Nail care
Care of the fingernails and toenails. Many nail problems are due to poor nail care. Recommendations for maintaining nail health include keeping nails clean and dry to keep bacteria and other infectious organisms from collecting under the nails, cutting nails straight across with only slight rounding at the tip, using a fine-textured file to keep nails shaped and free of snags, and avoiding nail-biting. It is a good idea to soak toenails that are thick and difficult to cut in warm salt water (1 tsp. salt to 1 pint of water) for 5 to 10 minutes, and apply a 10 percent urea cream (available at drugstores, without a prescription) before trimming. One should not ‘dig out’ ingrown toenails, especially if they are sore; instead, a physician should provide treatment. Nail changes, swelling, and pain can signal serious problems that should be reported to a physician.
Read Also:
- Nail dysgenesis and hypodontia
A genetic disorder characterized by abnormalities of the nails (nail dysgenesis) and the absence of several teeth (hypodontia) at birth. The disorder is also known as Witkop syndrome or as the tooth and nail syndrome (TNS). The tooth and nail defects in the syndrome are highly variable. The number and type of congenitally missing permanent […]
- Nail furrows
Transverse lines or grooves across the fingernails; transverse depressions in the nail plate caused by temporary cessation of cell division in the proximal nail matrix. The condition may be caused by local disease of the nail fold, physical trauma to it, or a systemic insult, such as an illness or a drug as, for example, […]
- Nail infection, fungal
People with diabetes; People with disease of the small blood vessels (peripheral vascular disease) Artificial nails increase the risk for onychomycosis because, when an artificial nail is applied, the nail surface is usually abraded with an emery board damaging it, emery boards can carry infection, and water can collect under the nail creating a moist, […]
- Nail-patella syndrome
Iliac horns Abnormality of the elbows interfering with full range of motion (pronation and supination) Kidney disease resembling glomerulonephritis, which can be progressive and lead to renal failure. Nail-patella syndrome (NPS) is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. The risk NPS will be transmitted by an affected parent to each child is 50%. In a […]
- Nails, jogger's
Very common, small, semicircular white spots on the toenails. These spots result from injury to the base (matrix) of the nail, a structure under the visible nail where the cells that make up the visible nail are produced. The injury responsible for these white spots on the nails can be due to athletic activity or […]