Photo Credit: www.SimplyNailogical.com

ASK ANA: White Spots on Nails

“My husband used to have a LOT of white spots on his nails, and he recently radically changed his diet. He fell off the wagon for one week and ate a bunch of junk food.

I was reading him your article, and he showed me his nails. Nine of them have a white spot in the exact same spot of the nail, which he believes is from the week of junk food.

My thought is that you know what you are talking about, and I’m confused, because he didn’t slam all ten of his fingers in the car door at the same time, so what could have caused the single white spots all in the same length of his nails?” ~Kari

ANSWER

This is such a great question and there is a great deal of debate around the true answer of white spots on nails.

Credit: www.SimplyNailogical.com

Changing your diet for one week isn’t going to cause or change these bruises.

Slamming fingers in the door usually causes a large red bruise and potentially, temporary loss of the nail.

These white spots on nails are usually caused by little bumps in life. Simply bumping your matrix against a counter, or having something fall on your hand can cause them.

It’s not enough to really hurt. It might sting for a few minutes and then go away.

You brush it off, and don’t think of it again.

Then the bruise shows up 30 days later and you have no idea what caused it.

Men also have a higher pain tolerance. I can’t tell you how many times my husband has come in from doing something outside and is bleeding from a small cut. He doesn’t remember it happening.

If your husband has them all in the same place on several fingers, it’s possible that they didn’t happen all on the same day. Perhaps it was a construction project or trimming the trees over several days.

He may have gradually bruised all of his fingers over a weeks time. As they grow out, it would look like he did it all at once.

I often see several photos of women who have a lot of white spots as in Sue’s photo here. When I inquired about her nail care habits, I discovered that she pushes back her proximal fold daily, often times with a metal cuticle remover tool.

The problem was that she was pushing down way too hard with the tool and damaging the nail matrix.

You can also see extreme redness and swelling of her skin. This was caused by pushing the proximal fold back too hard and disrupting the guardian seal. You can read her entire story here.

The proximal fold only needs to be gently pushed back with your fingernail every 4 to 7 days to release it from the cuticle.

In Conclusion

For the most part, these nail bruises are nothing to worry about. They just need to grow out. It will take about 4 months.

If every single nail has several of these white spots, and isn’t caused by excessively pushing back the proximal fold, then a deeper health issue may be involved and it would be wise to visit a doctor.

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White spots in nails—we all get them and many people wonder about the true source.

Today’s post is a combo article—a Pure Nail Oil™ Challenger’s results and an ASK ANA. A few months after Sue Metcalf of Lacquerland.blogspot.co.uk did her Pure™ Challenge, she asked me a what the white spots in her nails were from. Our resulting dialogue gave me the opportunity to work with Sue to find out why her cuticle lines were still so red and irritated.

The Truth – White Spots In Nails

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D., “these white spots are simply a sign of some past injury to the nail matrix, where the nail cells are formed. Two myths are that white spots in nails are a sign of calcium deficiency, or a zinc deficiency. They aren’t true. Neither is the well known but bizarre notion that the spots are due to eating too much Hellmann’s mayonnaise (I’m not making this up).” ~Andrew Weil, M.D.

Ok, now that we’ve gotten covered the truth, let’s dive into Sue’s initial 3-Day results using Pure Nail Oil™.

Sue’s 3 Day Challenge

Sue’s Results

Before and After – Right Hand

Before and After – Left Hand

Sue’s Thoughts

January 18, 2013 Since I have been wearing polish every day, I have been fairly unconcerned about the state of my naked nails. They were hidden by some very pretty polish!  To be honest, I feel polish has protected them. I certainly don’t have the same issues with peeling nails and I think nail polish has acted as a barrier from water, knocks and scrapes. I have used oils, Vaseline and balms on my cuticles and they help a little. If I don’t, the skin dries and cracks within days and it feels sore and looks worse.

