Nail Disorders and Diseases Flashcards
Beau’s Lines
Depressions running across the nail plate’s width due to a slowing production of matrix cells, which causes the nail plate to grow thinner; usually the result of serious illness or injury
Discolored nail
Nails turn a variety of colors; may indicate surface staining, a systemic disorder, or poor blood circulation
Eggshell nail
Noticeably thin white nail plate is more flexible than usual; usually caused by diet, heredity, internal disease, medication, or overfiling with an abrasive; use caution when manicuring these fragile nails and minimize or avoid filing
Leukonychia
Whitish discolored spots on the nails, usually caused by minor injury to the nail matrix; often appear in the nails but do not indicate disease and disappear as the nail grows
Melanonychia
Significant nail darkening caused by increased pigment cells (melanocytes), visible as a black band extending from the base to the free edge, or as a dark color over the entire nail plate
Nail pterygium
irregular stretching of the eponychium or hyponychium around the nail plate; usually from serious injury of an allergic skin reaction
Onychophagy
Bitten nails; frequent manicures and proper hand care can help overcome this habit
Onychorrhexis
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
Pincer nail
also known as 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
Plicatured nail
also known as folded nail; a type of highly curved nail plate usually caused by injury to the matrix, but may be inheritedPlicatured nail
Ridged nail
Lengthwise grooves in the plate, often mistaken for ridges; usually the result of aging
Splinter hemorrhage
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
onychosis
any deformity or disease of the natural nails
Nail melanoma
a rare and serious type of skin cancer that begins in the nail matrix. It is more prevalent in the thumbs and big toes and usually affects one nail at a time.
Onychia
Matrix inflammation and nail shedding caused by infection or injury; possible medical referral required
Onychocryptosis
Ingrown nail, wherein the nail grows into the sides of the tissue around the nail; medical referral required
Onycholysis
Separation of the nail plate and bed, often due to injury or allergic reactions; when the cause is removed, the area slowly begins healing; medical referral required
Onychomadesis
Separation and falling off of a nail plate from the nail bed; caused by infection, matrix injury, systemic illness, or medical procedure, such as chemotherapy;
Onychomycosis
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; or a third common form causing the nail’s free edge, or as much as the entire plate, to crumble, often invading the free edge and spreading toward the matrix
Paronychia
Bacterial inflammation of the tissues around the nail plate, causing pus, swelling, and redness
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
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
Pyogenic granuloma
Severe nail inflammation, in which a lump of red tissue grows up from the nail bed to the nail plate; medical referral required
Tinea pedis
Medical term for fungal infections of the feet, also known as athlete’s foot; seen as red patches or scaling of the skin on the bottom of feet and/or between the toes
