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.
How do you know if melanonychia is cancerous?
When performing a physical examination of the nail, the doctor will look for certain tell-tale signs of cancer:
- Involvement of more than two-thirds of the nail plate.
- Grey or black colors mixed with brown.
- Irregular brown and granular pigmentation.
- Variations in the color and thickness of the stripe.
How do you get rid of melanonychia?
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.
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.
How is melanonychia diagnosed?
A doctor will usually diagnose the cause of melanonychia by taking a medical history and examining the nails. They will determine the number of affected digits and observe the pattern and color of the melanonychia. In some cases, the doctor may require further tests to aid diagnosis.
Does benign melanonychia go away?
Can benign melanonychia become malignant?
In some cases, it can be harmless, or benign, but in others, it can be malignant. There are many possible causes of melanonychia via melanocytic activation, as well as factors that can make it more likely.
How to cure 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.
Which drugs cause melanonychia?
Corticotropin
What causes linear melanonychia?
Typically, melanonychia appears as a blackish-brown discoloration of the nail bed. It may be caused by something as harmless as trauma to the nail, which causes a hemorrhage. This discoloration lasts until the nail grows out, so can be quite persistent.
How to fix toenail discoloration?
Topical antifungal medications- This type of treatment could work for a mild case of toenail fungus depending on how much of the nail is involved.