Whenever we have an underlying disease inside us, our body usually gives us a sign. Our disease’s indication could be visible through our face, eyes, under eyes, or our nails. The dark circles under our eyes might indicate the lack of sleep or sleeping disorder in us, which would undoubtedly be linked to a disease.
Now, sometimes our face or body giving us hints might be something minor that requires you to adjust your lifestyle a little better than now, but some might be a warning to get an immediate diagnosis and treatment for your condition. Nails could represent a deficiency in our health or visibility of past health conditions if any.
If your nails turn colorless or appear yellow, it could be a sign of an infection or an allergic reaction too. Sometimes your yellow-colored nails could also mean that there might be a severe disease inside you, such as chronic liver disease, or in some cases, rheumatoid arthritis. But it is also essential to know that your nails might appear yellow due to applying and removing nail polish everyday or very frequently.
Here are some of the possible reasons why your nails appear or could turn yellow and what it means for you.
Why your nails turn yellow?
Below are some of the possible reasons why your nails might turn yellow:
- It could be a sign of malnutrition which indicates a vitamin or nutritional deficiency. When this vitamin deficiency is present in your body, one symptom could be discolored or yellow nails. Usually, Zinc or Vitamin b12 deficiency could lead to yellow nails. In such cases, your physician might recommend supplements.
- Yellow nails are also a sign of disease in people who are or were chain smokers by exposing your fingers and nails to tar in the tobacco. These people are primarily exposed to diseases like COPD or chronic lung disease that makes their nails yellow.
- Diseases like Thyroid or Diabetes could also make the edge of your nails yellow, thick, or crumbling. Experts have said that due to the high circulation of sugar levels, the disease’s effect could be witnessed on the nails. An affected immune system could also cause nail fungal infection.
- People sometimes suffer from yellow nail syndrome, and it usually runs in the family. In this disease, apart from your finger and toenails appearing to be yellow, a person may also suffer from respiratory breathing problems, swollen legs,
- Wearing too much nail paint daily could also leave your nails yellow, and it happens due to a chemical in nail paint reacting with the nail’s keratin and turning it into yellow color or discoloration.
- A fungal nail infection on your nails could also lead to yellow nails. It makes the nail thick, and debris accumulates underneath it. Your physician would ask you for your nail culture to test for the same fungal infection on your nails.
The Concluding Word
If your yellow nails indicate your underlying disease turning into something severe, you need to notice other symptoms related to your condition. A physician might guide you to take the next step and help you with other treatment options, improving your nail discoloration.
In case of vitamin deficiencies, proper supplements and nutritional food might do the trick in improving your health. If you are in the habit of applying nail paint every day and using nail remover could cause discoloration. Hence, either apply removers with low chemical content or avoid using nail remover frequently.
You may choose to apply any ointment or essential oils such as hydrogen peroxide, vitamin E essential oil, or maybe Tea tree oil to improve your yellow nails.
