What are the little white spots underneath your nails?
By Amber
@AmbiePam (92711)
United States
September 25, 2007 10:32pm CST
Now I know white stripes underneath fingernails indicates arsenic poisoning, but that isn't where I'm going with this, LOL. I'm talking about the white dots, or smudges underneath our nails. I think it is a lack of some vitamin, or am I wrong? They could be meaningless, but if it is a lack of a vitamin, I want to rectify the process. I take a vitamin (doctor recommended), but sometimes there are specific ones to focus on I guess. And also I'm not talking about the white semi-circles at the bottom of the nails.
Any info will be welcome. I didn't know what to search for in Google, 'white thingys under nails'?
6 people like this
21 responses
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
26 Sep 07
I have read that they indicate a lack of calcium.
3 people like this
@KarenO52 (2950)
• United States
26 Sep 07
It could be a symptom of zinc deficiency. Do you take a multivitamin that has zinc? You should be getting at least 15mg. Good natural sources of zinc are beef, pork, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, pumpkin seeds, eggs, nonfat dry milk, and ground mustard. I got this info from Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible.
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
26 Sep 07
If I injure my hand or finger at any place, I find I will have the white spots creep down my nails at a future date. When I broke my thumb back in the mid-70's I had a big old white spot down the nail. I had another, smaller one, crawl down the nail when I got a bad scratch on a finger.
I had a lot down a bunch of nails after I had a close encounter with a broken glass door on the back of my hand.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
26 Sep 07
I see thefortunes came up with one website...here's another one....
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/42/1689_50294.htm
I always remember one cure-all from my great-grandmother's day for any kind of nail problem, as it can usually mean a lack of protein was to drink gelatin--That is supposed to strengthen nails in general
2 people like this
@mbrown81 (114)
• United States
26 Sep 07
Hey there! I remember this story... While I was a kid even now I still have white spots under my nails. They said if you has that, it means that you have a lots of friends. I know it's funny! But anyway, they also said it is lack of calcium!
@buenavida (9984)
• Sweden
28 Sep 07
As far as I know, it could be lack of a mineral, but I cannot remember which one. Your cells need good fats to benefit from food, so that they get those minerals from food. And the food should also be of good quality, lots of veggies and so on.
Try to add non heated nuts and seeds or cold pressed oils to your diet and see if it helps.
@GardenGerty (160663)
• United States
26 Sep 07
I think the little dashes are mostly caused by damage, like hitting them on something, slamming them in drawers, etc. I believe I read something lately about which vitamins were good for that, but I do not remember. It might have been B complex, but it might have been zinc. Do not take my word for it. Thanks for the arsenic info, I had read that years ago and forgot it. I even asked a beautician but he did not know. I will revisit this discussion later.
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
26 Sep 07
I am almost sure that it is a vitamin deficiency. But off hand I can't remember which one? If it is not possible to find out the exact vitamin defifiency, perhaps if you take a multi vitamin, one of those mega doses. It could bne that the vitamin you already take, doesn't have the specific one you need.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (92711)
• United States
26 Sep 07
A study was recently released in the U.S. about the vitamins that actually have been shown to work, and my kind was listed. However, I think some people may need more of something that maybe no vitamin can give. Like if someone has a certain disease, they would need extra of something.
@AmberNormandin (883)
• United States
26 Sep 07
well i used to get them bad when i was a kid and my dad would gripe at me saying im not getting enough vitamins, but which vitamin, im not sure. It seems like i heard it was Vit K, but is that even one?
1 person likes this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
26 Sep 07
You know, I use to get those when I was younger, but I do not get them any longer. I do not know what changed, but I haven't had those since I was a child. I have heard that they are calcium deposits. I have also heard that they are from a lack of calcium, but I have never research it.
However, since you brought it up, I am willing to do some looking out of curiosity. I mean, I did want to know before. I will try to steer clear of searching for " White thingys under nails," though that was cute, LOL.
2 people like this
@3lilangels (4639)
• United States
26 Sep 07
well from being a hairdresser and doing nails,the white spots on your nails is called leukonychia,and its sometimes a lack of calcium,or it can sometimes be a mineral or vitamin deficiency. and these spots will fade out and dissapear after about 8 weeks or so.in some cases you might of hit your nail on something a while back and didnt realize it and it takes time for these white spots to appear.they are not threating by any means.it can also be caused by eating too much mayonaise too.not too worry though.
@thefortunes (2367)
• Netherlands
26 Sep 07
Hi AmbiePam, this is what I found in regards, and I believe is not much to worry about :)
"White Spots are small, semi-circular spots that result from injury to the base (matrix) of the nail where nail cells are produced. They are not a cause for concern and will eventually grow out. White spots are very common and usually recur."
it was taken from here: http://www.aad.org/NR/exeres/3419B696-B51B-4E5E-9FD1-1FDB1467691B.htm?NRMODE=Published
TheFortunes
2 people like this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
27 Sep 07
My mother always told us that it was put there when you told a lie. Well, I had a few! It worried me. Then later on in life I found out that it was from an injury to your fingernails.
1 person likes this
@sweetpunch (915)
• Pakistan
26 Sep 07
thats what i really wanted to know my self good that you asked now i'll be able to know too:)
1 person likes this
@Vieiragirl (109)
• United States
26 Sep 07
It is just cell damage nothing to be concerned about. If you get blue lines under your nails them you want to bring it up to the doctor. Those are signs of hemoraging.