The hardest part of the challenge is going naked for three whole days. That is 72 hours! For the first 48 hours, for me, this meant three times an hour. My nails were drinking the stuff. After almost 48 hours to the dot, the rate of absorption began to slow and I had to apply oil less often.

Today, the 72 hours is over. My nails look better and feel fantastic, smooth, glossy and not oily in any way. The cracked nail on my little finger feels smoother. The white of my free edge seems whiter and the staining from months of nail polish is much improved. To conclude, Pure Nail Oil™ gets a MASSIVE seal of approval from me.

ASK ANA: White Spots In Nails

March 12

SUE: Ana, can you help? Why do I have these marks on my left hand nails?

ANSWER

ANA: It’s so fascinating to me how different your two hands are. The white spots in nails are called Leukonychia Spots. These white spots are generally caused by injuries to the matrix—behind your cuticle line—where your nail cells are formed. According to Doug Schoon, author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry, True Leukonychia turns your nails completely white, like chalk.

The wide, straight line on your ring finger is a classic “nail bruise”. It happens when you bang the nail matrix area against something. It hurts like crazy when it happens, and you forget about it. But that bruise shows up in your nail about 1 month later when that spot finally grows past the eponychium. White areas are rich in nail cells that didn’t flatten as they normally do and turn transparent.

Overall, it’s nothing to worry about, especially if you’re moisturizing your nails with Pure Nail Oil.™ Is your left hand in more water or chemicals than your right hand? There’s something you’ve got to be doing differently with that hand. ~Ana

March 13

SUE: Thank you, Ana. It is baffling me. If anything my right hand is used more as it is my dominant hand. The only thing I thought is that I push the cuticles harder with my right hand. I have one of those double ended metal pushers. A blunt blade on one end for scraping and the other is a elongated spoon shape for pushing. I tend to use a wooden stick now – and you can see no white marks in the nail closest to the cuticle.

ANA: Yes, it is very possible, and plausible, that you are doing some damage if you are pushing too hard with the double ended pusher. My guess would be that you were pushing down as well as back. Too much down-pressure near your cuticle line would be the same as hitting the matrix. The Lunula (moon), easily seen on your first two fingers of your right hand is actually the exposed portion of your matrix. Those nail cells are still alive and can be damaged by injury to that area.

The tool you are using is for removing the cuticle. But most people don’t really know what the cuticle is. The cuticle is a thin layer of skin on the nail plate, the correct removal method is to gently slide it across the surface of your nail. The cuticle stays attached to your nail as it grows past the eponychium (which is a thin band of skin that creates a seal against the nail so bacteria can’t get in). Most of the time, you can’t see the cuticle, you can only feel it with the tool. Proper cuticle removal only requires gentle scraping—NEVER nippers.

It is physically impossible to remove the cuticle with nippers. Nippers are used to incorrectly remove the proximal nail fold of the eponychium. This skin is a required guardian seal to prevent bacteria and germs from entering the matrix.

I’m so happy to see that the red irritation around your cuticle lines is looking much better when compared to your first photos, but I’m still seeing some tight swelling and a touch of redness. Have they been like that your entire life or is it something that has come on in the last few years? How often do you push back your cuticles (eponychium)? ~Ana

SUE: Thank you Ana, I push the cuticles back with my fingers ALL the time. I have the oil pen by my bed and I am oiling the skin (I have gel on so tend to put oil on the gap between the gel and skin). I watch TV in bed from 8pm most nights – I have spinal issues and need a break from my chair. During the day I oil at least every hour. So many people have said I need calcium and vitamin D supplements, or zinc, because I have a deficiency. If that was true I doubt my body would show it on just one hand? !!

The redness is much diminished. Thank you for noticing. Where do you see the tightness and swelling? Do you recommend more oil in those areas? I used to be a chronic skin biter, usually when I was stressed I’d notice myself doing it. I have pretty much kicked that since being unable to work but if I drive and am stuck in traffic, I have noticed my fingers move to my mouth, like a reflex. Being nail aware has almost cured me.

