Both finger and toenails are usually pale pink in color, with a lighter crescent shape at the bottom of the nail known as the lunula. But sometimes, we notice white spots on our nails, clearly distinctive from the color of the nails.
“They” are called leukonychia. Leukonychia can be caused by a variety of different factors, depending on the type. Here are some of the main causes of leukonychia.
- Drug use and other types of poisoning, like chemotherapy and heavy metal poisoning
- Trauma, like nail biting, bad manicure, cutting or punching your nail from the wall, or some small footwear that puts additional pressure on the toenails
- Fungal infection
- Lack of zinc, protein or calcium
- Hereditary – something you simply got from your ancestors
- Systemic illnesses, such as anemia, diabetes, heart failure, digestion problems or kidney disease
There are two types of leukonychia – partial and total. The sole name tells that the partial is whitening on parts of the nail, in the form of dots or lines, while the total leukonychia is whitening of the whole surface of the nail.
How to treat this disorder? There is no treatment for just white spots on their own. Those that have been caused by trauma will naturally grow out over time.
If they are being caused by something other than trauma, the doctor will need to identify the cause and treat it separately. You can try avoiding your regular nail polishing for some time.
Also, you can try natural treatment, such as increasing the intake of your daily vitamin dose, especially B6 and B12, carotene, zinc, milky products etc.
