Michael Jackson had abnormal fingernails, but not due to his vitiligo & lupus!

Michael Jackson’s fingernails in 2005 (left), 2006 (center) & 2009 (right) – ‘click’ for larger versions! Michael Jackson had abnormal fingernails, but his nails were not related to his vitiligo & lupus! While the first autopsy results related to Michael Jackson’s death were presented earlier this week, there are still many discussions about the state of Michael Jackson’s health – only a few days before his death his health was described by his spokesman Doctor Tohme Tohme as: a ‘perfect health‘. In the perspective of his death it is also important to know that Michael Jackson was diagnosed in 1986 with vitiligo and lupus. Lupus is known as a potentially lethal disease (heart disease is a major complication in lupus!), but in Michael Jackson it was recognized to be in remission. Anyhow, one can still wonder: can his fingernail problems be related to the vitiligo and/or the lupus? The answer to this question appears to be a simple: ‘no’! For, vitiligo is related to the following nail disorders: • Longitudinal striations; • Trachyonychia (thin & lusterless nails); And lupus is related to the following nail disorders: • Nail spooning; • Irregular, twisted, and dilated vessels at the cuticle. CONCLUSION: Out of the 4 described fingernail disorders related to vitiligo and lupus, the 4th can be related to his hand deterioration that was observed in 2009. But none of these fingernail disorders can be related to the typical looks of Michael Jackson’s fingernails during the last 3 years of his life. But one should not forget that Michael Jackson’s fingernail problems were first recognized by the media in 2006, when members of Michael Jackson’s family were terrified that his escalating dependence on prescription drugs had become a danger to his life. While Michael Jackson’s lupus was considered to be in remission, one could also speculate that his hand deterioration + his sudden death might have signaled a lupus relapse … due to an excessive use of prescription drugs??? SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER READING: • In memoriam: ‘The hands of Michael Jackson’! • How Michael Jackson’s autopsy results relate to his hand • Michael Jackson’s hands: a clue to his sudden death? • Michael Jackson’s hands: a manicurist’s worst nightmare! Another example of Michael Jackson’s “unhealthy” dark fingernails: