Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

White nail bed/Terry's nails?

5 replies

JESS1211 · 19/06/2025 16:13

I've noticed recently that my nail bed in very pale, mainly the bit from the cuticle, going haf way down the nail. I've got terrible HA and Google tells me it's Terry nails, related to heart and liver issues.
Does this look like Terry's nails? And does anyone have this where it's not caused by a serious medical condition? I don't have any symptoms that worry me other than some fatigue. I should mention I'm anemic with ferritin levels of 15 - although Google doesn't give that as a reason for Terry's nails. I keep on looking at everyone's nails and most people's are pink with lunulea.

White nail bed/Terry's nails?
OP posts:
AnnaMagnani · 19/06/2025 20:17

They look like the nails of a black person who is anaemic.

If you were white, everyone would be telling you how pale you look and that you should see a doctor. However as a black person no-one is noticing - the only place you can see it is your nails.

Mydahliasareshit · 19/06/2025 20:20

I only started having this after gel nails for the first time, up until then they were fine.

JESS1211 · 19/06/2025 21:07

@AnnaMagnani I'm not sure what to make of your comment. And for your information, I'm of south asian origin.

OP posts:
JESS1211 · 19/06/2025 21:08

@Mydahliasareshit that's interesting you say that as I noticed this more since having my gel nails removed end of April and I don't do gels often. So yours look pale like this too?

OP posts:
AnnaMagnani · 19/06/2025 21:13

@JESS1211 apologies but I think the point stands - your anaemia does not show up on brown skin in the same way as it would on white skin, as the brown masks it.

You can only see it in places that don't have melanin, such as your nail beds or inside the eyelids.

There's a whole literature on how conditions are missed in people with darker skin colours as the default in medical textbooks are pictures of white people.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page