Yellow Nails - Causes

One of the important aspects of self grooming is the overall health of your nails. Women spend hours getting a manicure and pedicure. Men, too are not far behind and well cut and clean nails is a sign of a well-groomed gentleman. Normally, the color of our nails is faint pink. Any discoloration may indicate a health or lifestyle factor. Many people do not consider their nails as an important aspect of their overall health. However, nails are the barometer of your health. For example, chipped nails may indicate calcium deficiency, white nails can indicate liver disorder, spoon-shaped nails indicate iron deficiency. So, if you are observing yellow nails lately, it may be an indication of a health concern. Let's have a look at yellow nails causes and find ways to get rid of them.

Causes of Yellow Nails
Nails are made of the same cells that are that make our hair, that is, keratin. These are dead cells that cannot repair themselves. So, once your nail develops any kind of discoloration, it will remain till the time the nail does not outgrow itself. There are plenty of yellow nails causes that indicate health problems. Let's have a look at some of the causes of yellow nails.

Smoking
Years of smoking tends to cause the fingertips as well as nails to turn yellow. The tobacco smoke stains the skin around the fingers to yellow or brownish-yellow color. If you are a smoker and your finger nails are turning yellow, stop smoking. This is the best way to help turn your yellow nails to pink again and prevent diseases like cancer.

Nail Polish
Don't you love painting your nails to different colors and making them look longer, healthier? However, prolonged use of cosmetics on your nails causes them to stain. This is because dark colors tend to stain them yellow. So, it is better to apply a base coat over the dark colors. And make sure you leave your nails free from nail polish for a few days. This will help them breathe a bit.

Underlying Health Problem
In most cases, a medical disorder is one of the main yellow nails causes. The most common medical problem that leads to yellow fingernails is jaundice. Other disease include liver disease, lung disease, deficiency of iron and zinc, kidney diseases, etc. Therefore, visit a doctor to know more about the causes of yellow nails, if you are also observing other health symptoms.

Nail Fungus
One of the main causes of yellow nails as well as yellow toenails is fungal infection. When nails are infected by a fungus it causes brown or yellowing of nails. You will observe flaking, unpleasant odor, as well as pigmentation. Visit a doctor for treatment of yellow nails due to fungal infection. He may prescribe an antifungal medication to get rid of the infection.

Yellow Nail Syndrome
The yellow nail syndrome is a rare condition that occurs due to lymphatic system problem. It causes the nails to turn golden-yellow color and separation from nail bed.

How to Get Rid of Yellow Nails
So, now that you know some of the possible yellow nail causes, it is time to understand how to get rid of yellow nails. If you are a smoker, I have already mentioned, stop smoking. But, how do you get rid of the yellow nails? You can try some whitening solutions that helps in reducing the yellow tinge. You can try hydrogen peroxide or baking soda to whiten your nails. You can even get denture tablets and dissolve them in water. Then soak your hands in this solution for about 10 minutes. This will help lighten your yellow nails.

You can even try lemon juice to whiten the yellow stains. You need to soak your nails in lemon juice for about 10 minutes. It will have a mild bleaching effect that will reduce the effect of discolored fingernails. If one suffers from yellow nail syndrome, they will be benefited by zinc supplements. Oral zinc supplements will help treating yellow nails. Antifungal medications too help get rid of the nasty fungal infections. This will in turn reduce the yellow nail coloration. Vitamin E has also been helpful in treating yellow nails. It helps provide the nails with the required nutrients like zinc supplements. Thus, helping you get rid of yellow nails.

This is all about yellow nails causes. If you feel your yellow nails are due to an underlying health condition, speak to your doctor. Lemon juice, baking soda and denture tablets will prove to be helpful in reducing the yellow tinge. A good diet will also ensure you have healthy nails. Hope you have understood some of the possible causes of yellow nails from the above paragraphs.