Nail Health Chart: Common Nail Problems and What They Mean
Health ConditionsSkin Conditions

What Your Nails Say About Your Health

Your nails can reveal clues about how healthy you are. Learn what a change in nail color, shape, or texture says about your overall health.
What Your Nails Say About Your Health
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Updated on October 29, 2024
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Have you ever wondered what your nails say about your health? Changes in nail shape, texture, or color often feel like an unsightly nuisance. But, they can also indicate an underlying health condition.

Possible causes of nail changes range from poor nail hygiene to older age, lung disease, psoriasis, and more. Check your nails against our nail charts and see what you find.

Signs of Healthy Nails

If your nails are healthy, they will:


  • Be smooth and evenly shaped
  • Have a uniform color with no spots or discoloration
  • Be free from cracks or ridges
  • Have attached nail folds, cuticles, and nail plates
Nail problems are common. Statistics suggest that nail disorders are the main reason for 10 percent of dermatologist visits in the United States.


Keeping your nails healthy through careful grooming and judicious use of cosmetics can help prevent nail problems and infections. However, sometimes nail changes stem from a more serious condition.

Common Nail Problems

Aging, cosmetics, and various health conditions can affect the health of your nails. Over time, you may see changes in color, strength, shape, and texture.

Here we look at some common nail changes and possible underlying problems.

Nail Discoloration

Nail color changes are often a passing problem and nothing to worry about. However, they can sometimes indicate a severe underlying health issue. If you have concerns about nail color changes, see your doctor or a dermatologist. If nail problems, such as a fungal infection, affect your feet, you might need to see a podiatrist.

If your nails turn blue seek emergency help, especially if you have other symptoms.

Below is a chart showing possible nail color changes.

 We also detail what the cause may be, and who to see.

 Please note that these colors may appear differently on darker skin tones.


Color
Possible Reason
Who to See
Yellow

Lung disease, fungal nail infections, rheumatoid arthritis, lymphedema, smoking, nail polish use

A doctor, if there is no clear reason or if you have other symptoms
White

Liver disease, diabetes

Doctor
Pale

Anemia

Doctor
Blue
Low oxygen
Emergency care
Greenish black
Bacterial infection
Doctor
Red half moons

Lupus, heart disease, alopecia areata, arthritis, dermatomyositis

A doctor, who will refer you to a specialist if needed
Blue half moons
Poisoning
Emergency care
Terry’s nails: half pink, half white
Older age; liver, kidney, or heart disease
Doctor
White spots (leukonychia)

Stress, injury, reaction to medications or toxins, diabetes, heart failure, HIV, cirrhosis, psoriasis or nail psoriasis

A doctor, unless the reason is clear, such as a minor injury

Black or brown streaks or spots (melanonychia)

Bleeding under the nails (splinter hemorrhage) due to psoriasis, lichen planus, endocarditis, vasculitis, or lupus; melanoma, a type of skin cancer; bruising from tight shoes or injury

Dermatologist

Neapolitan nails: opaque at the tips, pink in the middle, and white near the proximal nail fold

Older age, possibly reduced circulation to the fingertips

A doctor, to rule out Terry’s nails

Nail Texture and Surface Changes

Thick, bumpy, or pitted nails can result from nutritional deficiencies, infections, and other health issues. Here are some ways your nails may change texture with possible causes.

Below is a chart showing possible nail surface and texture changes, the possible cause, and who to see about it.


Features
Possible Reason
Who to See

Pitting: soft, round depressions in nails

Psoriasis, eczema, alopecia areata

Dermatologist

Spoon nails (koilonychia): nails softened around the edges and dipping in the middle

Nutritional deficiencies, gastrointestinal problems, iron problems such as anemia or hemochromatosis, celiac disease, or high altitude

Doctor

Grooves running across the nails (Beau’s lines) due to slowed nail growth

Infections, diabetes, peripheral artery disease, zinc deficiency, some medications, illnesses that involve a high fever

Doctor

Split or brittle nails (onychoschizia); grooves running down the nails

Grooming practices such as filing the nail surface or using solvents; trauma; too much water or chemical exposure; age over 60 years

No need for medical help

Nail Shape and Growth Issues

Changes in the shape of your nails can reflect some serious issues, including heart disease and lung problems.

Below is a chart showing possible nail shape and growth issues, what the cause may be, and who to see.



Shape
Reason
Who to See

Clubbing: nails curving around fingertips

Low oxygen in the blood; lung, heart, liver, or gastrointestinal problems

Doctor

Nail bed separation (onycholysis): nails becoming loose and separate from the nail bed

Injury, infection, thyroid disease, nail bed tumors, psoriasis, reaction to medications; use of cosmetic products, including acrylic nails and nail hardeners; aggressive manicure or cleaning under the nails

Doctor or dermatologist

Ram’s horns nails (onychogryphosis): thickened, overgrown nails

Often due to genetic features, but can occur with psoriasis, ichthyosis, circulatory problems

Doctor or dermatologist

Nail Bed Issues

Paronychia is the medical name for bleeding, inflammation, swelling, and pain in the nail folds. It can result from:


  • Aggressive manicures
  • Exposure to chemicals, including strong soaps and some cosmetic products
  • Picking or biting the nails

Pain and swelling may be a sign of infection.

