Do you have white spots on your fingernails and wonder where they come from? You are not alone. We'll tell you where the little dots come from and what they mean.
First of all, don't panic!
White spots on fingernails do not come from deficiency symptoms, nor are they signs of a dangerous disease.
The little clouds seem to come out of nowhere.
The wildest rumors are circulating about the cause.
What is really behind white dots on the nails, you will learn here.
Table of contents
- Where white spots on the fingernails come from
- What are the causes of white spots on the nails
- What you can do against white spots on the fingernails
- Why white spots on fingernails have nothing to do with nutrient deficiency
- How healthy diet leads to beautiful nails
- What white spots with transverse and longitudinal grooves mean
Where white spots on the fingernails come from
White spots on the fingernails, known as "Leukonychia punctata" in technical jargon, have certainly already come to your attention.
We've all had them at one time or another. They don't exactly make our otherwise well-groomed fingers look particularly sexy.
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Depending on your mood, they appear and then disappear again.
But where do these irregular appearances come from?
Light spots on the nails, contrary to what is assumed, do not come from a calcium deficiency.
In fact, the white dots simply hide air pockets.
These are caused by small injuries or inflammation of the nail root.
Light bumps, nail biting or an incorrect manicure will disrupt the keratinization of the nail.
This is how white spots appear on the fingernails.
So you can rest assured. As a rule, the small clouds are completely harmless.
So you finally put an end to dry hands and fingers!
But if you are not so happy with your nails overall because they are constantly brittle or tearing, then you should provide your body with the right nutrients.
For your body to "produce" beautiful nails, it needs certain nutrients. If they are missing, your nails and hair will become brittle, fragile and dry. And your skin condition will also deteriorate.
Especially in autumn and winter, this danger is great. Do you know this problem? Then it is worthwhile to take natural food supplements for a month. In it you will find nutrients in concentrated form. Your body can absorb them immediately.
If you often struggle with this problem, then try Biotin gummy bears*.
They contain a mix of nutrients and vitamins for skin, hair and nails. As a result, the fingernails become harder and do not tear as often.
What are the causes of white spots on the nails
As you already know, air pockets are behind the white spots.
There are several possibilities why this happens:
1. cracks or bumps of the nail plate
In most cases, the small dots come from minor injuries. Our hands are constantly on the move.
Often we don't even notice when we bump our nail somewhere or jam it slightly.
This is how most white clouds are created on the nails.
2. injuries due to wrong manicure
Do you also like to treat yourself to a manicure? Me too :)
However, you should be careful when pushing back the cuticle.
If you apply too much pressure on the fingernail, the nail matrix can be damaged.
The result: small white spots. But such injuries can also come from the incorrect handling of nail scissors.
How to finally get out of the habit of biting your fingernails!
3. corrosive detergents or too frequent hand washing
Do you often have to deal with chemical cleaning agents? Then this can also be the reason for white spots on the nails.
In the same way, excessive cleaning of the hands can lead to air pockets.
Other causes of white spots on the nails:
- aggressive nail polish remover with acetone
- Artificial nails
- Nail biting
- Nail glue
What you can do against white spots on the fingernails
There is no treatment for the white spots and it is not necessary.
In fact, they are completely harmless.
Only one thing helps here: wait and see. The spots grow out with the nail.
Then you can fix the little beauty problem yourself.
Simply trim the affected nail. Of course, this takes time.
If you don't want to wait that long, you can of course cover the stains with colored nail polish.
But to prevent this from happening in the first place, you should take care to treat your nails gently.
Do you know the secret of how nail polish lasts longer on the nails?
Why white spots on fingernails have nothing to do with nutrient deficiency
Contrary to what is assumed, the small spots have nothing to do with a lack of zinc, calcium or magnesium.
However, this widespread myth that white dots on the nails are created in the same way has persisted for decades.
I, too, believed that before I started to deal with the subject intensively.
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I even imagine that I learned that in elementary school. Or was it just a classmate who told me that? I don't know. In any case, I was convinced that too little calcium leads to white spots on the nails.
If you really suffer from a nutrient deficiency, you will certainly not get white spots from it.
Much more likely, a lack of nutrients manifests itself in brittle and soft fingernails.
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How healthy diet leads to beautiful nails
What you can do for beautiful nails? Clearly a balanced and healthy diet.
You can not prevent white spots on the nails. But you make sure that your fingernails do not become soft and brittle.
These are the most important trace elements, minerals and vitamins for beautiful nails:
- Vitamin A: The vitamin is found in pumpkin, carrots and kale. Vitamin A ensures a healthy metabolism, from which your fingernails also benefit.
These are the top 10 vitamin A foods!
- Biotin: Biotin, also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H, strengthens your nails. It is found in peas, mushrooms, nuts, oatmeal and lentils.
So biotin makes hair, skin and nails beautiful!
- Zinc: For beautiful nails your body needs zinc. Good sources are walnuts or lentils.
These 72 foods are full of zinc!
- Iron: This trace element gives your nails stability and elasticity. Wheat bran, Flaxseed* and pumpkin seeds should therefore be on your plate often.
Mmhh delicious! Iron can taste so good!
- Silicon: This trace element strengthens your nails and is found in nettles and barley.
- Calcium: Calcium is needed for stable and healthy nails. For an optimal supply of this mineral, dairy products, fennel, kale and broccoli should be regularly integrated into your diet.
What white spots with transverse and longitudinal grooves mean
But white dots on the nails are not the only thing that can make our fingers look unsightly.
It can also happen that transverse and longitudinal grooves appear. Such grooves are often not visible. However, you can feel them when you run your fingertip over the nail plate. Such grooves can run either parallel or lengthwise to the nail bed.
Cross grooves on the fingernails
This variant rarely occurs. Cross grooves occur when your nail is disturbed in growth for a certain time.
Mainly they are due to injuries of the nail bed or infections.
In this case, you should rethink your nail care.
In rare cases, cross grooves can also be the result of serious illnesses, a febrile illness or malnutrition.
So if the grooves keep coming, see a doctor.
Longitudinal grooves on the nails
If you hold your nails against the light, you may notice fine longitudinal grooves. These are completely harmless.
The older you get, the more often the fine grooves appear. As the growth of the nails slows down over time, the blood flow also becomes less.
Thus, a slight undersupply occurs. A common reason is also lack of moisture, excessive stress, arthritis and metabolic or digestive disorders.
Our conclusion
White spots on the nails are no reason to panic. These little clouds are caused by small injuries of the nail plate.
The small beauty problem also solves itself. Here you just have to be patient until the white spots have grown out with the nails.
Then you can simply shorten the affected areas. To get beautiful fingernails, you should eat healthy. It also helps to moisturize the nails. Also, make sure you have a gentle manicure and avoid chemical cleaners.
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