Onycholysis is otherwise a protruding nail. The reasons for the detachment of the nail plate from the placenta can be different: from trivial injuries, through infections, to serious skin and body diseases or a genetic defect. Onycholysis can also happen in pregnancy. What to do when the nail comes off?
Onycholysisthat issticking out nailhappens at least once in the life of most people, usually a bruise or impact of the nail .After some time after the injury, we notice that the nail changes color and begins to stick out. Colloquially it is said that "the nail comes off" .The damaged nail plate delaminates from the placenta, ie the richly supplied tissue underneath it. The nail becomes white or yellowish. Air, exfoliated keratin and impurities enter between the plaque and the placenta. The pink background shining through the he althy nails is no longer visible.
Onycholysis caused by injuries
Onycholysis or detachment of the nail plate occurs not only due to impact. Very often the reason is a poorly made manicure: a nail that is cut or filed too short, a plate is lifted with a nail file or a chisel, when we want to remove the dirt from under the nail too vigorously. It also happens that when extending the nail with the acrylic method, the manicurist will apply too warm mass and this leads to the delamination of the nail plate.
Onycholysis sometimes ends with attempts to use nails to unscrew screws, pry or split. Such activities break the plate. Also women with very long fingernails, with which they hit hard surfaces while performing everyday activities, may suffer from onycholysis.
The plate detachment due to injury also affects the toenails. First of all, when they are too long and therefore exposed to constant pressure in the shoe, or when we wear too small, uncomfortable shoes, even with properly cut nails. High-heeled shoes, in which the entire body weight is on the toes, also cause injuries to the nails.
Injuries to the nails causing detachment also occur in certain sports: long-distance running, which exposes the nails to long-term irritation, and team games and tennis, where they can be damaged by rapid changes in direction of movement.
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Drug-induced onycholysis
Taking certain medications is also the cause of the detachment of the nail plate. It can be caused mainly by antibiotics, e.g. from the group of tetracyclines, which lead to onycholysis as a result of a phototoxic reaction. It is also favored by psoralens - photosensitizers used in the treatment of psoriasis. Oral retinoids often used by dermatologists in the treatment of acne are also the cause of onycholysis. Some chemotherapeutic agents used in neoplastic disease (they are toxic to the nail matrix) and some diuretics also have a similar effect.
Onycholysis due to infections and diseases
Very often detachment of the nail plate occurs as a result of a fungal infection, bacterial or viral infection. Responsible for this are yeasts, molds and dermatophytes, blue oil bacilli, streptococci, and the human papillomavirus (HPV) and the herpes virus.
Onycholysis is also sometimes one of the symptoms of skin diseases: psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, contact eczema, lichen planus, sometimes accompanying alopecia areata.
It can also be one of the symptoms of systemic diseases: diabetes, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, iron deficiency and anemia and circulatory disorders, pellagra (a disease caused by vitamin PP deficiency) and porphyria (a type of metabolic disorder leading to a lack of heme needed for the production of hemoglobin).
How to deal with onycholysis?
Treatment depends on the cause of onycholysis. If the reason is an injury, cut the nail shortly, protect it from contamination and soaking, and wait patiently for the new nail plate to replace the old, damaged one.
If the cause is an infection of the nails, it must be diagnosed by a dermatologist. Mycosis may be evidenced by the appearance of discoloration on the nails: white, yellowish, then brown. The nail becomes thick and begins to delaminate. Inflammatory lesions around the nail may indicate a bacterial infection, and viral infections often cause lumps and warts around the nail. The dermatologist will first of all prescribe the treatment of the disease. However, diseased nails can be taken under the care of an experienced manicurist or pedicurist. They can be reconstructed by applying a therapeutic gel mass, which, after drying and hardening, is polished into a nail shape.
If onycholysis is caused by one of the diseases of the whole organism - you need to be treated by an appropriate specialist and after consultation with him, if there are no contraindications, you can also reconstruct the nails.