Fingernail Changes

[Bagaof4]

Maybe I'm just getting old, but my fingernails are getting weird. Started with the pinky, but is now moving to the other nails. Upper half looks darker and kind of milky and looks as if they will eventually come off. Not thickened so I doubt it's a fungus. Here's a weak attempt at a picture. Wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Just had labs drawn, but don't have all the results. Ferretin is in mid 400s, but Iron Sat is low at 19. I have read that anemia can cause abnormalities in nails but not sure if that has anything to do with it. Should get rest of labs in soon and have appt for 2.5 year follow up on Thursday.
Again, maybe it's not a deficiency, and maybe it has nothing to do with my DS. Maybe I'm just getting old!
(Wasn't sure where to post this, so feel free to move it, Liz.)

 

[southernlady]

Not sure where to move it too so I will leave it,

Mine resemble that. Altho it seems to affect my pinky less than the others. Mine went from the thumb to the pinky in progression. So my thunb nails are the worst.

Always thought it was my thyroid (which tanked back in 2007, both T3 and T4) but my labs on that have remained excellent since I started taking thyroid meds.

I also noticed mine getting the ridges but the low ferritin/iron sat caused mine to split and break. That has stopped when I finally got enough ferrintin back in in Sept...but the ridges never went away.

Maybe it IS age??? I'm pushing 61 now...

 

[Bagaof4]

Thanks for that, Liz! Age explaining it would be better than a deficiency of some sort. Getting old sucks....I will be 63 next Thursday. There is always nail polish, anyway....

 

[southernlady]

Thanks for that, Liz! Age explaining it would be better than a deficiency of some sort. Getting old sucks....I will be 63 next Thursday. There is always nail polish, anyway....

I HATE nail polish...hate the feeling of anything on my nails. So I just deal with it.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

How's your zinc?

 

[Charris]

Mines became very thin and do when I get them done it's very painful. They also started separating from my skin. I started taking Leishmans hair and nail vites and they are getting back to normal

 

[southernlady]

How's your zinc?

My zinc got missed...it's on the master list I gave my PCP but he has to check off all the tests each time he generates a lab slip. The time before he missed PTH...so it's not a perfect system for us but it's far better than someone who just won't do most of what we need. In August my zinc was 615 in a range of 440-860. About mid normal range.

 

[Bagaof4]

Elizabeth - at my 2 year labs it was 82 (70-150 is the range). Still waiting for current results. I take 2-50 mg tablets a day.

 

[DianaCox]

I remember that you had very long acrylic nails in an earlier picture - there is much opportunity for mischief with those nails (I wear them 100% of the time). My own nails have always been thin, soft and yet brittle, and my nail bed ends pretty far back on my fingertip, so without acrylics, my nails are very short, and make my fingers look stubby. So I have some experience with this - although I wear my nails very short - just past the tips of my fingers.

Having said that, I go to a salon that is meticulous about hygiene, because that COULD be fungus or some other infection, even without thickening. If you recently had acrylics on, you could have gotten an infection of some sort under the acrylic, especially if your hands are frequently in water.

I have had (and probably still do - it's just mostly in remission) psoriasis which has affected my nails, and in fact, it can look a bit like your pinky finger nail, only undermining the quick even further back, so I pay attention to what my nails look like when they change the acrylic (about every second or third fill).

Other than that, of course nutrition could affect your nails, and the outgrowth may be reflecting how your nails grew when you were so sick.

 

[Bagaof4]

Great info, Diana, but you have confused me with Charris who did respond above. Those are my fingers and pinky in the pics above, but I do not wear acrylic nails (never have) and I was not sick.

 

[DianaCox]

Great info, Diana, but you have confused me with Charris who did respond above. Those are my fingers and pinky in the pics above, but I do not wear acrylic nails (never have) and I was not sick.

A mind is a terrible thing to lose - I just noticed I forgot to drink half my coffee this morning, after staying up until 2:30 binge watching House of Cards - working on remedying that!

 

[Bagaof4]

The loss of MY mind is a whole 'nother thread!!!

 

[brooklyngirl]

Yeah @Charris I was about to say the same thing about the acrylics. They're verrrrry susceptible to fungal infections. Happened to me once, years ago, and I've never done acrylics since.

 

[southernlady]

Well, I know it's not an issue with me...I have NEVER had acrylics...and I can count on one hand how many times I've worn nail polish in the last decade.

I have noticed in the last few months that altho I still have ridges, my nails are much stronger, (maybe a side effect of getting my ferritin back up???)

 

[Sheanie]

@Bagaof4 , have you ever worn polish? That's what mine look like if I wear polish too long.