Yellow Fingernails

The fingernails are an important indicator of the overall health of a person. It is often seen that fingernails can be a pointer towards an underlying disease or disorder, that may be systemic in nature. However, sometimes, due to sheer neglect, the person may have flaky and discolored fingernails. Furthermore, there are many changes that can occur in the color and shape of the nail as well, like clubbing (flattening of the nails) and/or leukonychia (white spots on nails) etc. Given below are details regarding yellow fingernails causes and treatment.

Causes

Nail Fungus
One of the signs and symptoms of a possible fingernail fungal infection is the yellowish or brownish discoloration of the nails. Once the fungus enters the nails, it can secrete a variety of pigments which can lead to yellowish discoloration of the nail. Along with yellowing of the nail, there may be other symptoms present like, flaking of the nails and/or an unpleasant odor etc.

Excessive Use of Nail Polish
Some women have the habit of excessively using nail polish. When people constantly use nail polish, they deprive their nails of the oxygen. This oxygen helps to maintain the natural and normal color of the fingernails. This can lead to discoloration of the surface of the nails. Sometimes, the application of very dark-colored nail polish, which make use of very strong and heavy pigments can also lead to staining of the nail, which may appear yellow in color.

Yellow Nails Syndrome
One of the relatively rarer causes of yellow fingernails is the yellow nail syndrome. This is a condition where there are multiple complications, like pleural effusion, lymphedema and yellow dystrophic nails. A little less than half the cases will also complain of bronchiectasis. It often also shows symptoms like chronic sinusitis and persistent cough. The nails are yellow in color and lack the cuticle, grow slowly and are loose or sometimes, they even get detached, known as onycholysis. It is not sure as to what leads to the yellowish discoloration of the nails.

Other Causes
One of the cause of yellow fingernails is smoking. If all the other causes are ruled out, then one of the possible instances of when fingernails turn yellow is when the person is a chronic smoker. Sometimes, yellowing of nails may also be a sign of a systemic disorder, like liver diseases, kidney diseases, diabetes or lung diseases etc. Even malnutrition diseases can lead to yellow fingernails, as is seen sometimes in iron and zinc deficiencies.

Treatment

• The first step, that a person needs to take is to develop a healthy lifestyle.
• If a person is a chronic smoker, then he or she needs to stop smoking immediately. This will help to considerably improve the color of the nails.
• In case of yellow fingernails in yellow nail syndrome, nutritional supplement with vitamin E helps to control the color changes.
• In case the person is suffering from fingernail fungal infections, then he can use antifungal creams and ointments, which will be a major part of his fingernail fungus treatment.
• There are various home remedies which can help cure yellow nails. These include soaking the nails in freshly squeezed lemon juice or soaking the nails in any denture cleaning solution etc.
• In case of stains due to overuse of nail polish, one can use a nail whitener pencil to conceal the stains or one can even use a nail buffer to erase the stains.

As they say, prevention is better than cure, so if one maintains clean fingernails by indulging in proper nail care, along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, then he or she needn't worry about yellow fingernails.