Black stripes appeared on the nails (like a splinter, etc.): causes in children and adults + photo

Spots, grooves and stripes on nails are a fairly common occurrence. Our body thus tries to pay attention to this or that metabolic disorder.

This mechanism is implemented very simply - the nail bed is penetrated by the finest capillaries, and all metabolic disorders affect it first. When the nutrition of the nail is disrupted, a white or black groove, stripe or spot is formed.

As a rule, in such cases, most women do not go to a dermatologist, but use all kinds of methods and manipulations in order to hide the defect that has appeared. This makes it difficult to diagnose and timely treat a particular pathology.

2 Subungual melanoma is one of the most dangerous tumors
3 Dark stripes due to disruption of the digestive system
4 Bands for various types of cardiovascular pathologies
5 Mechanical damage to the nail plate
6 Examples of the most common causes of black stripes on nails
6.1 Photo gallery: common causes of dark stripes on nails
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7 Video: diagnosis of diseases based on the condition of nails

Causes of Streaks and Spots on Nails

The sooner the cause of a particular process is determined, the better for health.

Streaks on nails may be the result of an incorrect diet

For example, one of the most popular causes of stripes is a deficiency of microelements and vitamins in people on strict diets. In this case, the onychologist recommends vitamins, good nutrition and consultation with a nutritionist.

Amateur diets are a profanation of the very principle of diet therapy, leading to numerous metabolic disorders. The diet should take into account the individual characteristics of the body, including the rate of elimination of certain substances by the kidneys and liver, the patient’s age, concomitant pathologies and much more. Take your time - visit a nutritionist to create an adequate menu.

After the deficiency of iron, zinc and vitamins is restored, after some time the characteristic stripes and spots disappear.

Quite often the situation is associated with visits to beauty salons, i.e. with a traumatic moment. The black stripes in this case are longitudinal.

Black stripes may be associated with mechanical damage to the finger, such as a bruise

A bruised finger may also be accompanied by the appearance of black stripes, but in this case the diagnosis lies on the surface - damaged and swollen soft tissues themselves indicate the cause of this situation. With constant trauma (some working specialties), the number of such strips increases, and onychodystrophy develops.

Black longitudinal stripes often occur in older people. This is due to atherosclerosis of small vessels at the base of the nail. The nail plate itself becomes deformed due to nutritional deficiency - thickens and splits.

The condition of the nails may reflect problems with blood vessels

Sometimes dark stripes appear on the big toe nail due to gout, in other cases they accompany arthritis and psoriasis. The color of the stripes in this case can vary, what is more important is their very presence. In case of cardiovascular diseases, the stripes on the nails are mainly located in pairs along the edge of the nail plate.

If a bumpy surface of the nail is added to the dark stripes, this may indicate arthritis or arthrosis.

Processes that cause predominantly black stripes on nails:

Treatment

The most common reason for the appearance of stripes on the nail plates is illness. This means that you first need to treat the disease that caused the change in nail color. Most likely, after this the nail plates will acquire a healthy color again. To do this, you need to consult a doctor and get examined. During treatment, you can use cosmetics to hide the defect, but only if it is not caused by a fungus.

The sooner you see a doctor, the more effective the treatment will be.

If during the examination no diseases were found, then you need to visit a cosmetologist. The appearance of stripes can be caused by mechanical damage. In this case, the specialist will prescribe appropriate treatment.

Cosmetologists often recommend special procedures and medications for nail care. Most often these are special lotions, oils and moisturizers. There are also medicinal varnishes that restore the structure of the nail plate.

Reference. However, before you start using special varnishes, it is necessary to identify the cause of deformation and discoloration of the nails.

There are different types of varnishes:

moisturizing;
healing;
restorative.

They contain vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

If the changes were caused by a fungus, you will be treated by a dermatologist or mycologist. In this case, self-medication is unacceptable! It will make the situation worse. Only a specialist can determine the type of spore and prescribe the correct treatment.

The doctor will recommend an antimycotic drug for external use. Most often this is an antifungal ointment or solution. In advanced cases, an oral systemic agent is prescribed.

If the changes were associated with a lack of vitamins and microelements, then the doctor will advise you to adjust your daily diet by including more fresh fruits and vegetables. Patients on diets should definitely consult a nutritionist.

Subungual melanoma is one of the most dangerous tumors

It is a dangerous malignant neoplasm that occurs in this case under the nail plate. The danger from this location is colossal, since melanoma usually arises from nevi, and it is absolutely not expected under the nail.

With subungual melanoma, streaks can be caused by both the tumor itself and hemorrhages

The dark stripe (spot) in this case is black due to the color of the melanocytes (pigment cells that make up the body of the tumor).

However, the color of the formation can also be brown, purple, blue-black, blue-red.

