubbles, manages not always. But there are situations when such a link is establishedWhite spots on nails: Causes, prevention and treatment. Here they are.

1. injuries

These faults of the matrix from which the nail grows, nail plate or itself. More often than not lead to injury:

• habit bite nails;
• accidental impacts - for example, you hit the nail on something heavy or unconsciously and too much drumming his fingers on the table, when nervous;
• frequent and too energetic manicure;
• Tight shoes - it leads to the appearance of Leukonychia toe.

Leukonychia, formed due to the injury, it is easy to recognize: this is usually one or more of rounded white spots scattered over the surface of the nails. These white dots or strips move to the free edge as regrowth of the nail and eventually disappear.

2. Taking certain medications or poisoning

By Leukonychia sometimes result:

• Admission sulfonamides (sulfonamides). This synthetic antimicrobials used in the treatment of bacterial infections - skin, urinary tract, sepsis.
• Chemotherapy is the treatment of various cancers.
• Poisoning by heavy metals such as lead and arsenic.

In this case, white spots have the form of long bands of light, arranged perpendicularly to the line of nail growth.

Such Leukonychia called striped or cross-section.

3. System disturbances in the body

Disease or malfunction of an organ is rarely manifest themselves white spots on the nails. Nevertheless, it is possible. Striped (transverse) Leukonychia may be a symptom of:

• iron deficiency anemia - a condition in which the body does not receive a sufficient amount of gland;
• zinc or calcium deficiency;
• kidney disease;
• heart failure;
• liver diseases (in particular, cirrhosis);
• hyperthyroidism - an overactive thyroid;
• problems with the digestion of proteins in the gastrointestinal tract;
• skin diseases - starting psoriasis or eczema;
• early stage fungal nail diseases.

How to get rid of white spots on the nails

In most cases, just wait - nail otrastot and white speck will disappear by itself. But when it comes to cross-Leukonychia, with stripes occur regularly, affecting not one, but several nails, should contact a physician.

The doctor will determine the real cause of the stripes and spots. When talking about the systemic abuse in the body, it will be necessary to do treatment of the underlying disease. Or find an alternative to taking medication, if that's what it led to Leukonychia.

Way quickly - day or two - to get rid of white spots, does not exist. We'll have to wait a few weeks or even months, until nail It is updated in a natural way.