Why do black spots appear on the nails of the legs and hands and what should I do?

Nails are not just horny patches at the ends of fingers, which women use as ornaments, covering with varnish, drawing pictures and rhinestones, and thus hiding the shortcomings, which should be paid special attention. This is primarily a signaling device for our health. In a healthy person, the nails are smooth, pink, strong even without the use of special restoratives. But any changes (fragility, the appearance of longitudinal bands, black spots on the nails) can talk about the pathologies existing in the body. It is important to learn to read such signals and react to them correctly.

Where do dark spots come from a healthy person?

Women are considered to treat problems with nails as a cosmetic problem. The fragility of the nails has increased, the nail plate has begun to separate - this is an obstacle to a beautiful manicure, which we try to remove with the help of special strengthening nails. And few people think about what to exfoliate the nails began not just. Hence, there is some internal or external reason, which affects the condition of the nails in a similar way. It can be a regular use in the home of chemicals destroying the nails, a deficiency of vitamins or minerals or even a more serious problem - a fungal infection, the fight with which you need to start without waiting for the complete destruction of the nail plate.

The same can be said about the black spots on the nails. Not always they are cosmetic defect, strongly spoiling the appearance of manicure. What can this symptom be?

We will not immediately frighten overly emotional women (and we must say that men only rarely worry about their fingernails), who might think that the defects on the nails should necessarily indicate something terrible and irreparable. Most often they are associated with mechanical finger injuries, which are the main risk factors for the appearance of unaesthetic defects.

Sometimes we just do not notice such traumas, and we are very surprised when we find a dark spot beneath the nail, which can have shades from violet to black, and with time, such a mark can strongly change color. This is a subungual hematoma (bruise, bruise). The fact is that the tissues under the nail plate react to a strong blow in the same way as the rest of the skin, which means that bruises can form on it, which gradually darken and acquire a violet shade of varying intensity.

If we talk about the blow, then it can be understood as a sudden short-term intense force on the nail, and the impact of the nail itself on a hard surface. If he was strong, the appearance of a bruise should not be surprised.

The bruise under the nail can be formed not only by impact. It is not uncommon for fingers to accidentally find themselves in a doorway when the door is closed. The clenched finger (and, as a rule, the main "blow" is in the nail area) is very sore, redder, swells, and after a time when the redness is gradually coming down, and the pain subsides, a dark speck can be found under the fingernail, whose size and color can vary depending on the strength and area of the mechanical impact.

As for our legs, the situation here is even more diverse. Appearance of subungual hematoma can be expected after a heavy object fell on the toes if a person with a swing hit his finger (usually large) with a finger on a hard surface and even due to the regular wearing of unsuitable shoes. What does the shoes have to do with it? The finger will constantly rest against the toe of the shoe, experience significant pressure, this can provoke ruptures of small vessels that under the fingernail will look like dark specks.

If the hematoma is still quite fresh, if you press on the nail in the area of a dark spot, there is pain.

Black dots and stripes under the nails, caused by regular mechanical action, can be observed in the hands of boxers, tennis players, basketball players, and the same spots on the nails of the legs are characteristic for football fans.

What else can be black spots on the nails? There is such a thing as a nevus (pigment spot, birthmark). This is a benign formation that can be found on different parts of the body. Nail bed is no exception. If the stain on the nail was seen immediately after the birth of the child, this testifies to just such an education.

Of particular concern are the subungual nevuses of dermatologists do not cause, and yet a regular examination of the nail will not hurt. After all, nevi are not considered dangerous until the finger is injured. The mechanical or thermal effect on the nevus sometimes ends very badly (the transformation of an innocuous birthmark into a malignant tumor).

It should be understood that the stains on the nail can have a different shape, which also needs to be paid attention. If these are small patches in the form of thin strips that are observed directly inside the nail plate and shift as it grows, it is rather a question of bursting surface capillaries and a small hemorrhage. Particles of blood stick to the inside of the nail plate and move along with it, posing no danger.

Dark longitudinal strips of large sizes on the nails can be caused by taking medications (usually this is typical for antibiotics-tetracyclines, drugs for malaria, drugs containing arsenic, silver, phenolphthalein, etc.), active smoking, alcoholism. Harmful habits, eating unroasted meat, improper mode of the day can affect the condition of the nails and cause the appearance of dark spots on them, but in this case it is worth thinking about your health.

