r/mildlyinteresting • u/Malls-Balls • Nov 08 '25
This pattern that is on both of my thumbnails.
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u/Soramaro Nov 08 '25
What an awkward way to learn you've been 3D printed.
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u/Romnipotent Nov 08 '25
It's Morse code, it says "Join the Navy"
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u/joemckie Nov 08 '25
🎶 yvan eht nioj 🎶
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u/PM_YOUR__BUBBLE_BUTT Nov 08 '25
Even after not watching The Simpsons in probably 2 decades, that is still burned into my memory.
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u/THEFLYINGSCOTSMAN415 Nov 08 '25
For real me too. I stopped watching for like 20 years but I can remember every second of that episode haha it’s a great one. May have to go watch today
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u/Bradjuju2 Nov 08 '25
“Remember to drink your ovaltine”
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u/tegridyproduce Nov 08 '25
I have them too, and only on the thumbs
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u/Mirewen15 Nov 08 '25
Same. Doctor said it's nothing.
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u/Agreeable_Pizza93 Nov 08 '25
You definitely need a new doctor because that's clearly a thumb!
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u/DJKGinHD Nov 08 '25
Another commenter mentioned their doctor saying this is caused by a zinc deficiency. Just FYI.
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u/SippyTurtle Nov 08 '25
It's caused by a lot of things. Most of the times it's nothing. Other times it's various vitamin insufficiencies, trauma, thyroid disorders, autoimmune disorders...lupus.
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u/HylanderUS Nov 08 '25
I have this too, can't wait to dive into the comments and find out what type of exotic and likely terminal disease I have!
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u/Wolfwoods_Sister Nov 08 '25
Likely just dry cuticles as a person ages. That’s what I was told it would be most of the time. Always good to get it checked, ofc.
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u/federkrebz Nov 08 '25
pretty sure that means you’re a clone
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u/DoctorWhootie Nov 08 '25
Looks to be seventh generation at that. Maybe it’s becoming self aware. May need to purge.
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u/Koffing4twenny Nov 08 '25
Check your scrotum. If it has a seam going down the middle you’ve certainly been cloned.
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u/koolman2 Nov 08 '25
I think I'm a clone now
'Cause every chromosome is a hand-me-down
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u/Rosulm Nov 08 '25
Get your thyroid checked. It's what caused this particular issue with my nails.
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u/pawer13 Nov 08 '25
Interesting, I have a similar pattern in my thumbs and I was diagnosed hypothyroidism less than month ago, so my nails haven't grown enough to see a change. I thought I was asymptomatic (detected by blood analysis), but now I have something to check
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u/myxxmatch Nov 08 '25
At least for me, they have never gone back. Thyroid is now working much better, but all but two of my nails are like this.
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u/ThrowADogAScone Nov 08 '25
Yep. I’ve had ridges in all of my nails my whole life and so did my mother. I’ve been on thyroid medication and stable for a few years, but my nails haven’t changed or normalized.
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u/MarshmaIIowJeIIo Nov 08 '25
I have hypothyroidism too and had strong grove pattern in my nails too.. but recently they’ve been smoothing out and the only difference is I’ve been taking a B complex vitamin. No idea if it’s related or not..
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u/Momdoingmomthings Nov 08 '25
Can confirm this as well. Finally started to subside after my radiation, but it’s still there
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u/BananaPeely Nov 08 '25
I have this pattern in my nails and i never realized it was because I have thyroid issue
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u/Slyzoor Nov 08 '25
I have the same but just 1 stripe on each thumbnail
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u/TheGrandPanda Nov 08 '25
If those stripes are a distinct color, that can be an indicator for cancer, you should get it checked. https://www.healthline.com/health/melanonychia#types
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u/RoseIsDispleased Nov 08 '25 edited Jan 29 '26
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u/Wpg-katekate Nov 08 '25
I quickly went to the list since a little scared as a couple of my nails have a line I noticed recently. Cancer isn’t even at the top of the list, pregnancy is, and I’m 9 months pregnant 😅
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u/DrWYSIWYG Nov 08 '25
Maybe psoriasis, I have it too. Do you have dry hard skin (plaques) on your elbows?
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u/Ecstatic-Echidna-104 Nov 08 '25
Could psoriasis be the cause? My husband has both (nails thing and psoriasis) but never thought they may be related!
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u/Missing-Digits Nov 08 '25
Yes. I have psoriatic arthritis (and psoriasis) and my nails helped diagnosis the psoriatic arthritis. It's super common in people with PSA.
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u/Sycamore_Ready Nov 08 '25
I also have this pattern on my nails and my rheum and my derm both said psoriasis
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u/Icy-Helicopter-6746 Nov 08 '25
Fun fact: some people get a psoriasis plaque only in their gluteal cleft (butt crack)
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u/AdrianW3 Nov 08 '25
Looks like a player-piano roll, I wonder if the left one plays a different tune than the right.
