Why does my fingernail have a brown stripe?

Why does my fingernail have a brown stripe?

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 do dark horizontal lines on nails mean?

Another cause of black lines on the nails is a splinter hemorrhage, which occurs when blood vessels under the fingernail are damaged, often due to injuries, such as hitting. More seriously, a black line or lines on the nails can indicate the presence of melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer.

Is Melanonychia a cancer?

What Are the Types of Melanonychia? Melanocytic proliferation. This type of melanonychia is a result of an increased number of melanocyte cells in the nails. The growth of melanocyte cells can be cancerous or noncancerous.

What does melanoma look like under your fingernail?

Subungual melanoma often starts as a brown or black streak under a toenail or fingernail. A person may mistake it for a bruise. Share on Pinterest A bruised nail, and dark streaks or stains on the nail with no known cause, may be signs of subungual melanoma.

What vitamin deficiency causes dark lines in fingernails?

Zinc deficiency, which may be due to a lack of zinc in the diet or an underlying medical condition, can cause nail dystrophy. Nail dystrophy is the discoloration and distortion of a person’s nails.

Can fingernails show signs of heart disease?

Fingernails: Possible problems Nail clubbing is sometimes the result of low oxygen in the blood and could be a sign of various types of lung disease. Nail clubbing is also associated with inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and AIDS.

What do lines in your fingernails mean?

The bottom line Ridges in the fingernails are often normal signs of aging. Slight vertical ridges commonly develop in older adults. In some cases, they may be a sign of health problems like vitamin deficiencies or diabetes. Deep horizontal ridges, called Beau’s lines, may indicate a serious condition.

What does a line in your fingernail mean?

How do you know if you have nail melanoma?

Here are certain warning signs to look out for:

1. brown or black bands of color that increase in size over time.
2. change in skin pigment (darkening around the affected nail)
3. splitting nail or bleeding nail.
4. drainage (pus) and pain.
5. delayed healing of nail lesions or trauma.
6. separation of the nail from the nail bed.

How does nail melanoma start?

Subungual melanoma often starts as a pigmented band visible the length of the nail plate (melanonychia). Over weeks to months, the pigment band: Becomes wider, especially at its proximal end (cuticle) Becomes more irregular in pigmentation including light brown, dark brown.

What does it mean when you have a line on your fingernail?

What is the vertical brown line under finger nail?

“If you notice a vertical brown line on a fingernail or toenail, do not ignore,” begins Kally Papantoniou, MD, FAAD, with Simply Dermatology in NY. Dr. Kally, as she is known by her patients, continues: “This can represent a benign mole that is occurring within the nail bed or nail matrix where the nail is being formed, but it takes a professional to distinguish the features of a benign vs. malignant growth.”

What causes vertical black lines on fingernails?

Black lines that appear under fingernails and toenails in most circumstances is a splinter or fingernail hemorrhage. They are thin vertical lines that develop under the nail as a result of splinter hemorrhages.

What do horizontal lines on your fingernails mean?

These white, horizontal lines on nails are a sign of low protein levels in your blood. They can occur due to health problems like malnutrition or liver disease. In most cases, ridges on your nails are a sign of more severe issues.

What do vertical ridges on all fingernails signify?

In the eyes of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), vertical ridges on the nails may indicate malabsorption of nutrients from food (which most likely stems from poor digestion). As nails receive less and less nutrition, they may become pale and ridged.