Melanoma is a very aggressive tumor, so soon ichor begins to ooze from under the nail, and the skin around it becomes inflamed, which can be perceived by the surgeon as felon. If such an “abscess” is opened without understanding what exactly we are opening, the consequences can be very sad - fulminant metastasis and stage 4 cancer.

In this case, longitudinal black stripes can be either the tumor itself or hemorrhages caused by tissue destruction.

Prevention measures

During treatment, the doctor prescribes recommendations that must be followed to speed up the healing of the nail and eliminate its black pigmentation. They consist of being careful with your hands, so they must be observed even after restoration is completed in order to prevent repeated damage to the surface.

To prevent any damage to the stratum corneum of the nail plate and the epidermis underneath, the following instructions should not be violated:

Perform the manicure carefully using sterile instruments. The free edge does not need to be completely cut off.
When visiting public showers, saunas, water parks, use individual shoes.
Wear protective gloves when using chemicals.
In winter, use mittens or warm gloves.
Shoes should be warm, comfortable for the feet - the toes should not rest against each other.

Be careful with your hands during treatment. The damaged area can be temporarily bandaged to prevent aggressive influence of external factors on it.

Dark streaks due to disruption of the digestive system

Stripes on nails may reflect dietary habits

Oddly enough, eating undercooked pork often provokes dark streaks. In this case, it is recommended to consult a nutritionist and replace certain types of meat with fish, eggs, dairy products and seafood.

Fruits are recommended, especially green apples, as well as vegetable salads.

In addition, such phenomena often occur with gastritis or ulcers of the stomach and/or duodenum, as well as with gastroduodenitis and ulcerative colitis.

Stripes for various types of cardiovascular pathologies

Infective endocarditis, i.e. inflammation of the membranes of the heart, which occurs with constant chronic foci of infection in the body (sinusitis, pharyngitis, pyelonephritis, etc.), manifests itself as black stripes on the nails.

In addition, similar symptoms occur with a variety of vasculitis, massive atherosclerosis and anemia of any origin.

Anemia, by the way, often accompanies malignant blood diseases, so signs of anemia in combination with dark stripes on the nails are a reason to visit a hematologist.

What to do if it appears on your leg or arm?

Any changes in the usual state of the nail plates should be considered as a reason for an unscheduled visit to the hospital. A specialist dermatologist deals with the health of nails; he will examine the patient and determine whether the alarming signs are actually symptoms of some disease. To do this you may need:

Simple inspection.
Survey.
Microscopic examination.
Additional tests.

If problems in the functioning of the internal organs are suspected, the patient is sent for additional consultation to other specialized specialists - a therapist, cardiologist, pulmonologist, gastroenterologist or endocrinologist.

Mechanical damage to the nail plate

Very often, stripes are observed in athletes, as well as lovers of active outdoor games and other activities where the hands are involved (basketball, tennis, contact types of combat).

In addition to manicure, spots and dark stripes on toenails are caused by excessively tight shoes, fungal infection (dark spots due to fungi occur, but very rarely), and trichinosis.

A separate point is hormonal pathologies in women. Dark stripes in this case signal changes in the body and are caused by menopause, a new contraceptive, or diseases of the endocrine glands.

Nude manicure with dots: trend 2022

Calm and delicate colors for the base and accent dots will be the perfect complement to a nude manicure. Beige shades, cream, pink, peach, cappuccino will be the ideal basis for a manicure with dots. This kind of minimalism will fit into any of your looks; a manicure with dots looks especially light and delicate in pastel colors.

Examples of the most common causes of black stripes on nails

Stripes with uneven edges up to 3mm wide are often found in older people (50-70 years old). In addition, among Asians, Indians, Africans and Mexicans, this is generally a common phenomenon associated with pigmentation characteristics.

Negroids of Africa in 75% of cases have such stripes; they are called Hutchinson's signs and do not mean anything at all.

Due to the use of some antimalarial drugs, as well as tetracycline antibiotics, vertical dark stripes may appear on several fingers.

Photo gallery: common causes of dark stripes on nails

If you or your loved ones experience similar symptoms, consult a dermatologist immediately. An exception may be if you have a known finger injury. In other cases, it is necessary to undergo diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Introduction to the topic

As you know, absolutely any person at one point or another in his life becomes more or less susceptible to certain diseases. Most often it depends on the general health, as well as how strong the person's immune system is. That is why it is very important to regularly monitor your condition in order to detect the first warning signs in time and react to them correctly.

It should be noted that black spots on the fingernails are a signal from the body that it gives in the event of a certain malfunction in its work. Our body sends quite a lot of such signals, but not everyone pays enough attention to them. However, if you detect the problem in time and deal with its causes, you can avoid negative consequences.