Nail whitening could be partial or complete. The commonest cause of nail whitening is trauma. One of the myths in our society is that the cause of nail whitening is calcium deficiency, but its absolutely a myth as there is no vitamin or minerals responsible for nail whitening or discoloration. Nail discoloration could be multiple, firstly there can be small white patches seen on nails or just because of nail biting habit or trauma especially to toe nails where there is no treatment required as it generally outgrows in 8-12 months depending upon the growth of nail. Whitening can be as longitudinal lines on the surface of nails which is generally due to genetic causes for which no treatment is required. In case its noticed that the nails are getting brittle, thickened along with whitening and white patches in the body it could be an indication of skin diseases called Psoriasis. Total nail whitening is generally seen in cases of kidney problem where there is deficiency of kidney proteins or hypoalbuminemia which is a sign of malfunctioning kidneys where appropriate treatment with a specialist is needed. When whitening is associated with thickened nail plate the cause could be fungal infection and an anti fungal treatment can take care.

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