My son is turning 5 years old here quite soon. A few weeks ago I noticed that the middle fingernail of his right hand looked like he smashed it. I had no memory of him smashing it, it was not bruised or discolored and he is a tough kiddo so i paid not attention to it. A few hours later I noticed that the thumb of his left hand looked the same. It has the same amount of damage and growth. That made me start to worry. The growth has been decent and there is no discoloration or infection. The reason I am taking the time to post today is after his bath this morning, I noticed the toenail on his left big toe looks like he just smashed it. It is indented and is starting "peel" from the cuticle up towards the tip. I know that he has not smashed his toes lately and I am confused and worried. What could be causing this? If anyone has any idea on what this is or where I can go to look for some information on it I would greatly appreciate it. Please feel free to post or send me a message and thank you for taking the time to look, read and post.
Edit** My son loves milk, we go through a gallon of 2% milk in 2-3 days. He says he does not remember hurting either his fingers or his toe.
Doctors can tell a lot by looking at the fingernails. He could have some medical problem or deficiency. I would have your pediatrician take a look at it.
Could it be a fungal infection?
Signs of a fungal nail infection include nails that are:
* Discolored (usually white or yellow)
* Brittle
* Crumbly, or have rough, jagged edges
* Thick
* Separated from the nail bed
* Curled up or down, or are distorted in shape
You may want to take him to the doctor to rule out a nail fungus. They typically cause the nails to peel. Good luck!
Nails can tell you a lot about a person's health. I don't remember all of what I learned on the subject but I do know they can indicate illnesses and/or deficiencies. Check w/ you doctor. Also, does your son get enough calcium? Does he remember hurting them in any way?
You'll do best by talking to the pediatrician... sounds like it might be a vitamin deficiency or could be something like psoriasis even. Let us know what you find out. In the meantime maybe you need to moisturize his nails to keep them from flaking... aquaphore is pretty good stuff.
I have heard that nail health can be indicative of health in general. This is a question for his pediatrician.
