What is leukonychia?
Leukonychia, also known as leukonychia or leukonychia, refers to a type of problem in which the appearance of fingernails or toenails turns white.
The occurrence of leukonychia is related to the nail cap or the nail bed below the nail cap, which is manifested as different white spots, patches or streaks on the nail.
Among them, the nail cover lesions are called "true white nails", which can be subdivided into punctate white nails, linear white nails, partial white nails and full white nails according to the morphology.
If there is no problem with the nail cover and there is a problem with the nail bed, it is called "obvious white nails".
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The causes vary depending on the type and can be caused by trauma, infection, genetics, or systemic disease:
- Punctate leukonychia is caused by minor trauma and is usually seen in children.
- Linear leukonychia and some leukonychia are usually caused by other disorders and are common in adults.
- All-white nails are generally genetically related and less common.
- The most common cause of obvious leukonychia is edema of the nail bed, which may be related to medical diseases.
What are the specific symptoms of white nails?
It mainly causes a change in the color of the nail cover, and different areas of white patches or streaks are visible to the naked eye. There are 5 main categories of common situations.
1. Punctate white nails: There are irregular white spots on the nails that do not fade when pressed.
Image source: Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team
2. Linear white nails: There are horizontal or longitudinal white stripes on the nails, one or several, with different widths and narrowness, and they do not fade when pressed.
Image source: Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team
Image source: Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team
3. Partial white nails: The nails are partially whitened, and white patches appear, which do not fade when pressed.
Image source: Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team
4. All white nails: All nails turn white, and they do not fade when pressed.
Image source: Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team
5. Visible white nails: The white color can be seen through the transparent nail cover, and the white color can fade when the nail cover is pressed. Pronounced white nails can be further divided into Muehrcke nails, Terry nails, and half nails.
Muehrcke nails: The nail has multiple transverse leucorrhea, parallel to the proximal crescent.
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Terry's nail: In Terry's nail, the distal 1~2 mm of the nail is normal pink, while the entire nail cap or proximal nail is white due to changes in the nail bed.
Image source: Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team
Hemiacaratum: The hemicaranine is white on the proximal part of the nail and red, pink, or brown on the distal part, with a clear distinction between the two.
Image source: Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team
How is leukonychia treated?
Most leukonychia have no effect on the human body, mainly because of the aesthetic impact, depending on the individual's needs, and if it is caused by other underlying primary diseases, the primary disease needs to be actively treated.
When you go to the hospital, you usually see a dermatologist first. Dermatologists rule out or treat dermatology-related disorders and see if the underlying disease is evaluated, diagnosed, and treated by an internist.
If you have more questions about nails, we have compiled the relevant questions, which can be viewed by clicking on the text.
Is leukonychia contagious?
What should I do if my nails become thick and yellow?
What is the signal of the body that the nails have long black vertical lines?
How can nail fungus be cured?
Author of the entry
Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team
Audit Specialists
Tang Jiaoqing is a dermatologist
Planning and production
Curator: Radish | Producer: Pillow Jade
Typesetting: Yukai
Image source: Lilac Doctor Health Encyclopedia Team, Picture Worm Creative