1. Community
  2. Skin and nails
  3. Nail Disorders

Strange striping on nails - What could it be and should I investigate?

Posted , 3 users are following.

lin18584
lin18584

Hi there, I am hoping someone has encountered this odd nail discoloration before and could help me out figure out what it is! So my nails exhibit very strange colouring. The base of the nail is a very light almost milky pink, there's no half-moon, and then there's a dark band of pink on the nail bed right before the white part.. it's not a regular or even gradient and some nails look more "odd" than others. For example, my thumbnails seem perfectly normal, while the ring finger on the left hand has some very strange banding going on. In general the left hand seems to have more irregular patterns than the right. This has been the case for a while, I think I first noticed it in my early 20s so it's been like this for years.

I did some quick Google image searching and found a nail condition called Lindsay's nails, or Half and Half nails which appears in people with kidney disease. This normally wouldn't concern me too much as I'm a healthy female, 27yrs old,

exercise and eat well... however my uncle recently had kidney failure and is now regularly on a dialysis machine waiting for a donor. This is hopefully just coincidental and perhaps I'm overreacting.

However - if it is an early warning from the body that there's an underlying problem, then ignoring that somehow seems even more silly.

I did show my odd nails to a walk-in doctor a few months ago and he didn't seem particularly concerned as I was otherwise healthy and didn't have related symptoms (just some occasional dizziness/fatigue/postural hypotension).

Thoughts? Does this sound like something you've seen before? Should I be investigating further? Would really appreciate any input at this point..

Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the link as users can easily find the information using a search engine rather than linking to a specific website. Alternatively images can be uploaded directly to this site.

1 like, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest lin18584

    Posted

    Hi lin18584, just to let your know you can upload pics directly via this site by using a PC computer or alternatively by enabling 'Desktop mode' before viewing this page on a mobile device.

    You will have to reply to your own post and then click on the icon on the top right above the text input field to get to the 'Upload image' interface.

  • Marina_Dee
    Marina_Dee lin18584

    Posted

    If you are in UK you should visit your regular GP and also tell him your concerns about kidney failure because of your uncle.  He can organise some tests if he/she thinks it necessary.     A walkin clinic would probably not be too interested as you werent displaying any obvious illness.

    Try to find out more details about your uncles condition. eg specific name of illness which has caused his kidney failure. This information would help your doctor to decide if this is relevant to you.  

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.