Ask a dermatologist for advice on how to treat the nails. Soaks and antibacterial creams may resolve the problem. If not, you’ll need to see a doctor. Early treatment can lower the risk of complications such as open sores.

Age-Related Changes

Nails change as people get older. Nail growth slows by around 0.5 percent each year from age 25. The nails may also become more pale, dull, opaque, and brittle. Neapolitan nails can develop with age, possibly due to changes in blood circulation. They can resemble Terry’s nails but don’t necessarily indicate an underlying problem.

 

When to See a Doctor About Unhealthy Nails

Nail changes are common and don’t always mean you have a serious health condition.

However, it’s best to seek medical help if changes:

  • Persist or worsen
  • Involve redness and inflammation
  • Occur with other symptoms, such as breathing difficulty
  • Appear suddenly
  • Cause embarrassment or discomfort
  • Affect nail growth

The type of treatment you’ll need will depend on the reason for the changes.

graphic titled, tips for nail health, some illustrated points are keep them dry and clean, cut nails straight across then trim around the edges, avoid harsh nail products; use acetone-free nail polish remover, don’t file the surface as it thins the nail
Try these tips for healthy nails.

14 Tips for Healthy Nails

Follow these tips to keep your nails healthy and in good shape:


  1. Keep your nails dry and clean.
  2. Trim your nails regularly with sharp manicure scissors or clippers.
  3. Cute nails straight across then trim around the edges.
  4. Don’t file the surface, as it thins the nail.
  5. Moisturize by rubbing hand cream into the nails and nail folds.
  6. Don’t bite or pick at the nails or cuticles.
  7. Snip off hangnails. Don’t pull them.
  8. Avoid harsh nail products; use acetone-free nail polish remover.
  9. Limit your use of gel nail polishes, acrylic nails, nail hardeners, and UV light lamps for nail treatments.
  10. Seek medical help if you have any concerns.
  11. Check that your manicurist has a state license.
  12. Keep your nail care implements clean.
  13. Don’t share nail care products with others.
  14. Seek advice from a dermatologist before buying or using nail supplements and enhancers to ensure they are safe and effective.

The Takeaway

Nail changes are common and can affect the shape, color, texture, and growth of your nails. They can be unsightly but most are not harmful.

However, changes can sometimes indicate a more serious underlying problem, such as a nutritional deficiency, lung disease, or psoriasis. If you have concerns about your nail health, see your doctor or a dermatologist.

Resources We Trust

Meet Our Experts
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Ross Radusky, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Ross Radusky, MD, is a practicing board-certified dermatologist at the Dermatology Treatment and Research Center in Dallas. Originally from New York City, he graduated summa cum laude from the City University of New York and then received his MD from the New York University School of Medicine. There, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and served as chapter president for two years. He completed his residency in dermatology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center, and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Dr. Radusky practices general and cosmetic dermatology with a focus on the early detection of skin cancer, and provides patients with a personalized approach to looking their best at any age. He has authored articles and textbook chapters on the clues that our finger- and toenails may provide us about internal disease, as well as on comprehensive therapies for cosmetic dermatology and reversing the signs of skin aging.

Complementing his medical practice, Radusky has a strong passion for the cultural arts, particularly in expanding access to youths and seniors. He previously served as an artist instructor for the Rockaway Artists Alliance, a New York City nonprofit arts and education organization, and then served as both a board director and treasurer of the organization throughout his medical school training.

Radusky enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife Robyn, son Oliver, and poodle Lucy, where he can usually be found preventing photoaging and reducing the risk of skin cancer beneath an umbrella in a wide-brimmed hat. He is also the proud inventor of Sunshotz, the world’s only sunscreen measuring cup, designed to help patients of all ages apply the proper amount of sunscreen needed to enjoy all the sun without the burn.

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Yvette Brazier

Author

Yvette Brazier's career has focused on language, communication, and content production, particularly in health education and information. From 2005 to 2015, she supported learning in the health science department of a higher education establishment, teaching the language of health, research, and other language application skills to paramedic, pharmacy, and medical imaging students.

From 2015 to 2023, Yvette worked as a health information editor at Medical News Today and Healthline. Yvette is now a freelance writer and editor, preparing content for Everyday Health, Medical News Today, and other health information providers.

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EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Fingernails: Do’s and Don’ts for Healthy Nails. Mayo Clinic. January 2022.
  2. Reinecke JK et al. Nail Health in Women. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology. March 2020.
  3. 12 Nail Changes a Dermatologist Should Examine. American Academy of Dermatology.
  4. Splinter Hemorrhage. Cleveland Clinic. July 2022.
  5. White spots on nails (Leukonychia). Cleveland Clinic. September 2023.
  6. 7 Fingernail Problems Not to Ignore. Mayo Clinic. June 2023.