Sometimes a small dark pattern on the nails appears after a manicure or a pedicure. The cause may be a poor-quality lacquer, the particles of which penetrate the stratum corneum. But sometimes a person becomes the culprit of the appearance of such a non-aesthetic defect when he does not remove artificial nail polish in time.

In some people, the stripes on the nails are a feature of the body or even a distinctive feature of the race. For example, black strips on the nails can often be seen in representatives of some nationalities: Africans, Asians, Indians, Mexican natives, i.e. People with dark skin color. In this case, we are not talking about pathology, but features of the races with hyperpigmentation of the skin, which in the region of the nail hole has a light tint. A similar picture with strips on the nails can be observed in ¾ of blacks.

Spots on the nails as evidence of impaired health

As we have already said, if you find black spots on your nails, you should not start to panic or make a sad verdict, but you should not treat this defect carelessly either. The fact is that changing the color of the nail can signal the development of some hidden (or exacerbation of the already diagnosed pathology), which means that this signal should be recognized and taken into consideration.

It should be understood that the pathological causes of the appearance of defects on the nails can be very diverse. Some of them require only correction of the diet, others - surgical intervention, and a third of serious treatment of the underlying disease. But in any case - this is an occasion to consult a doctor and bring your body in order.

About what diseases black spots can testify:

• diseases of the cardiovascular system, accompanied by increased fragility of the vessels, when any impact on the nail can lead to bruising, inflammatory pathologies of the heart (for example, endocarditis - inflammation of the inner shell of the heart and the lining of its blood vessels),
• diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system,
• violations of the liver, alcoholism, intoxication,
• deficiency of vitamins (usually black spots indicate a lack of vitamin B12 in the body), iron deficiency anemia (lack of folic acid affects, so that iron in the body is not absorbed),
• failures in the endocrine system, causing a change in the hormonal background and metabolic disorders,
• problems in the functioning of the digestive system (again we are dealing with a violation of the digestibility of vitamins and minerals necessary for the body plus intoxication due to congestion caused, for example, by inflammation of the intestine),
• pigmentary pathologies associated with certain diseases, for example, Adison's disease (insufficiency of the adrenal glands), gout, psoriasis,
• a benign tumor from glomus cells (a glomus tumor can appear on different parts of the body in the form of reddish small nodules, but under the fingernail it may look like a bluish, almost black spot no more than 6 mm in diameter)
• subungual melanoma (malignant neoplasm, usually having the appearance of a black spot or strip under the nail plate, which can also go beyond it to the area of the nail roller), which in appearance and manifestation is similar to a benign nevus, and sometimes even develops from it,
• nail fungus (onychomycosis).

Since the stains on the nails can have different shapes and shades, even an experienced doctor can not always determine by eye the cause of the appearance of an unusual mark. But the patient knows more. If a dark spot appeared after a mechanical finger injury, then most likely, it is a hematoma. If the trauma in the recent past was not, it is better to show a stain to the doctor, to exclude or confirm the pathological causes of its appearance.

Pathogenesis and statistics

So far, we have considered only the reasons for the possible appearance on the nails of black spots, without delving into the mechanism of their formation. Now let's try to understand how such defects appear and why they have a dark color.

The pathogenesis of the appearance of dark spots should be considered in the context of the reason that causes them. For example, when it comes to nail trauma, dark spots represent coagulated blood. At first, the blood from the blood vessels that burst as a result of the mechanical action has a red tint, so the speck looks red, but afterwards the blood coagulates and darkens, so we see the place of the hemorrhage dark, almost black.

Further, leukocytes directed to the site of injury and inflammation (and trauma always causes an inflammatory process in the soft tissues) will promote the decomposition of coagulated blood particles - the hematoma dissolves and brightens. The liquid part poured into the cavity between the fingernail and soft tissues of the blood will be absorbed into the lymphatic flow, and the thick part disintegrates under the influence of proteolytic enzymes and is withdrawn back into the bloodstream.

