I’ve had white spots on my nails for as long as I can remember. It’s one of those things, like sleeping with wet hair or swallowing gum, that I hear a lot of myths about ― some said it was a vitamin D deficiency, others said that the problem was calcium.
Recently, Dr. Karan Raj who’s known for spreading his medical knowledge and debunking health myths on TikTok, stitched a video on the topic.
“I feel bad for you if you have these white spots on your fingers...” it read, showing a picture of nails with thin slivers of white on them. Very, very familiar white slivers.
The doctor goes on to explain that the nails’ appearance has “nothing to do with a calcium deficiency.” Here’s how they come to be:
The flecks are called punctae leukonychia
Dr. Raj explains that nails are usually pale with an even paler “half-moon shaped” white arc at the base. This is called a lunula and covers the base of your nail, just above your cuticle. It’s usually the same colour as the white spots the original TikToker was talking about.
This is the spot your nails grow from, the doctor explained ― and it’s normal for it to be white or pale. But when you see flecks of the same shade above this area, the doctor says that this is called “punctae leukonychia.”
And, as DermNet also says, the doctor shared that these are typically caused by “minor impact trauma to the nail matrix” ― in other words, it’s a sign something has hit your nails a little too hard.
What can cause that exactly?
The flecks can come from “a surprising number” of occurrences, the doctor shared. For instance, biting your nails, getting a harsh manicure, and even a strong “backhand slap” can create the paler patches.
It happens, the doctor explains, because the impact stops the keratin-containing nail cells “from bonding together properly.” And because (as anyone who’s tried to achieve natural tolons will know) nails grow slowly, “it can take up to six weeks for a patch of damage in the nail matrix to show up as a white spot on the nail.”
At which point, the doctor says, you’ve more than likely forgotten about the contact that caused it.
Worse news ― you’ll have to wait “around eight months” for the spots to vanish, Dr. Raj shared. Bad news for us clumsy folks, but at least it’s not a sign of any significant health issues.
Not all changes to your nails are harmless
With that said, some nail conditions can be tell-tale signs of health problems. We’ve written about them here, but in short, consider seeing your doctor if you have a dark streak in your nail, have half-white and half-pink or brown nails, see white nails with a brown strip on top, or notice horizontal ridges on your talons.
Brittle or spoon-shaped nails can also be a sign of anaemia, while yellowing nails actually could be due to certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Thankfully, white nails aren’t something to worry about, though. See the full video here: