Does cancer affect your fingernails?
Does cancer affect your fingernails?
Certain types of cancer and cancer treatments can cause changes to the nails. The changes can happen in the nail bed or in the nail plate itself. Nail changes can be temporary or may last.
Why are my nail beds sinking?
Spoon nails usually develop on fingernails, but they can also occur in your toenails. The most common cause of spoon nails is iron deficiency, or anemia. This makes your level of red blood cells lower than normal.
Why are my nails caving in?
Spoon nails (koilonychia) are soft nails that look scooped out. The depression usually is large enough to hold a drop of liquid. Often, spoon nails are a sign of iron deficiency anemia or a liver condition known as hemochromatosis, in which your body absorbs too much iron from the food you eat.
What do indented fingernails mean?
The indentations can appear when growth at the area under the cuticle is interrupted by injury or severe illness. Conditions associated with Beau’s lines include uncontrolled diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, as well as illnesses associated with a high fever, such as scarlet fever, measles, mumps and pneumonia.
Can cancer cause weak nails?
A Word From Verywell. Nail changes are common during chemotherapy and can include the development of lines, as well as changes in the color or shape of your nails. The loss of nails may also occur, especially with chemotherapy drugs such as taxanes. Infections may also occur.
What are the fingernail changes of lung cancer?
In early-stage lung cancer finger clubbing, the nail bed may be soft and the skin next to it may be shiny; nails may appear more curved than usual when viewed from the side, and the ends of fingers may become larger than usual.
What does nail cancer look like under the nail?
Nail changes to look for Dark areas near the cuticle of the nail (subungual lesions): These look like bruises under the nails, and are usually along the bottom edge of the nail, near the cuticle. These kinds of color changes can be seen in nail cancer (called melanoma) and can also be a side effect of some types of drugs used to treat cancer.
Can cancer cause fingernails to change color?
These kinds of color changes can be seen in nail cancer (called melanoma) and can also be a side effect of some types of drugs used to treat cancer. Fissures: Small thin cracks or deep cuts or tears in the finger tips, nail plate or bed, which can be very painful.
What does your nail bed texture say about your health?
The texture of the nail bed and the surrounding skin can also give you important hints about your health. The nail bed should be smooth and without indentations, pock marks or fingernail ridges. If your nails have: Dents, you should not usually be concerned, as they simply indicate a nail injury that is growing out.
What does a dark blue line in the nail bed indicate?
A dark blue line in the nail bed may be a result of skin cancer. Tiny black streaks in the nail bed may indicate heart problems. Reddish-brown spots show a deficiency in folic acid, vitamin C or protein. Yellow nails are indicative of diabetes, liver problems or respiratory trouble.
