What causes longitudinal grooves in fingernails?

They are sometimes called longitudinal striations or bands. Slight vertical ridges in fingernails often develop in older adults, possibly due to a slowing of cell turnover. This is when new skin cells produced below the surface of your skin rise up to take the place of dead cells that are discarded from the surface.

What causes longitudinal Melanonychia?

Longitudinal melanonychia is common in people of African descent but can also be caused by nail trauma or systemic disease. Other causes include nail infections and cancer. A rare form of melanonychia, called transverse melanonychia, is recognized by a darkened line that runs side to side along the nail plate.

What does iron deficiency nails look like?

Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia. Leukonychia is white streaks or spots on the nails often due to drugs or disease.

What vitamin deficiency causes brown lines in fingernails?

Research has shown vitamin B12 deficiency to cause brown-gray nail discoloration. White nails can be the result of anemia and pink or red nails may suggest malnutrition with several nutrient and vitamin deficiencies.

How do you get rid of longitudinal melanonychia?

If your melanonychia is from a benign cause and is noncancerous, then many times, there is no treatment needed. If your melanonychia is caused by medication, your doctor may change your medication or have you stop taking it for a time, if that is possible.

Why does my finger nail have a longitudinal groove?

As a result the nail develops a lateral groove extending outwards. This kind of longitudinal ridging is caused due to the degeneration of the connective tissue on the top segment of the finger. Usually once the cyst has been treated and healed, the longitudinal ridging also manages to disappear once the nail outgrows it.

What causes horizontal streaks on fingernails?

There are other horizontal streaks that occur in the form of a dent and usually appear when a new nail is born, when the old nail has been deeply damaged. This is because the new nail must remove the previous one, and it does not have enough strength to do it, then a wrinkle is formed on the new nail over the old nail.

What are the vertical lines on my fingernails?

The vertical lines running from the cuticle to the top of the nail are nothing to be worried about. In most cases, such longitudinal ridging is simply a side effect of the normal aging process of nails. In addition, nails often lose their luster as they age and may appear opalescent and dull.

What does longitudinal ridges on fingernails mean?

Longitudinal ridging refers to the vertical raised lines present on the nails. There may also be discoloration and thickening of the nails along with the ridging. A certain number of lines are normally found on all fingernails, due to the basic aging process. They do not necessarily signal the presence of a health issue.