Chapter 6: Nail Disorders & Diseases

Question 1

Hangnail

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Onycholysis

Answer 2

Separation of the nail plate and bed

often due to injury or allergic reactions

Question 3

Eggshell Nail

Answer 3

Thin white nail plate that is more flexible than usual

caused by poor diet, heredity, internal disease, or overfil with file

Question 4

Onychomycosis

Answer 4

Nail plate fungal infection

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

Question 5

Discolored nail

Answer 5

Nail that has turned a variety of colors

indicates surface staining, systemic disorder, or poor blood circulatio

Question 6

Onychosis

Answer 6

Any deformity or disease of the natural nails

Question 7

Leukonychia

Answer 7

Whitish discoloration found inside the nail plate

usually caused by injury to the nail matrix

Question 8

Onychorrhexis

Answer 8

irregular split or brittle nails appearing as nail plate surface roughness

heredity, matrix injury, exposure to cuticle remover, or aggressive file

Question 9

Ridged Nail

Answer 9

Vertical lines running the length of the natural nail plate

usually the result of aging

Question 10

Paronychia

Answer 10

Bacterial inflammation of the tissues surrounding the nail

redness, pus, and swelling are usually present

Question 11

Bruised Nail Bed

Answer 11

dark purplish spots

usually due to a small nail bed injury

Question 12

Nail Disorder

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Answer 13

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 14

Pyogenic Granuloma

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Pincer Nail (trumpet nail)

Answer 15

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 16

Beau’s Lines

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Melanonychia

Answer 17

Significant darkening of the fingernails or toenails

cause by increased pigment cells (melanocytes)

may be seen as a black band under/within the nail plate, extending from the base to the freee edge

Question 18

Nail Melanoma (subungual melanoma)

Answer 18

A rare, serious type of skin cancer that begins in the nail matrix

Mostly 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 19

Tinea Pedis (athletes foot)

Answer 19

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 toe

Question 20

Onychocryptosis (ingrown nail)

Answer 20

Nail grows into the living tissue around the nail

Question 21

Splinter Hemorrhage

Answer 21

Damage to the capillaries under the nail

caused by physical trauma or nail bed injury

gives the appearance of the lengrhwise small splinter underneath the nail plate

Question 22

Nail Pterygium

Answer 22

Irregular stretching of the eponychium or hyponychium around the nail plate

usually from serious injury or an allergic skin reaction

Question 23

Nail Psoriasis

Answer 23

Nail surface pitting, roughness, onycholysis, and bed discolorations randomly or evenly spaced

nail plate may appear as if it has been filed with a coarse abrasive, or the free edge may be ragged, or both

Question 24

Onychomadesis

Answer 24

Separation and falling off of a nail plate from the nail bed

caused by infecton, matrix injury, systemic illes, or medical procedure

Question 25

Infected Finger

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Plicatured Nail (folded nail)

Answer 26

A type of highly curved nail plate

usually caused by injury to the matrix, but may be inherited

Question 27

Onychia

Answer 27

Inflammation of the nail matrix followed by shedding of the natural nail

caused by infection or injury

Question 28

Onychophagy (bitten nails)

Answer 28

Result of a habit of chewing the nail or chewing the hardened skin surrounding the nail plate