Your nails can reveal much more than you think — including serious diseases like cancer.
Here are some nail changes that should never be ignored if you want to protect your health.
Pale or whitish nails
If your nails lose their healthy pink tone and turn pale or almost completely white, it could indicate serious liver conditions such as cirrhosis or even kidney failure.
Often, these conditions develop silently, so your nails might be the first warning sign that something is wrong.
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Yellow nails
A yellowish tint is commonly linked to fungal infections, but it can also point to chronic conditions like lymphedema or lung disease.
When yellow nails become thicker and grow slower than usual, it’s wise to get medical advice.
Bluish nails
When nails appear blue, it usually means your body isn’t getting enough oxygen.
This can happen with lung diseases or certain heavy metal poisonings, like copper or silver.
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In rare cases, it may signal Wilson’s disease, a disorder that causes copper buildup in the body.
Spoon-shaped nails
Nails that dip in the middle and look like tiny spoons can be a sign of iron deficiency anemia.
They may also appear with conditions like hemochromatosis, Raynaud’s syndrome, or lupus.
It’s worth noting that spoon-shaped nails can be normal in babies but should be checked in adults.
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Many vertical ridges
Vertical ridges on nails are normal with aging, but when they become more numerous or pronounced, they could suggest iron deficiency, alopecia areata, psoriasis, or the inflammatory skin condition lichen planus.
Horizontal white or gray lines
Horizontal streaks or bands — especially if they’re white or grayish — could be a red flag for heavy metal poisoning from substances like arsenic or carbon monoxide.
They can also appear after chemotherapy or indicate severe conditions such as heart failure, kidney failure, or certain cancers.
Clubbed nails
If your nails start to look rounder and bulge like drumsticks, this can be a sign of underlying diseases such as lung cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic bronchitis, heart failure, or liver cirrhosis.
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Clubbing is a classic sign that should prompt a doctor’s visit.
Dark vertical streaks
A dark line running vertically down the nail could be harmless, but if it’s wider than 3 mm, has uneven edges, or keeps growing, it could signal melanoma — a dangerous skin cancer.
If the skin around the nail darkens too, see a dermatologist immediately.
Splinter hemorrhages under nails
Tiny red or brown streaks that look like splinters under the nail might just be from a bump, but if they appear for no clear reason, they could point to bacterial endocarditis, a serious heart infection.
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They can also result from blood clots linked to birth control pills or hormonal shifts in pregnancy.
Thin, brittle or split nails
When nails easily crack, split, or become very thin, it’s often due to a lack of essential nutrients like biotin (B7), iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.
These deficiencies weaken the nail structure, making it more prone to damage.
This article is based on information from News.hidoc.co.kr.