Nailfold capillaroscopy is a painless, close-up look at the tiny blood vessels at the base of your fingernails. It helps your team spot patterns linked to dermatomyositis, overlap conditions, and Raynaud’s.
Nothing breaks the skin, no needles are used, and you can do everything as normal afterward.
Nailfold capillaroscopy uses a special magnifier or a camera-microscope to look at the small blood vessels (capillaries) at the base of your fingernails, an area called the nailfold. A drop of clear oil is placed on the skin so the vessels show up clearly. Nothing breaks the skin, and you feel nothing. In a healthy nailfold, these vessels form neat, regular loops.
When the capillaries are tidy and evenly spaced, that is reassuring. In dermatomyositis, antisynthetase syndrome, and overlap conditions, and in some people with Raynaud’s, they can look different: enlarged or giant loops, gaps where vessels have dropped out, tiny areas of bleeding, and a disorganised pattern. Seeing these changes helps your team support a diagnosis of dermatomyositis or a related connective-tissue disease, tell apart harmless Raynaud’s from Raynaud’s linked to an autoimmune condition, and sometimes follow how things change over time.
Capillaroscopy is completely safe and painless. Nothing is injected, nothing breaks the skin, and there is no recovery time.
The clinician notes the pattern and shares it with your Centre team, who will explain what it means alongside your other results. The test is often repeated over time to watch for any change.
This guide is for learning, not medical advice. Your team will explain your own test, and every person’s situation is a little different. Always follow the instructions you are given.