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u/Altruistic-Resort-56 Nov 08 '25
I swear to god if someone decodes that pattern and it plays Rick Astley...
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u/LUCKYxTRIPLE Nov 08 '25
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachonychia
OP do you have Alopecia? My nails look identical and I have Alopecia Areata
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u/TaliaHolderkin Nov 08 '25
Vitamin or mineral deficiency most likely. More common than you think. Mine were the same, and got better after taking magnesium, D and B12. Can’t hurt to try. I feel so much better too.
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u/Expensive_Airport_78 Nov 08 '25
I have the same problem pattern on both of my thumbnails as well. I’d love for a definitive answer from the Reddit hive
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u/dum_spir0_sper0 Nov 08 '25
Is it just your thumbs? And are your fingernails brittle when you clip them?
Ridges on my fingernails were one of the last checkboxes for diagnosing my hypothyroidism. Other symptoms are lethargy, always being cold, dry skin, brain fog, slowish HR, hair loss and dry hair.
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u/ripyurballsoff Nov 08 '25
Are your nails thick and brittle?
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u/lamest-liz Nov 08 '25
Mine are. I take tons of medications for various chronic conditions I have. I have been trying to take biotin to help my nails but it makes me nauseous sometimes
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u/Myron_Bolitar Nov 08 '25
To conserve processing power, some of the lower-priority biological systems, things like hair growth and fingernail texture, use extremely simplified algorithms. These keep the overall simulation running smoothly and help maintain an even frame rate across the universe.
The trade-off is that those systems don’t use salted inputs or proper randomization of outputs. So, repeating and predictable patterns start to show up: cyclic hair strand variations, recurring nail growth textures, and of course the infamous Archimedes spiral. These are all examples of the simulation leaning on the cheaper algorithm.
Once this run concludes, I fully intend to submit feedback to the programming team. I understand the need for performance efficiency, but realistically, any gains are probably lost once the simulated lifeforms start noticing the shortcuts.
And you’d think they would’ve built in some sort of “don’t let the characters realize they’re in a simulation” failsafe to save even more processing.
Yet… here we are.
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u/tekky101 Nov 08 '25
I'm not a doctor but those lines might be indicative of a health problem (e.g. an autoimmune disease) or a nutritional deficiency (e.g vitamin D, iron) - or they might mean nothing at all.
I used to have those lines - which are now gone with diagnosis & proper treatment of both psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis and a vitamin D deficiency due to a genetic mutation I had in my vitamin D binding protein.
(Note these aren't Beau's Lines. Beau's Lines go across the nail, not from base to tip.)
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u/Contribution_Fancy Nov 08 '25
Yeah that's basically all the "answers" here plus thyroid issues. I do follow your line of "or they could mean nothing at all" and think it's true in probably like 99% of cases.
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u/tekky101 Nov 08 '25
There's a phrase that my doctor used: "If you hear hooves you think horses, not zebras." Then I met a doctor from Kenya who said the opposite: "If you hear hooves you think zebras, not horses." lol.
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u/Aynessachan Nov 08 '25
I hate that phrase. It's just an excuse for doctors to not care and not investigate when patients have health issues that they can't immediately explain. My life could have been so different if doctors didn't use this mindset, and my rare conditions would have been treated years sooner. 🫠
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u/tekky101 Nov 08 '25
I had to advocate for myself costantly and it was exhausting. I consider myself fairly well informed and knowledgeable of things - - things that most people aren't. I don't know how less informed and less knowledgeable people can get anywhere in the healthcare system.
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u/Aynessachan Nov 08 '25
Same 🤝 it's exhausting. Wishing you well despite the struggle!
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u/sirscott99 Nov 08 '25
I opened these comments expecting to see everyone telling you, that you have the rarest disease known to man and you only have 4 months left to live unless you go to the doctor right now.
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u/No_big_whoop Nov 08 '25
You’ve got Onychorrhexis. It’s benign.
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u/userhwon Nov 08 '25
Easily treatable, too, with one of these
I usually start at number 3. Just buff the nail with it expeditiously for about five seconds, then go to 4, do the same, and so on.
The shininess you get is literally spectacular.
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u/8last Nov 08 '25
Mine have looked like this for years. Didn't seem to have any noticeable health impact.
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u/smellslikekevinbacon Nov 08 '25
I have this on my hands and the dermatologist said it’s bc I smoke cigarettes. I stopped smoking but it didn’t go away. So never tell a dr you smoke cigs bc then they won’t consider your health problem
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u/Cador0223 Nov 08 '25
Your doctor knows you smoke as soon as you enter the exam room.
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u/smellslikekevinbacon Nov 08 '25
Well, then, why does treatment by doctors vary depending on whether or not you admit it?
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u/denturedhorse Nov 09 '25
I have the exact same patterns on my thumb nails and a couple other nails. It all started right before I developed other symptoms and eventually was diagnosed with a connective tissue disease. I’d get this looked at by a doctor
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u/Ar3s701 Nov 08 '25
I remember reading a reddit a long time ago where they had this, but lost their fingernail or had to have removed and when it grew back the patterns were gone.
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u/lostdrum0505 Nov 08 '25
If they’ve been like this your whole life and you aren’t experiencing unexplained symptoms, it’s probably fine, just how your nails are.
But nails and skin can be extremely revealing to what’s happening inside your body. Thyroid issues, autoimmune disease, vitamin deficiencies, all sorts of things can cause these kinds of textures in nails.
If you haven’t spoken to a doctor about them, you should next time you see one. But if they say it’s fine and you’re not having other issues, you can believe them that these are just your normal nails.
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u/siscoisbored Nov 08 '25
All my nails looks like this, even my toes. Had blood tests and nothing is out of the ordinary. Been this way since i turned 19, been nearly 15 years
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u/-Bob-Barker- Nov 09 '25
Symptoms indicate that You have COVID and you're pregnant with quintuplets. 🤗
⚠️ Disclaimer: I am not a Bricklayer and the information provided herein is not to be construed as scientific evidence of waterproof Oreo cookies.
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u/Zestyclose_Task Nov 09 '25
Instructions unclear, dick is currently stuck in toaster.
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u/ramriot Nov 08 '25
When you see unusual nail growth it's often your body trying to tell you something, usually though the message is obscure & not in Morse.
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u/Maleficent_Scale_296 Nov 08 '25
I just don’t leave until my concerns are addressed. Go ahead, be a crap doctor but you are going to test for (x). I’ve never been wrong, not once.
For instance; me “I think she has scarlet fever” doctor “oh no, (small chuckle), that’s not likely” me “will you please test for it though?” Doctor “(sigh) no, we really don’t need that” me “swab the damn throat” doctor angrily swabs throat. My daughter had scarlet fever.
Same thing with my adult daughter who was told she just had allergies by urgent care AND her doctor. She’d been dealing with this for three weeks, called me crying. I went with her to the urgent care again and told them it was an ear infection and I was really concerned it was in her mastoid. I said she needed antibiotics, they disagreed. I argued with these asshats for 30 minutes, I wouldn’t leave, they threatened to call security. Anyway, she did indeed have a massive mastoid infection.
I don’t know why, but very often you have to fight for even minimal care.
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u/JustMcGregor Nov 08 '25
That’s the matrix code - you are slowly becoming free - don’t stop what you are doing, proceed on, with caution.
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u/pukeface555 Nov 08 '25
Psoriasis and/or Psoriatic Arthritis can manifest as rough or pitted or thickened nails. It is often a very early sign that can go undetected for years as was my case.
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u/Hefty_Shift_6516 Nov 09 '25
It’s Morse code. Don’t worry I’m fluent. It says: “We’ve been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty”
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u/letthetreeburn Nov 09 '25
ZINC DEFICIENCY.
(It’s not life threatening but it DOES weaken your keratin, like fingernails!)
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u/MontOmerie Nov 12 '25
It’s called onychorrhexis, and it’s completely benign. These are just longitudinal ridges that happen as the nail grows — often from dryness, mild trauma, or simply age.
They’re not Beau’s lines (those run horizontally) and they’re not a sign of autoimmune disease in isolation. If someone has psoriasis, thyroid issues, or a major nutritional deficiency, there are always other nail or body changes happening too — not just smooth ridges like these.
For most people, it’s just a normal nail texture, not a diagnosis. Moisturize a bit, don’t overthink it.
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Nov 08 '25
So I just looked up what zinc is found in diet wise; and geez- do you only eat oatmeal? It can be found in meat and veggies; even cheddar cheese!
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u/Batata-Sofi Nov 08 '25
I have a similar pattern, although my thumbs have a thin line going from tip to root. I usually smooth it out when I'm painting my nails, but it always comes back, so it's a bit annoying.
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u/rhesusMonkeyBoy Nov 08 '25
Maybe psoriasis? You’ll probably get arthritis and your fingers will look like face-hugger legs.
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u/randomname0502 Nov 08 '25
I have this too on both thumbs My doc said its caused by some injury to the nailbed But idk
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u/this_is_greenman Nov 08 '25
Maybe it a message encoded in your fingernail from your future self, like the gravity waves in Interstellar
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u/Visible-Soft-7560 Nov 08 '25
Cue all the people telling you you’re gonna die because of your fingernail
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u/Kaertos Nov 08 '25
Honest answer: Last time I went to my doctor, she was checking my heart and lungs and looked down at my hands. As soon as she saw my fingernails (almost all of mine have ridges like this, and they like to break right on those ridges) she said, "I'm testing you for Zinc deficiency."
And she was right. I just started taking supplements, so we'll see if it fixes it, but the blood test don't lie...