Are white spots on your fingernails a sign of iron deficiency?

The spots you notice are not caused by a calcium deficiency. You probably whacked the crap out of the base of your nail about 6 weeks ago.. it's like a super late bruise.

They're from injuries to the nail bed... kind of like bruises on your skin. They take awhile to appear so if you're like "Dude, I didn't hurt my hand, though." ... You just might not remember because it was awhile ago.

It's very rarely from mineral deficiency.

"Probably the most common sight on the nails is the "white spot". Although it has been noted that white lines can be symptoms of a serious disorder, their presence is more than likely a result of iron or zinc deficiency. Before worrying about any severe disease, your first step should be to see your doctor and have him/her test your levels of iron and zinc. Zinc supplements are easily found in any pharmacy while additional iron intake needs to be monitored by your physician."

It could be from injury, but it could also be from lack of calcium - especially if the spots are multiple and in several nails.

White spots? You mean your cuticles? If that's what you mean that's just a really, really dead layer of epidermal cells or as we all like to put it, just another way for our body to get rid of it's waste!

While there are many reasons for these white spots (called leukonychia), most of them are due to mild trauma -- such as hitting or slamming your fingernail on or into something -- and there's usually little cause for worry.

If you use nail enamels, nail hardeners, or artificial nails, it's also possible that you're having an allergic reaction. Such products can cause nail fragility and very fine splitting or layering of the nail plate, which may result in whitish spots.

The white spots may also be something that you picked up at the gym or during your monthly manicure, namely a fungal, yeast, or bacterial infection that attacks the substance of the nail directly, leaving a whitish streak or spot behind. If you've forgotten to wear your flip-flops at the gym or if you're unsure about the hygiene at your nail salon, ask your doctor to take scrapings of nail tissue for fungal and bacterial cultures. If there's a pesky organism causing the spots, both topical and oral therapies can clear up this problem in a few weeks.

Finally, there are a number of total-body ("systemic") conditions that can leave white spots on your otherwise unblemished talons. Certain nutritional deficiencies, particularly a lack of zinc or protein in your diet, can cause a nearly total whiteout of your nail except for the tips or even a pattern of white bands across the width of the nail. Cirrhosis, a form of chronic liver disease usually brought about by alcoholism, can also result in nails that are almost completely white. Keep in mind, though, that white spots in that case are rarely the primary flag for diagnosis but usually occur well after this disease has made its presence known in other ways.

and to chinagirl...thats why i said usually....TYVM

I had white spots under my nails as a kid and a doctor told me then it was a vitamin C deficiency. I remember taking vitamins after that and it went away after a while. Don't know if it was the vitamins that helped or not. Advise asking this question on www.askjeeves.com

You mentioned that you took vitamin C, well that helps in the absorbtion of Zinc so it may have been a zinc deficiency after all.

Remember when you were a kid and drank plenty of milk? at just about the age of 8, i began noticing white spots in my fingernails. i wondered what this meant and here is the old wives tale, i was given by my mother. she stated that drinking a lot of milk, meant drinking a lot of calcium. in the l950's, at age 8, i really did not understand what she meant. but, after reading this question, it hit me, after all these years. i drank a lot of whole milk and the calcium deposits, in my fingernails, were the end results. don't drink much anymore. GOT MILK??

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/407288
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/13577

i have the same thing, but people told me that it was because i needed to drink milk, but im lactosintolerant (cant have milk)