# Spots on my fingernail...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spots-on-my-fingernail/130095>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 29, 2002, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spots-on-my-fingernail/130095 "2002-09-29T13:13:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spots-on-my-fingernail/130095/1 "2002-09-29T13:13:42Z")

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Every now and then, and _mostly_ when I was a kid, I would notice little white spots on my fingernails. I still get them now, but with far less frequency.

What are those spots? Any reason why they show up when they do?

And how come I never noticed them on my toenails? (Answer: because I rarely looked at my toenails?)

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**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spots-on-my-fingernail/130095/2 "2002-09-29T14:39:00Z")

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Magnesium deficiency, iirc.

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**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spots-on-my-fingernail/130095/3 "2002-09-29T16:08:56Z")

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Remember to [search](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/) Cecil’s columns archive before posting: [What causes white spots on your fingernails?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_035.html)

Here’s a related thread: [What are those white marks on your fingernails?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=52571) and a New Scientist Last Word article: [Why are fingernails often flecked with white?](http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/article.jsp?id=lw377) (it even mentions toenails :))

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**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spots-on-my-fingernail/130095/4 "2002-09-30T04:28:46Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Remember to search Cecil’s columns archive before posting

I shoulda thought of that - thanks all the same!