Chapter 6 nail disorders and diseases glossary

Question 1

Beau’s lines

Answer 1

depressions running across the nail plate’s width due to a slowing production of matrix cells

Question 2

bruised nail bed

Answer 2

dark purplish spots, usually due to a small nail bed injury

Question 3

discolored nail

Answer 3

nail that has turned a variety of colors; may indicate surface staining, a systemic disorder, or poor blood circulation

Question 4

eggshell nail

Answer 4

noticeably thin, white nail plate that is more flexible than usual; usually caused by diet, heredity, internal disease, medication, or overfiling with an abrasive

Question 5

hangnail

Answer 5

damaged skin around the nail plate (often on the eponychium) becomes split or torn

Question 6

infected finger

Answer 6

finger with visible redness, pain, swelling, broken skin, or pus

Question 7

luekonychia

Answer 7

whitish discoloration found inside the nail plate, usually caused by injury to the nail matrix

Question 8

melanonychia

Answer 8

significant darkening of the fingernails or toenails caused by increased pigment cells (melanocytes); may be seen as a black band under or within the nail plate, extending from the base to the free edge

Question 9

nail disorder

Answer 9

an unhealthy nail condition that is hereditary or caused by injury or disease of the nail unit

Question 10

nail melanoma

Answer 10

aka subungual melanoma; a rare and serious type of skin cancer that begins in the nail matrix. It is more prevalent in the nails of your thumbs and big toes and usually affects one nail at a time. Sometimes it can look like other conditions that affect the nail bed, such as a bruise. If untreated it can metastasize or spread to other parts of your body

Question 11

nail psoriasis

Answer 11

nail surface pitting, roughness, onycholysis, and bed discolorations randomly or evenly spaced; nail plate may appear as if it has been filled with a coarse abrasive, or the free edge may be ragged, or both

Question 12

nail pterygium

Answer 12

irregular stretching of the eponychium or hyponychium around the nail plate; usually from serious injury of an allergic skin reaction

Question 13

onychia

Answer 13

inflammation of the nail matrix followed by shedding of the natural nail caused by infection or injury

Question 14

onychocryptosis

Answer 14

aka ingrown nail; nail grows into the living tissue around the nail

Question 15

onycholysis

Answer 15

separation of the nail plate and bed, often due to injury or allergic reactions

Question 16

onychomadesis

Answer 16

separation and falling off a nail plate from the nail bed; caused by infection, matrix injury, systemic illness, or medical procedure

Question 17

onychomycosis

Answer 17

nail plate fungal infection, consisting of whitish patches that can be scraped off the nail’s surface or long whitish or pale yellowish streaks within the nail plate

Question 18

onychophagy

Answer 18

aka bitten nails; result of a habit of chewing the nail or chewing the hardened skin surrounding the nail plate

Question 19

onychorrhexis

Answer 19

irregular split or brittle nails appearing as nail plate surface roughness; potentially caused by heredity, matrix injury, excessive exposure to cuticle removers, harsh cleaning agents, or aggressive filing techniques

Question 20

onychosis

Answer 20

any deformity or disease of the natural nails

Question 21

paronychia

Answer 21

bacterial inflammation of the tissues surrounding the nail; redness, pus, and swelling are usually present

Question 22

pincer nail

Answer 22

aka trumpet nail; a form of dramatically increased nail curvature of the free edge, whereby the nail can curl in upon itself or may be deformed only on one sidewall

Question 23

plicatured nail

Answer 23

aka folded nail; a type of highly curved nail plate usually caused by injury to the matrix, but may be inherited

Question 24

pseudomonas aeruginosa

Answer 24

rapidly growing and contagious bacteria that can cause infection; seen in the early stages as a yellow-green spot that becomes darker in its advanced stage, changing from yellow to green to brown to black

Question 25

pyogenic granuloma

Answer 25

severe inflammation of the nail in which a lump of red tissue grows up from the nail bed to the nail plate

Question 26

ridged nail

Answer 26

vertical lines running the length of the natural nail plate, usually the result of aging

Question 27

splinter hemorrhage

Answer 27

damage to the capillaries under the nail, giving the appearance of a lengthwise small splinter underneath the nail plate; caused by physical trauma or nail bed injury

Question 28

tinea pedis

Answer 28

aka athlete’s foot; medical term for fungal infection of the feet; often seen as red patches or scaling of the skin on the bottom of feet and/or between the toes