If there was no trauma, but we are talking about a burst vessel and the dark veins that have appeared in the stratum corneum, which do not disappear until the nail grows to the right size, there may not be inflammation, the leukocytes will not be sent to the site of injury, and there will be no one to decompose the coagulated blood. Particles of blood that "get" from the inside to the nail plate will move up with it.

If the nail darkens the nevus, then its color is not related to the blood. Birthmarks are formations of melanocytes (pigment cells), which, depending on the number of such cells, can have different colors (from natural skin color to black). Dark brown nevuses under the horny layer of the nail look like black spots.

Snoring melanoma is also an education from melanocytes, which for some reason changed their properties and began to multiply uncontrollably. The dark color of the spot is due to the presence of pigment cells and necrotic processes occurring in soft tissues in this disease. The more neglected the disease, the darker the spots under the fingernails, often they look like black dots or stripes.

The color of the spot under the fingernail with the glomus tumor (paraganglioma) depends on the color of the neoplasm itself, which consists of nerve cells and vascular plexuses. It is clear that with a large number of vessels in the tumor, it will look brighter and darker. Under the fingernail it looks like a red, cyanotic or almost black little spot.

When it comes to endocrine pathologies, two lines of influence on body tissues are seen here. On the one hand, metabolic disorders and blood characteristics, and on the other hand the influence of hormones on the production of skin pigment. The development of the pigment can be influenced by substances produced by the "pituitary-hypothalamic-adrenal gland" system and the thyroid gland, as well as sex and steroid hormones.

If we talk about cardiac and vascular pathologies, the pathogenesis of the appearance of dark spots on the legs in this case is similar to that in injuries to the nail. That is, hematomas are formed due to rupture of blood vessels. For example, with atherosclerosis of vessels, their lumen decreases, and the pressure on the walls increases, which can cause the appearance of pinpoint hemorrhages in different parts of the body, including under the nails. This pathology is more characteristic of elderly people, which means that age can be considered one of the risk factors for the appearance of dark marks under the fingernails of the hands and feet, which is confirmed by statistics.

Children and young people usually speak about nail injuries, subungual nevus, hormonal failures or fungal nail damage. But more serious diseases are more common in middle-aged and older people. And although one of the reasons for the appearance of black spots on the legs, we called melanoma, under the fingernail this disease is very rarely localized (no more than 4-6 percent of the total number of confirmed melanoma cases).

Symptoms

As we have already mentioned, the appearance of black spots on the nails may indicate both a recent nail trauma or improper care for them, and a possible disease that a person could not even know about for a while. So, the speck turned out to be a signal that indicates a serious or not very serious (if any) disease. In this case, dark spots should be considered as the first signs of a health disorder, and they should be treated with care.

Let's drop the moment when the appearance of dots and strips on the nails was preceded by a trauma. If you want, you can even remember small injuries, and it's not so easy to forget about the serious squeezing or impact that caused a hemorrhage under the nail. Such damage usually does not have serious consequences, especially if you remove the traumatic factor. And even if the damaged nail will continue to be subjected to "violence", the result will be the removal of the nail plate from the bed (i.e., it is possible to lose the nail, however, for a time, then it grows again) or dystrophic changes of the horny layer of the finger (more often this is observed on feet when wearing tight shoes or playing football).

When it comes to traumatic injuries, black spots in this case can be more likely to be expected  on the toenails of the thumbs, which are more prone to injury even when walking, not to mention the small size of shoes or playing football.

If it was a blow when a heavy object falls on the leg, the hematoma forms in the place where the object fell, and its size and color will depend on the force of the impact. If the injury was caused by walking, playing football or wearing a finger-pressing shoe, a dark spot will appear at the edge of the nail plate.

Usually, the appearance of a post-traumatic stain on the nail is accompanied by pain of varying intensity, which subside as the hematoma dissolves.

A blue spot on the thumb of the thumb often becomes a sign of a nail injury (more often a blue or purple hue, less often the stain becomes almost black, although the color will change as the hematoma dissolves). The same shade can have a glomus tumor, most often developing closer to the edge of the nail. For her, as for traumatic hematoma, pain is typical, but only more intense. Often it hurts a person to even touch the nail, under which a speck appears. There is a strong, throbbing pain, giving off in different parts of the body.

