White spots on fingernails....what causes it?

[pepsi]

For a few years now I have had white spots on all of my names, I think they call them milk spots. I always thought it was a sign of lack of calcium and a consequence of pregnancy and two x 13 months of breast feeding. Anyway, I havent breastfed for almost two years now and Ive still got them. I am healthy, I think, I eat a varied diet with all the right healthy foods, or so I think. Ive tried eating pumpkin seeds with my cereal but so far no change. What can I do/what causes it.

i always thought it was a lack of calcium..... asked gp???

Someone told me once that it is damage to the soft part of the nail but don't quote me. My friend swore blind that eating a cube of undissolved jelly helped but she had the weirdest nails I have ever seen.

I sound like Vicky of Little Britain . . .

I thought it was a sign of a zink deficiency. Used to have them, took zinc (ZincSpan - sustained release) and they went!!

Zinc even!

I showed them to my doctor ages ago when I was there for something else and he told me not to worry and wasnt interested. Ive heard of the jelly thing to, might try it and the zinc. I think theres zinc in the pumpkin seeds to. They just look really ugly, I havent got the nicest of nails anyway.

I thought it was zinc aswell, I take loads of vitamins but extra Zinc and they recently ran out and I went without for a while and my nails were covered in them! I started taking it again and they're gone!

IMHE

I thought it was because you had knocked your fingers when the nail was below the bit that you see.

I am not medical btw

I'm sure it was Zinc.

the lack of calcium is an old wives tale. It is a lack of zinc. I had a white spot recently too, but having just checked, my nail has grown and the white spot is not level with the end part of my nail which is white anyway!

(now level)

What foods can I eat on a daily basis that will give me enough zinc? I do have some pumpkin seeds sprinkled on my muesili in the mornings.

Also, I have startd taking some Vit C and zinc tablets...how long before the white spots disappear do you think?

Mmm, no help maybe but I remember asking my mum who always said "calcium deficiency". When I asked my doctor he said it was because I was damaging (knocking/banging) my nailbed. This was actually true.I used to do a lot of climbing, lifting, fairly physical stuff. When this stopped, so did the white spots. This is only what I was told, hasten to add, however, I have read the same since in various women's magazines. DON'T QUOTE ME!!!

Me again, and Ive still got this white spots on my nails. Ive been taking a zinc supplement, just a basic one from boots since end of January but they are still here. Im a SAHM so not sure if Im getting knocks so to speak. I know when I type of bash the keyboard really hard...could this be it? Im worried its my body telling me that something isnt working. Ive looked in Gillian Mckeiths book and it indicates something to do with the liver. Anyone else have these long term. Im guessing doctors arent worried so I should be but something niggles me.

White spots on nails are just down to damage, I believe it to be an old wives tale that it is a lack of calcium/zinc etc

If you remember how you did damage your nails (it must hurt a lot to develop a white spot) it's due to damage caused by knocking/banging. If you don't remeber and have plenty of them in several fingers then it has to be something else. Having said that, I had them for years and know people who still have them after many years and they are perfectly OK and in very good health.

Havent hurt/hit my nails. Its got worse since having children. Ive got two, 5 and 3 and breast fed both for 13 months. I was wondering if my body has just never recovered and is lacking in something. It makes my nails look so ugly, I have spots on every nail. Some of them have over 10 spots per nail.