ANA: That’s what I thought. I must say, your oiling regimen is fabulous! My husband is a skin biter too…it’s a tough one. I’m more of a picker, so hard skin bugs me really fast. I have to have little infant clippers with me at all times.

There actually is no need to push your cuticle lines back more than once a week, right before a new manicure. (This is going to be another hard habit to break.) You actually want to see a nice band of skin called the Proximal Nail Fold of the eponychium. Can you see it in my photo (to the right)? It’s the lighter colored fold of skin touching my nail.

I don’t see these in your pictures so it would be easy to think you clip your cuticles. What you may be doing instead is actually pushing that Proximal Nail Fold too far and back under itself, which causes irritation and swelling. It’s very easy to over do it.

What I’d like you to do is to just oil and massage your skin when you feel like pushing it back. Then when you do push them back once a week, I would like you to only use a fingernail to push them back. Does that sound do-able? Oh, and since you live in England…for sure…you need to take Vitamin D …at least 5000 IU. Huggs! ~Ana

SUE: Yes, I see what you mean. I’ll see what I can do. I do use nippers if I get an edge or a ragged bit but I don’t cut them religiously like some people do. I can imagine it would be too sore and sting with polish remover. I have some Calcium/Vit D tablets we got for our son when he broke a bone. They are lower in dose than you suggest. ca 500mg/Vit D3 200iu March 14

ANA: Right! So you can see a tight seal between mine and the nail plate. Whereas there is a huge gap in your photos. When that seal is broken, bacteria and germs get in and cause swelling and infections, which can also affect new cell growth in the matrix.

My sense says that your Proximal Nail Fold needs to completely replace itself, which may take 2 to 6 weeks. The oils in Pure™ are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, so using them religiously will help kill the germs while you are healing.

Anyone living above the 40 degree Latitude line needs to be taking at least 5000 IU of Vitamin-D. I live in about the same climate as you. We just don’t absorb enough sunlight throughout the year and our bodies can’t store Vitamin-D like some other vitamins. My doc started me on 10,000 for about 9 months before Vitamin-D actually started showing up in my blood tests. Take care sweetie! ~Ana

SUE: Thank you. I have started to rub the oils downwards towards the free edge rather than pushing up. The oil does seem to help minor cuts (I am prone to getting whitlows or cutting myself on thin air). I will send you a picture in a few weeks and then we can publish a case study! Thanks again for your encouragement and wise words.

ANA: Yay!!!! Oooo, and it helps paper cuts heal faster too. That sounds perfect to talk to your doc. The easiest way to tell if you have enough D is to have a quick blood test done. I’m looking forward to seeing your pics in a few weeks! Huggs ~Ana

March 19

SUE: I think that skin fold thing is starting to reappear. Hopefully I hadn’t cut it off (didn’t think I had as I don’t, only very dry bits) so it was probably pushed to far back by far.

ANA: It is!!!! Yay! Just keep oiling that skin. I would also recommend getting some Chapstick or other product with beeswax in it. Use that after you oil to seal it in. This will help prevent the oil from being rinsed away as often. You’re doing great! ~Ana

March 23

SUE: Here are my nails now. You are responsible for the improvement! Xx (photo to right)

ANA: Oh, My Gosh!!!!!! This makes me want to cry! I’m so happy! Your eponychium is gorgeous! (Ok, that just sounds weird…but you know what I mean!) ~Ana

5 Month Update!

May 30, 2013

I have been using Pure Nail Oil™ for some time now and I am impressed with how my cuticles and nails have improved!

I became a hand model for my daughter to pass her exam in acrylic nail enhancement. I have subsequently had infills so I cannot show the effect on the actual nail plate.

I believe the effect of Pure Nail Oil™ on my skin speaks for itself. The photo below is amazing!

Like you read above, Ana gave me lots of advice regarding cuticle care. I had been guilty of constantly pushing back my cuticles. This had given them a bunched up appearance and some redness of the eponychium (cuticle line). I have also been a hangnail biter in the past. Decades of abuse is probably impossible to repair completely but rigorous application and massage of Pure™ has improved the condition beyond doubt.

