Fingernails: What's typical, what's not

Fingernails grow from the area at the base of the nail under the cuticle. Fingernails are made of layers of a protein called keratin. Healthy fingernails are smooth. They don't have pits or grooves. They're all one color and free of spots.

Sometimes fingernails get harmless ridges that run up and down, called vertical ridges, from the cuticle to the tip of the nail. Vertical ridges tend to show more with age. Fingernails also can develop white lines or spots due to injury. In time, these grow out with the nail.

Consult your primary healthcare professional or dermatologist if you notice:

• Changes in color, such as a color change to the whole nail or a dark streak under the nail.
• Changes in nail shape, such as curled nails.
• Nails that get thinner or thicker.
• Dents in the nails that look like small punctures, called pits, or grooves in the nails.
• The nail pulling away from the skin around it.
• Bleeding around the nails.
• Swelling or pain around the nails.
• Failure of nails to grow.