A black spot under the thumbnail of a thumb can be both a harmless nevus and a melanoma. Melanoma often looks like a longitudinal dark band, which gradually expands, and over time the spot can even go beyond the stratum corneum. But there are cases when the neoplasm looks like a normal round nevus or a few small dark dots. At the same time, when pressing, the person will not feel pain.

If a painless black or dark brown spot is found on the stratum corneum and there is no inflammation or redness on the finger, there is nothing to worry about. This is a small hemorrhage due to a small capillary rupture, which could be caused by unresolved shoes or a small finger injury that you did not pay attention to.

It is clear that diagnosing diseases by external and internal symptoms is a matter for specialists, so we will not argue that a sudden, painless black spot on the nail necessarily means a subungual melanoma. After all, with endocarditis, a stain can appear on the nails, which, when pressed on it, will not cause any discomfort.

A brown spot on the nail of the big toe or on the hands is usually associated with kidney and urinary system diseases. Moreover, pain and inflammatory reactions are absent. Spots that have a color ranging from light to dark brown, can appear on the nails with hormonal disorders. The same color can acquire an old hematoma. From blue and violet, it can change to brown, yellowish or greenish, which through the nail plate will still be seen as different shades of brown.

With fungal nail lesions on the fingers and toes, apart from the dark (usually dark brown or even black) spots, you can notice other changes. Symptoms of onychomycosis are increased nail brittleness, delamination and deformation of the nail plate (it becomes dull, there are bulging strips, nadules), an unpleasant smell from the affected finger.

Often with a fungal lesion changes affect not one, but several fingers at once. Moreover, the probability of injury is the same for all limb fingers, although the leg affects the disease more often than the hands, and the cause is often low-quality shoes, in which the legs overheat and sweat, and moisture and heat are the best conditions for the reproduction of opportunistic microorganisms, including fungal Flora is a frequent guest of our skin and nails.

A black spot on the nail of the hand, if it is not a congenital subungual nevus, may indicate both pathological and safe causes of its appearance. With pain, there will be a hematoma under the nail, formed due to mechanical impact or splinters, as well as a glomus tumor that can appear on one or more fingers.

Appearing without reason, a large number of small dark dots on the finger under the fingernail or a longitudinal dark band are clear signs of cancer (which is not necessary, but it is worth checking!). The appearance of new dark spots should also be cautious. Usually, the pain of cancers appears in the late stages, so that its absence does not mean that the problem is not serious.

Brownish spots on the edge of the nail plate usually appear with painful kidney and urogenital system. Painless spots of various shades and decent sizes can result in intoxication of the body due to the use of large doses of alcohol, smoking, taking medications, which primarily affects the liver and kidneys. In this case, the color of the spots will vary, and their appearance will warn other symptoms: nausea, general and muscle weakness, headaches, back pain or right hypochondrium, etc.

Endocrine diseases can not manifest themselves for the time being. The patient can only complain of weakness, fatigue, weight changes, decreased sexual desire. So the change in the pigmentation of the nails and the skin beneath them can be the first sign of a pathology and only specific diagnostic measures (in particular, analysis for sugar and hormones) will help to establish what this symptom is related to.

If we are talking about a lack of vitamin B12, which regulates the production of pigment, the appearance of dark spots can be expected not only under the fingernails of the hands and feet, but also in other areas of the skin.

When anemia nails usually get a whitish hue, on which you can see dark spots with a blue. Iron deficiency anemia is associated with a deficiency in the body of vitamin B9 (folic acid), responsible for the functionality of erythrocytes. Erythrocytes, in turn, are the main suppliers of oxygen to tissues. It turns out that when a deficiency of folic acid affects all tissues of the body, experiencing hypoxia.

One of the symptoms of anemia can be the appearance on the pale nails of bluish dark spots. Other symptoms will be deterioration of the skin, hair and nails, unusual pallor and cyanosis of the skin, increased fatigue, impaired working capacity and mood, decreased ability to conceive a child, miscarriages, etc.

Small hemorrhages under the fingernail, similar to the trail of a splinter, may be a symptom of a parasitic disease called trichinosis. Other symptoms are fever (sometimes very severe), the appearance of swelling on the hands and feet, rashes on the body, muscle and joint pain.

