What causes melanonychia?
What causes melanonychia?
Melanonychia can be caused by inflammatory skin diseases that affect your nails. It can also be caused by inflammation due to friction from shoes and biting your nails. Poor nutrition. Malnutrition can cause melanonychia, especially a lack of protein, vitamin D, or vitamin B12.
Should I be worried about melanonychia?
Melanonychia is a very worrisome entity for most patients. It is characterized by brownish black discoloration of nail plate and is a common cause of nail plate pigmentation. The aetiology of melanonychia ranges from more common benign causes to less common invasive and in situ melanomas.
Can melanonychia turn into melanoma?
Some melanonychia screams “melanoma” from the doorway There are times melanonychia is so egregious that it can only be melanoma. A wide, deeply pigmented band with irregular lines and pigmented extension onto the periungual tissues is nearly pathognomonic for melanoma.
Can melanonychia be horizontal?
Examination of the fingernails revealed black-brown discoloration of the distal nail plates (Fig. 1). There was no hyperpigmentation of the toenails, oral mucosa, or skin, and the remainder of the physical examination was normal. Horizontal melanonychia involving the distal portion of fingernails.
Can melanonychia be genetic?
Melanonychia can also be associated with genetic disorders, injury, medications, nutritional deficiency, endocrine disease, connective tissue disease, inflammatory skin disease, a local tumour, or nail infection.
How do you know if melanonychia is benign?
Benign longitudinal melanonychia is recognized by the appearance of light to dark brown stripes that are parallel and regular in color, thickness, and spacing. The border will be clearly defined and less than 3 millimeters (mm) in width, or roughly 1/10th of an inch.
Can melanonychia go away?
Outlook. The outlook for most benign melanonychia is good, and in most cases, does not require treatment. However, it usually does not go away by itself.
What medications can cause melanonychia?
Which drugs cause melanonychia?
- Corticotropin.
- Amodiaquine.
- Amorolfine.
- Arsenic.
- Chloroquine.
- Clofazimine.
- Clomipramine.
- Cyclines.
Can melanonychia be normal?
Melanonychia is the term for dark pigmentation of the fingernails or toenails. The discoloration can be a natural occurrence in people with dark skin, but it may sometimes indicate health issues.
What medication causes melanonychia?
Melanonychia is most often due to cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and hydroxyurea. Longitudinal bands, diffuse nail pigmentation, and associated skin pigmentation may be seen. The nail changes are due to activation of melanocytes within the nail matrix.
Is melanonychia reversible?
It is usually fully reversible, but can take six weeks or more to resolve. Melanonychia is an uncommon side effect of hydroxyurea; reported rarely in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (2.32%).
What are the most common causes of melanonychia?
These are the most common causes of melanonychia: Moles. Subungual melanoma. Melanocytic hyperplasia or activation, such as the melanotic macule of the nail plate. Dark skin – multiple bands. Pregnancy – multiple bands.
How to tell if you have longitudinal melanonychia?
Longitudinal melanonychia can be a sign of melanoma, being accompanied by the following: 1 Change in nail appearance. 2 Alteration of nail color. 3 Modification of nail pattern. 4 Change in size of the pigmentation band. 5 Pain – sudden onset. 6 (more items)
What happens if you get a nail biopsy for melanonychia?
Possible complications of melanonychia include nail cancer, bleeding under the nail, splitting of your nail, and deformity of your nail. The nail biopsy can also cause nail deformity because it removes a portion of the nail. The outlook for most benign melanonychia is good, and in most cases, does not require treatment.
Is there a cure or treatment for melanonychia?
The treatment for melanonychia varies depending on the cause. If your melanonychia is from a benign cause and is noncancerous, then many times, there is no treatment needed. If your melanonychia is caused by medication, your doctor may change your medication or have you stop taking it for a time, if that is possible.
