What causes pigmentation on nails?
Melanonychia is caused when the pigment cells, called melanocytes, deposit melanin into the nail. Melanin is a brown colored pigment. These deposits are usually grouped together. As your nail grows, it causes the stripe of brown or black to appear on your nail.
What is skin Dyschromia?
Dyschromia is a change in color of the skin or nails. Although not specific to pigmentation, it is usually used to reference abnormality in pigmentation, but it can be a change in color, a loss or increase in pigmentation.
How long does it take for melanonychia to go away?
If the cause is benign, the individual may not need treatment. Some cases of melanonychia may fade after addressing the cause. For example, if drugs are the cause, melanonychia should fade within 6–8 weeks of stopping the treatment.
How do you reverse nail discoloration?
The only way to get rid of nail polish-related discoloration is to take a break from painting your nails. Even a break of just two or three weeks can resolve the issue.
Can B12 deficiency affect your nails?
Both iron and B12 are necessary for keeping nails strong and healthy. A deficiency in vitamin B12 can result in entirely blue nails, bluish-black pigments with wavy longitudinal dark streaks and brownish pigmentation ( 5 , 6 ).
Should I worry about melanonychia?
Melanonychia is a very worrisome entity for most patients. It is characterized by brownish black discoloration of nail plate and is a common cause of nail plate pigmentation. The aetiology of melanonychia ranges from more common benign causes to less common invasive and in situ melanomas.
How do you know if melanonychia is benign?
Benign longitudinal melanonychia is recognized by the appearance of light to dark brown stripes that are parallel and regular in color, thickness, and spacing. The border will be clearly defined and less than 3 millimeters (mm) in width, or roughly 1/10th of an inch.
What causes Dyschromia?
Dyschromia is a patchy or irregular skin discoloration. This is generally caused by vascular changes in the blood vessels, variations in melanin density or foreign organisms growing within the skin. This is often referred to as mottled or mottling skin. The skin cells produce a pigment called melanin.
How do you treat Dyschromia?
Vitamin C Iontophoresis is a treatment that is used to inhibit or prevent the production of melanin in the skin, which can help reduce the appearance of dyschromia. This treatment combines the topical application of concentrated Vitamin C serum and a gentle electric current to promote deeper penetration of the serum.
Should I be worried about melanonychia?
Why do your nails turn yellow?
Yellowing nails is commonly due to a nail infection or fungus. Nasty, we know, but it happens! Other symptoms of a fungal infection can include flaking of the nail and an unpleasant odour. If left untreated, the nail bed could retract, causing it to thicken and crumble.
What are the different types of nail dyschromia?
Dyschromia can also be classified by the actual color change (red, black, blue, or yellow). Opaque white discoloration of the nail or leukonychia is the most common form of nail dyschromia. Leukonychia has been classified into three different types: true leukonychia, apparent leukonychia, and pseudoleukonychia.
What causes the discoloration of the nail plate?
Nail dyschromia may be due to discoloration of the nail plate or nail bed74 ( Table 29-2 ). The causes of nail discoloration may be exogenous, secondary to local infectious agents, systemic drugs or diseases, primary skin diseases, or ungual neoplasms ( Fig. 29-13 ).
What does it mean when your nails are white?
Partial leukonychia in which the proximal portion of the nail is white has several eponyms. They include Lindsay’s half-and-half nails of uremia, and Terry’s nails secondary to cirrhosis or congestive heart failure. Leukonychia may also be a sign of malnutrition or iron deficiency anemia.