Parasites can be infected by eating poorly roasted meat, especially pork. By the way, such strips on the nails of the hands can be seen with some autoimmune pathologies and connective tissue diseases (in particular, in psoriasis). Determine the nature of the appearance of dark strips under the nails, if it is not a splinter, only a specialist doctor can.

A black stain under the fingernail on the arm  may be pigmented with a nevus that appeared unexpectedly under the influence of ultraviolet (for example, in the sun). In this case, moles can appear on other parts of the body, subject to solar radiation. But just as suddenly appear melanoma spots, no different from a benign nevus, if you look at it through the nail plate. No pain or discomfort in this case a person does not feel.

At an early stage, melanoma differs little from a mole, but by growing it, it will lift the nail plate, and eventually lead to its deformation. The stratum corneum will become brittle, begin to crumble and move further away from the nail bed. In the end, the nail plate will have to be removed. Although when diagnosing cancer, it is done in any case, in order to be able to carefully remove all melanoma cells.

If the black spot has a bluish tinge, it can be caused by cardiovascular diseases and the associated pulmonary insufficiency. The color of the spot indicates that tissue is hypoxic, i.e. Lack of oxygen in the blood.

If a black spot is formed on the nail of the thumb, most often its appearance is associated with traumatic injury. It so happened that the thumbs of the hands and feet are more prone to injury than others. But if you can not remember the moment of injury, it's worth watching the specks more closely. The hematoma usually first changes color to a darker color, and then gradually becomes lighter. Less intense and pain. But melanoma at first can not bring any discomfort, but the stain will gradually grow, and its color will darken. The appearance of pain will be an indication that time is lost.

It is clear that all of the above reasons and symptoms of the appearance of black spots on the nails will be characteristic for the thumb of the hand or leg. So the survey will be required, regardless of which finger has darkened the nail. You can dispense with a doctor's consultation only in case of not very serious nail injury, if the nail plate has not peeled off.

Diagnostics

It is clear that the diagnosis of subungual hematoma after a serious nail injury in the state of any of us. To do this, do not necessarily go to a medical institution. Another thing is that for a while to calm the soul will have to observe the changes in color and shape formed on the nail of a dark spot. What is it for? At least in order to exclude the risk of taking hematoma from fresh melanoma. Suddenly, on the finger under the fingernail until this time, there was a pigmentless nevus (or even worse colorless melanoma), which began to degenerate from the stroke. If the dark spot on the finger does not diminish during the week and does not turn pale, this should already raise suspicions and become a reason for contacting a specialist.

Black spots on the nails are not a sign of health. This was understood even by ancient healers. In Tibetan medicine, which has the oldest sources, nails have even been diagnosed with human health. It is clear that the traditional medicine for such manifestations is more than attentive. The examination does not always end with the therapist's admission. Quite often consultations with other specialists are required: dermatologist, urologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, etc.

If trauma and hematoma are excluded, and dark streaks or multiple spots are seen on the nail, the subungual melanoma is suspected beforehand, so the patient is referred for dermatoscopy (the nail is visible and the stain structure is examined under a special microscope called a dermatoscope). In addition, a blood test is prescribed: general, biochemical (allow to reveal the fact of inflammation or intoxication) and to oncomarkers. If the diagnosis of melanoma is confirmed, the patient is directed to the ultrasound of the finger, which will reveal the metastases and ways of their spread.

The most accurate method of diagnosing cancer is biopsy, but since the tumor itself is hidden under the nail plate, the procedure is possible only after its removal. Melanoma is also dangerous because if it is disturbed, it will start to grow and give metastases, so a biopsy is desirable after the tumor has been removed. A small area of the removed tissue is just sent for histological examination.

A glomus tumor is defined by a symptom such as acute pain radiating to the shoulder and other parts of the body. Inspection with a dermatoscope will not show the presence of malignant cells under the fingernail. On the roentgenogram you can often see how a rounded tumor bundles the bone of the phalanx.

As for laboratory studies, in addition to the above tests, the doctor can prescribe a blood test for sugar (confirms or excludes diabetes mellitus), blood clotting analysis (low clotting can explain frequent hemorrhages), urine analysis (will show if something is wrong with kidney and bladder).

