What Causes Longitudinal Melanonychia?

Posted on Thu, 1 Jun 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 1 Jun 2017 Answered on

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : I have a thin black line in my right thumbnail. And a slight dent in the middle of my nail where the black line is. Should i be concerned

https://ibb.co/cEZJ2a

Attached picture and link in question

Answered by Dr. Asmeet Kaur Sawhney (45 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Longitudinal melanonychia and its causes

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for being at HealthcareMagic
I have reviewed the attached photograph and you seem to be having longitudinal melanonychia.
It has various causes. The most common cause of longitudinal melanonychia is racial variation. It is a common variant in dark skinned people while in white people it requires thorough assessment.
It can be due subungual naevus, certain drugs , skin diseases like lichen planus, onychomycosis, trauma, skin tumours like squamous cell carcinoma in situ and rarely malignant melanoma.
I would recommend you to consult a doctor and go for dermoscopic examination of the nail and for biopsy if required.
Regards
Dr Asmeet

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj