Secrets Your Nails Reveal

The eyes may be the window to the soul, but your fingernails may provide a peek into the status of your health.

Remember, the symptoms listed here may possibly signal the health problems listed; they do not provide definite diagnoses.

But if you notice any of these, let your doctor know.

Pale or bluish nails: This may indicate anemia.

Pink color slow in returning when nail is squeezed: This may indicate decreased or slowed blood circulation.

White spots: These occur as the result of an injury to the nail; they’re not due to zinc deficiency, as some people believe.

Beau’s lines: These horizontal depressions occur after a traumatic event, such as a high fever. “You can actually date the event by measuring the nail and figuring in the growth rate,” explains C. Ralph Daniel III, M.D.

White lines parallel to the lunula (and not the cuticle): These indicate some sort of systemic (bodywide) insult.

Clubbed nails: These nails are shaped like the backside of a spoon and may indicate cardiopulmonary disease or asthma.

Spoon nails: These dip inward and could mean certain types of anemia or injury.

Pitted nails: These punched-out looking spots may signify psoriasis.

Anything resembling a wart around the nail: This could be a skin cancer and needs to be examined by a doctor.

Dark spot. This could be melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. If the spot “bleeds” into the cuticle or nail folds or if you’re fair- skinned, this is a serious warning sign that requires immediate medical attention.