If there is a suspicion of kidney disease or cystitis, the urologist also performs an additional examination and appoints ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder. Problems in the genital area may require examination by a gynecologist and urologist (or andrologist), taking smears on the microflora. If there is a suspicion of hormonal disorders, endocrinologist's consultation is needed, a study of the thyroid gland, tests for hormones and blood sugar, urine analysis for sugar.

When there are dark spots with blue, and also frequent microscopic hemorrhages, suspicion falls on vascular problems or pathologies of the heart. The patient will be assigned an electrocardiogram to clarify the nature of the heart and possible changes. If there is a suspicion of atherosclerosis, the doctor will prescribe effective vascular studies: angiography, ultrasound dopplerography of the vessels of the lower extremities, aortoarteriography with contrast agents, etc.

If the doctor suspected a parasitic infection, a general blood test, a series of serological studies of the biomaterial (for example, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), an intravenous allergy test will be performed. If the material is inadequate and the results of the study are disputed, a biopsy of the muscle tissue can be prescribed.

Nail fungus usually has the characteristic features: unpleasant odor and destruction of the nail plate. The dark spot on the nails in this case has a greenish tinge. The final diagnosis is established after the study of the biomaterial under the microscope and bapsoseve. The material for examination is taken by scraping from the inside of the nail plate.

Since black spots on the nails do not in themselves speak of a specific disease, but only hint at possible health disorders, a major role is played by differential diagnostics, which is carried out by analyzing the information obtained during the examination of the patient and the conduct of various diagnostic measures.

During the examination of the nails, the doctor asks leading questions (has a dark spot appeared long before its appearance, does the stain change shape or size and how, what other complaints about the patient's health) that help determine the nature and cause of the appearance of the stain. For example, the same pigmentary nevus that appeared in early childhood will cause less suspicion of melanoma than a stain that suddenly appeared in adulthood.

It is especially important for the doctor to differentiate melanoma from a completely innocuous mole or glomus tumor, because malignant neoplasms can grow very quickly, so you need to identify it as early as possible.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]

Features of treatment

The habit of taking black spots on the nails for a purely cosmetic defect is the reason for a belated address to doctors about developing diseases. Of course, it's easier to disguise a stain under a thick layer of varnish, but this will not solve the problem in any way. To mask the defect and treat the cause that caused its appearance are completely different things, having a different result from each other.

When asked what to do, if a black spot appears on the nail, the answer is ambiguous. If it is a stain after a nail injury that does not cause damage or rejection of the nail plate and does not subsequently cause an unpleasant pressing feeling due to the accumulation of blood in the space between the nail plate and its bed, you can not rush to the hospital. The cold finger is applied to the damaged finger, which will help relieve pain and inflammation. To combat pain, you can also use white cabbage leaves.

If the blood has accumulated under the fingernail and the patient feels this discomfort, the hospital should be contacted for the procedure of draining the nail to release blood from there.

This procedure can be carried out at home, using a red hot needle or clip, but about the sterility of such manipulations there are big doubts. At home, you can easily bring under the nail infection, causing suppuration of soft tissues and threatening the loss of the nail.

If the procedure is carried out under sterile conditions, the person is relieved. A sterile moist dressing is applied to the puncture site. This treatment is limited.

At home, you can release blood from under the nail in another way. Lower your finger with a darkened stain on the nail into a strong enough hot potassium permanganate solution for a quarter of an hour. The tissues of the nail will soften, and the blood will come out itself, and the permanganate will prevent the ingress of infection.

In case of severe trauma with a violation of the integrity of the nail, you need to see a doctor. Probably, removal of a nail plate and application of seams will be made.

Falling under the nail splinters requires specialist intervention only with severe suppuration. To prevent this, a splinter should be immediately removed and filled with any existing antiseptic (saline, manganese, soda solution, chlorhexidine, etc.).

Small single streaks of blood on the nails due to the bursting capillary do not require treatment and treatment if the person does not have other health complaints. But the regular occurrence of black spots is already an occasion to consult a doctor and check the work of the cardiovascular system, metabolism, etc., to understand what caused the increased fragility of the vessels. The doctor will prescribe the treatment according to the results of the studies, depending on the revealed pathology.

