What does it mean if you have a brown line on your nail?

Brown-black nail lines may represent blood from trauma; bacterial, fungal, or viral infection; drug reaction; endocrine disorders; exogenous pigmentation; excess melanin production within the nail matrix; nevi; or melanoma.

What does melanonychia look like?

Melanonychia is a brown or black color in your nail. It can affect your fingernails or toenails. It can be in one nail, a few nails, or all of your nails. Melanonychia can have many different causes that range from harmless to potentially fatal.

Does melanonychia go away?

The treatment options for melanonychia will depend on the primary cause. If the cause is benign, the individual may not need treatment. Some cases of melanonychia may fade after addressing the cause. For example, if drugs are the cause, melanonychia should fade within 6–8 weeks of stopping the treatment.

Why do I have a line on my nail?

This condition is called a splinter hemorrhage because it may look like a wood splinter under your nail. The condition is caused by damaged small blood vessels underneath your nail.

Is black line on nail normal?

Conclusion. The black line on nail is usually caused due to splinter hemorrhages which depending on the underlying cause can be treated and rarely poses any fatal threats. Usually, this is a harmless health condition but can be a sign of a serious problem too. Generally, it grows if you face any nail trauma.

Is nail melanoma always a stripe?

Subungual melanoma occasionally occurs without the distinctive pigmented streaks. In these instances, a person may experience other symptoms associated with subungual infections, including changes to the nail itself, bleeding, and pain at the nail bed.

How do you know if you have nail melanoma?

When checking your nails for melanoma, dermatologists recommend looking for the following changes:

• A dark streak.
• Dark skin next to your nail.
• Nail lifting from your fingers or toes.
• Nail splitting, which occurs when a nail splits down the middle.
• A bump or nodule under your nails.

How do you know if you caught melanoma early?

Although the American Cancer Society does not have guidelines for the early detection of skin cancer, knowing your own skin is important to finding skin cancer early. You should know the pattern of moles, blemishes, freckles, and other marks on your skin so that you’ll notice any new moles or changes in existing moles.

How do you recognize melanoma?

Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border. Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of 2 or more colours….The first sign of a melanoma is often a new mole or a change in the appearance of an existing mole.

1. getting bigger.
2. changing shape.
3. changing colour.
4. bleeding or becoming crusty.
5. itchy or sore.