I have use one 15ml bottle completely and am part way through my second bottle now. I’d say the bottle lasted 3 months. The only improvement I could suggest is to change the label to be grease proof! Over time it has become blotched with oil. 😛

Ana’s Thoughts

What amazes me most is the dramatic difference in Sue’s skin. Her proximal folds of the eponychium have re-appeared beautifully. The red inflammation is gone. And most importantly, Sue has learned how to take care of her nails and skin so much better. She can be proud to show off her hands, and I’m very proud of Sue’s willingness to take advice and implement it.

The post WHITE SPOTS IN NAILS – Sue’s Pure Nail Oil™ Challenge first appeared on Nail Care Headquarters.

You or your nail professional remove gel nails and look down in horror!

Your nails are covered with white spots inside the nail. How did it happen?

In this article, guest author Doug Schoon, Nail Structure and Product Chemistry, will cover

• How and why those white spots happen
• Give you microscopic proof of damage
• And what you or your nail technician can do to prevent these white spots

How It Happens

When small white spots appear on the nail plate after removal of the UV nail color coatings, a likely reason is improper removal.

Fortunately, the vast majority of this type of nail damage is completely avoidable. How? 

By taking the appropriate time, care and caution when removing UV nail color coatings, precisely following the manufacturer’s instructions, and fully heeding all recommendations.

That’s good advice for removing any type of UV nail coating.

The 60 Second/60 Minute Rule

“Use the utmost care for 60 minutes after immersing natural nails in any liquid for more than 60 seconds.”

Why Does Nail Damage Occur?

Soaking the natural nail for even a few minutes in acetone or water will temporarily soften the surface making it temporarily more susceptible to damage from any implements that pry, push or force the remaining residual UV coating from the nail plate.

Instead, a good rule to follow is, “use the utmost care for 60 minutes after immersing natural nails in any liquid for more than 60 seconds.”

Below are four magnified images I collected, using a scanning electron microscope, to show the result of natural nail damage caused by improper removal of UV nail color coatings.

Prying UV Gel Coatings

Image 1 is magnified over 3000 times and shows damage caused by “prying” residual UV coatings from the nail plate.

A large cluster of these can create the appearance of white to off-white spots or patches.

Damage From Wooden Pusher

Image 2 and 3 prove that even a wooden pusher can damage softened nail plates and bunch up nail cells like a throw rug sliding on a slippery floor.

Look closely and you’ll see where a wooden pusher created the wide gouges leading up to these damaged areas that range in size from one half to twice the thickness of the human hair and smaller.

Imagine the damage a metal pusher and heavy hand could do!

The spots are small, but many of them bunched together create the appearance of a diffused white spot in the nail plate.

Fortunately, this type of damage is avoidable for most people if these coats are properly removed.

UV nail color coatings may not always be suited for every nail types, e.g. problematically thin or weak nail plates.

As always, your nail professionals should use their professional judgment when assessing a client’s suitability for any nail service.

Improper Removal

Image 4 is a nail magnified almost 200 times to show a surface scattered with islands of UV nail color coatings which were not properly removed.

This is often how the damage starts. Over aggressively scraping with any implement significantly increases the risk of surface damage.

Filing away the residual coating with an abrasive file can lead to excessive nail plate thinning.

What’s The Solution?

It’s best to follow manufacturer’s instructions and/or always allow sufficient time to properly soften the coating with an appropriate remover before attempting to remove it from the nail plate.

If the UV coating hasn’t sufficiently softened, continue softening until the coating may be removed without damaging the nail plate. Don’t rush!

ALWAYS take the necessary time needed to completely soften any UV coating before gently removing with a cautious approach and careful touch.

Reprinted with permission from article “Don’t Let This Happen to Your Clients” by Doug Schoon, Scientific Expert
Author of Nail Structure and Product Chemistry.

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