If under the nail from the childhood the birthmark hides, and it does not change color and the form, to check it it is necessary purely for calming the soul at least once a year. But the change in shade or shape, the appearance of pain under the fingernail are alarming factors that require consultation and examination in a dermatologist.

If a melanoma or glomus tumor is detected, treatment is performed promptly and only in a hospital setting. Treatment of the glomus tumor is carried out using conductive anesthesia (nerve blockade) and involves the following manipulations: the nail roller is moved away, which makes it possible to raise the free edge of the nail plate and remove (remove) from there a neoplasm. The nail plate is lowered to its original position and fixed. In severe cases resort to the removal of the nail.

During the surgical treatment of melanoma, along with the nail plate, some of the soft tissues are removed, where metastases spread, capturing about 1 cm of healthy tissue. When spreading metastases deep into the body, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are required.

In a hospital, trichinosis also has to be treated, because this disease often turns into a severe form and can result in the patient's death or severe complications. To combat trichinella, anthelmintic agents are used (Mebendazol, Albendazol, Vermox, Tiabendazole, etc.). At the same time, symptomatic treatment with anti-inflammatory and antipyretic agents is performed.

If it is a fungal nail injury, delay the visit to the doctor is also not worth it, if only because timely treatment will help to prevent complete destruction of tissues. If the disease has affected less than half of the nail, only local treatment with antifungal agents is carried out. With a high prevalence of onychomycosis, systemic therapy with antifungal agents, laser treatment, and rarely surgical removal of the nail are also prescribed.

At home, the nail fungus can be additionally treated with alcohol and water tinctures of garlic, with trays of broth, salt solutions, celandine infusions, manganese, iodine, tea tree oil and other compounds intended for topical application (treatment of the nail plate and soft tissues around it, compresses, foot and hand baths).

Since black spots on the nails can have different reasons for their appearance, treatment in each specific case will be administered individually. The task of the patient is not to delay the time, waiting for the appearance of new symptoms of the disease, but to consult a doctor at the appearance of incomprehensible dark spots and streaks on the nails, the destruction of the nail plate, the appearance of an unpleasant odor from under the nail, which is well felt when cutting nails.

[8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]

Consequences and complications

Black spots on the nails - this is not just a cosmetic defect that spoils the appearance of a manicure or a pedicure. Their appearance is always associated with some health problems, because even the same finger injury causes such an unpleasant phenomenon as the inflammatory process, and the bursting capillary speaks of a violation of the elasticity of the walls of the vessels, which does not indicate absolute health.

To the appearance of various formations, brittle nails and dark spots on them should be treated very carefully. It is clear that when the cause of the appearance of subungual hematoma is trauma, the most unpleasant consequence may be the loss of the nail, which after a few months will grow again. But even here there is a small danger, because the detachment of the nail plate leads to the fact that the nail bed remains unprotected from getting dirt and bacteria. If you do not take measures to protect it, the wound can be infected, which can lead to suppuration and prolonged treatment.

If you fall under the nail splinters, there is also a possibility of infection of the wound, but usually the splinter itself. This is fraught with the formation of pus under the nail plate, where to reach is not so simple. With the development of the purulent process, it may even be necessary to remove part of the nail plate to gain access to the affected area for its treatment with antimicrobial agents.

But after all, what we take as a mark of a splinter can be the movement of small parasites of trichinella, which causes a strong allergic reaction in the body of an infected person. If the disease is mild, it does not cause serious complications, but serious infection with Trichinella is fraught with the development of inflammatory diseases of the myocardium of the heart, kidneys, lungs, brain envelopes, and liver. Severe pain syndrome limits motor activity. Moreover, the disease can lead to the death of the patient (mortality up to 30% in case of severe disease).

If the nails show signs of bursting blood vessels, this is an occasion to think about the state of the cardiovascular system. Perhaps the rupture of the vessel was the result of trauma, but if the situation repeats, the cause of the phenomenon may be a beginning atherosclerosis, which eventually spreads to other vessels, causing disruption of the work of various organs.

