The white spots on nails are an alteration known as ‘leukonychia’, and it does not have to be due to a lack of calcium in the body, says the dermatologist at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Irene Palacios alvarez. Many times these little spots can appear when the hand is hit without realizing it on the tips of the fingers, for example.
In principle, it does not suppose any serious affectation and there is no treatment to alleviate them. Just wait for the nails to grow and if the spots look unsightly, you can always paint your nails and wait for them to grow. Nevertheless, sometimes associated with eating disorders. Therefore, reinforcing a healthy diet can prevent their appearance, not typing hard on the computer, or not biting your nails, for example, can help to avoid them.
In more detail, the CUN expert specifies that this pathology must be divided into two fundamental types: true leukonychia, which occurs when the cells that originate the nail are affected, and is characterized by the fact that when the nail is pressed the white bands remain; wave apparent leukonychiamainly due to changes in the nail bed (where the nail sits), such as onychomycosis or fungus in the feet, or the presence of edema in the nail bed and the whitish color disappears when pressed.
Various types of stains
In turn, list various types of true leukonychia (by dotted, linear or transverse frequency): the total, covers the entire nail, and occurs rarely, mainly due to genetic causes or family syndromes), the subtotal, and the transverse. “This is the one people are most interested in, with white bands running parallel to the start of the nail that are 1-2 millimeters thick and progress with nail growth,” he says.
“It is mainly associated with trauma or manicures. On other occasions also with chemotherapy, severe decrease in calcium levels or a systemic infection, and even being hereditary in some cases. Before it was associated with a lack of calcium or zinc, but now this association has not been proven,” he adds, concluding that stippling is the most frequent, with 1 to 3-millimeter dots, due to minor trauma.
The specialist indicates that when leukonychia is apparentthat is, that the color white disappears with pressure, if the patient is a patient with many pathologies or important illnesses, he should consult his doctor. “The treatment, in any case, would be that of the systemic disease. If you are a patient with dermatological diseases, you should also consult in case the changes are another manifestation of your skin problem,” he explains.
About the cases of true linear or transverse leukonychia He says that trauma or manicures should be avoided, since these are the main causes, although he regrets that there is no specific treatment at the moment.
As highlighted by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venerology (AEDV), beyond its aesthetic objective, the nails have “important” functions, especially those of the hands, since they favor and implement the prehensile function, that is, that of grasping objects.
“It is important to know that nail disorders (of the nails), which are varied, can be the manifestation of general health disorders, of systemic diseases or specific pathologies of the nail. With nail treatments you have to be patient, since any of them will need at least 6 to 10 months to show their effectiveness, since nail growth is slow, from 1 to 2 millimeters per month,” they add.
In conclusion, they claim that They are harmless and you should not go to the dermatologist for themunless there are white lines along the length of the nail (something is wrong with the nail matrix), if the nails lighten or take on a dull tone.