Some nervous habits damage the nails and some people may bite or pick up their cuticles and the skin around the nails. In the common habit tic nail dystrophy, the cuticle of the thumbnail is the target for picking or rubbing. This repetitive trauma causes a ladder pattern of transverse ridges and grooves to run up the center of the nail plate. A 15-year-old boy presented with bilateral thumbnails medial dystrophy due to nail cuticle and plate picking of three years duration.
Category Archives: Nail Disorders
Nail Disorders
Idiopathic onycholysis
A middle-aged lady presented with onycholysis involved all fingernails of one year duration. History and examination excluded any underlying cause (psoriasis, eczema, lichen planus and drugs) and family history was negative.
Idiopathic Koilonychia
All fingernails are spoon-shaped, the shown index finger is an example. Most cases of koilonychia are usually due to iron deficiency anemia however this 35-year-old man had normal iron level (idiopathic koilonychia) and his nails’ deformity has been noticed since childhood.
Leukonychia
Leukonychia striata is one variant of leukonychia, it may be of hereditary, traumatic or systemic origin. This 17-year-old female presented with multiple transverse white bands affecting the finger nails of many years duration. She had no similar family history and was not associated with any systemic disease.
Isotretinoin-induced paronychia
A 20-year-old female presented with severe nodulocystic acne was put on Isotretinoin (Roaccutane) 40 mg capsule per day. Two months later with dramatic improvement in acne she presented with painful lateral nail folds paronychia confined to the middle fingers of both hands. Paronychia is an infection of one or more nail folds, usually with Staphylococcus aureus. It can be particularly stubborn and resistant to treatment but settles once the isotretinoin has been discontinued.
Ingrown toe nail
History
lngrown nail (Onychocryptosis or Unguis lncarnatus) is one of the most frequent nail complaints. It occurs chiefly on the great toes (ingrown big toe nail), where there is an excessive lateral nail growth into the nailfold, leading to painful, inflammatory condition. The lateral margin of the nail acts as a foreign body and may cause exuberant granulation tissue.
Leukonychia striata
History
Leukonychia striata is one variant of leukonychia, it may be hereditary, traumatic or of systemic origin. This 17-year-old female presented with multiple transverse white bands affecting the finger nails of many years duration. She had no similar family history and was not associated with any systemic disease.
Idiopathic koilonychia
History
All fingernails are spoon-shaped, the shown index finger is an example. Most cases of koilonychia are usually due to iron deficiency anemia however this patient had no anemia with normal iron level and his nails’ deformity has been noticed since childhood.