The most innocuous spot on the nail is the subungual nevus. But even when he strikes, he can behave unpredictably. Trauma can cause increased cell division and their degeneration into malignant cells, which is characteristic of melanocytes.

Glomusnuyu tumor can also be considered relatively harmless, if the severe pain associated with this neoplasm. A tumor is considered to be benign with a small risk of cell degeneration, but such a danger can not be ruled out. Yes, and the sensation in the formation of a painful nodule under the fingernail, we will tell directly, not from pleasant. The pain can be so strong that it deprives the person of rest and sleep.

But melanoma can hardly be called harmless. It is a cancerous tumor that usually develops quite quickly. If it is captured at stages 1 or 2, the probability of cure remains high enough, as for oncological pathology. But at stages 3 and 4, the tumor already gives metastasises to mend with it is much more difficult. A person can lose not only the nail, but some part of the finger. With the appearance of distant metastases, the chances of survival are very low. A person dies from the defeat of vital organs.

Let's not once again dwell on how important it is to diagnose in time various diseases of the endocrine, urine-genital and other systems, until they cause dangerous complications. We will repeat only that black spots on the nails can become that important bell, which will push us to an important visit for consulting a specialist.

[15], [16], [17], [18], [19]

Prevention

With regard to preventing the appearance of spots on the nails, then in most cases it is much easier than treating all sorts of diseases with such a symptom. It is clear that to protect yourself from all diseases is very difficult, but to reduce their occurrence to a minimum can be a correction of lifestyle and nutrition.

The state of our nails is very reflected in the metabolism. And most of the useful and harmful substances get into our body with food. A balanced diet, which will contain all the vitamins and minerals necessary for man, will help to keep healthy not only the nails, but the entire body as a whole.

Since our nails can be affected by our bad habits, alcohol and smoking should be discarded along with products containing chemical additives and GMOs.

On the state of our entire body, physical activity is affected. Moderate exercise will help maintain body strength along with outdoor walks that saturate tissues and organs with oxygen and prevent hypoxia.

To prevent the appearance of bruises on the nails of the hands and feet, you just need to be more careful. The most common cause of injury is rush. When performing a potentially dangerous job for fingers, you should not be distracted by other things and conversations. It must be remembered that there are no eyes at the door, knife, hammer and other dangerous objects, but they are with us.

When working with chemicals, hand protection should always be used. This will prevent the nails and the skin from damage and the appearance of various marks.

Particular attention should be paid to shoes, which should not squeeze the foot and fingers. This will prevent not only the appearance of bruising under the fingernail, but also the painful sensations caused by their appearance.

Caring for the nails of the hands and feet means not just gently trim them and cover them with varnish, but also carry out disinfection procedures. When visiting swimming pools and public baths and saunas on your feet, you should always wear individual rubber slippers. Leaving the public place, it is desirable to treat the skin of the hands and under the nails with antiseptic means (there are special sprays). This will help prevent infection with fungi.

Legs and hands should be washed regularly with soap and examined for defects. To prevent nail fungus on legs will help wearing of individual shoes of good quality, regular washing of socks and tights, cosmetic measures using special means for legs with disinfectant components, for example with tea tree oil.

To prevent many dangerous diseases will help regular annual medical examination, to which most of us are extremely negative, not realizing the whole need for such an event. The appearance of black spots on the nails do not need to be perceived as a small cosmetic defect. They need to be seen as an excuse to get busy with their health, which we have not done before in vain.

Forecast

Black spots on the nails can be a symptom of one of many diseases. Some pathologies require uncomplicated treatment and do not cause dangerous consequences, others - are fraught with all sorts of complications, and such a disease as melanoma has a significant percentage of deaths. It is clear that in such conditions it is not necessary to make any general forecasts.

One can only say that the worst will be a prognosis for melanoma, especially if it was identified already at a late stage. Glomusnaya tumor usually does not pose a danger to life, but can, after removal, still give relapses. Long-term serious treatment requires and such a disease as arteriosclerosis of blood vessels.

What will be the effectiveness of treatment of other diseases, depends on the timeliness of the diagnosis and the beginning of treatment, the patient's compliance with the prescription of the doctor, the patient's age.

[20], [21]