If the toenails are 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 lack of useful vitamins and minerals.
Lack of useful elements
Whitening of toenails can occur in different ways. But most often, staining begins from the base, where there is already a white hole, closer to the cuticle. Then the color change spreads throughout the nail. Sometimes white spots appear, which gradually fill the entire plate.
White toenails? The reasons for this phenomenon may be the following:
- Lack of vitamins - this is the most common cause. She is not so 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 inaccuracies in nail care, when using low-quality cosmetics.
- Doctors call iron deficiency in the body iron deficiency anemia, the symptoms and treatment of such a pathology are interrelated. 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 shortage of iron in the body, then the nails begin to suffer from this, acquires an unsightly shape and an unnatural white color. With symptoms of iron deficiency anemia, treatment will be imperative.
Natural causes
Perhaps a similar condition was transmitted to you from your direct relatives. In this case, special treatment is not required. But just in case, it does not interfere with a complete examination. There is a possibility that white nails are a sign of some kind of hereditary disease.
Why did the toenails turn white and deformed? Most often, whitening may 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 can turn white due to the development of the following pathologies:
- Another common factor affecting the color change of toenails is a fungal disease. The disease has a scientific name - it is onychomycosis. As additional signs of the presence of the 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 a clear sign of onychomycosis.
- Allergic reactions. In this case, not all nails turn white, but only those that have been exposed to the allergen. This can be a care gel, nail polish remover, etc. If the whitening of the nails on the legs did not occur instantly, this may mean that there was an accumulation of allergen in the tissues, which led to a change in the color of the nail.
- Failures in the work of internal organs. This is not common. But there is a place to be. Often, such a symptom can be observed in diseases of the heart, liver, spleen or kidneys.
- Helminthic invasion.
Toenails turned white: what to do?
To find out the exact cause of the white color of the nails, you need to seek the help of a doctor. A similar problem is addressed by many doctors - therapist, dermatologist, 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 cause of the disease. If the cause is vitamin deficiency, the emphasis is on restoring good nutrition and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To restore the lack of vitamins by taking special multivitamin complexes. A competent specialist should appoint them.
In the presence of a fungal disease, a whole range of recovery measures will be needed. In this case, the specialist also conducts the therapy after diagnostic tests, since each type of fungal infection requires its own treatment approach 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 neglected form. Onychomycosis is a lesion with a fungus, to combat which both external agents and drugs for internal use are used.
Allergy, which is manifested by the white color of nails, is extremely rare. If at the same time other symptoms are not observed, then the problem can be eliminated by rejecting the substances that had previously acted on the nail plate.
Diseases of the internal organs can be detected only after a comprehensive study of the body. If along with white nails there are symptoms of iron deficiency anemia, treatment will consist of taking iron supplements and following a special diet.
Cosmetic procedures to combat 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 salt to such water. The proportions should be as follows: 1 teaspoon of salt is taken per 100-150 ml of liquid. Nails are immersed in such a bath and kept 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 of which nutrients are supplied in the proper amount. As a result, the white color on the toes in the nails passes. To make the effect of the procedure better, rub the fish oil into the nails after the bath so that it is completely absorbed.
Oil baths are prepared as follows:
- Take a glass of olive or almond oil.
- Add to it 1 tbsp. l lemon juice.
- Heat everything in a water bath.
- Dip the nails with the 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 were able to fix the problem, then the next task should be to prevent this condition 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 feet due to the development of the fungus, then after treatment it is worthwhile to carefully consider the rules of personal hygiene, especially after visiting public pools, baths or saunas. In this case, you immediately need to wash your legs with the use of antiseptic agents.
Remember that many diseases of the nail plates are prone to relapse.
Choose only a healthy lifestyle, strengthen your immune system, since weakened immunity is an impetus for the development of many diseases. Eat more plant foods. Use high-quality cosmetics for the feet, make strengthening baths for nails more often.
Often, pedicure lovers are subsequently tormented by the unaesthetic appearance of their nails. To prevent this from happening again, reduce trips to the manicure room. Let your nails rest from various coloring substances, polishing and other salon intervention. When choosing a nail polish remover in a 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, not knowing the exact reason for acquiring the white color of the nails. This will only aggravate the situation. Seek help from a specialist who can certainly help you and relieve the disease in a short time. At the time of treatment, you should abandon the use of nail polishes and pedicure procedures.