Psoriasis Symptoms
4 Members
Created by Stephen Doogan

View Article

Psoriasis Symptoms: Nail Psoriasis Symptoms

November 13th, 2008 by Stephen Doogan

Nail Psoriasis Symptoms

Usually, if psoriasis affects your nails, you have skin symptoms, too. If you have psoriasis of the nails but do not have skin symptoms, the condition may be difficult for your doctor to diagnose. Inform your doctor if you have a family history of psoriasis.

Your nail area is made up of a nail plate, nail bed, hyponychium, nail matrix, nail folds, cuticle, anchoring portion, and ends of the finger bones. You can see each of these structures in Images 1-2.

If you have psoriasis of the nails, you might notice the following signs:

    * Clear yellow-red nail discoloring that looks like a drop of blood or oil under the nail plate: You doctor may refer to this as an oil drop or a salmon patch. This is a sign to your doctor that you have nail psoriasis.

    * Little pits in your nails: Your doctor may call this pitting of the proximal nail matrix. Pits develop when cells are lost from the nail’s surface.

    * Lines going across the nails (side to side rather than root to tip): Your doctor may call these lines Beau lines of the nail. Your cells respond to psoriasis by becoming inflamed from time to time, which causes these lines in your nails.

    * Areas of white on your nail plate: Your doctor may refer to this as leukonychia or midmatrix disease. It is also caused by a reaction of your cells to psoriasis.

    * Thickening of the skin under your nail: Your doctor may call this subungual hyperkeratosis. This can lead to loosening of the nail.

    * Loosening of the nail: Your doctor may refer to this as onycholysis of the nail bed and nail hyponychium. Your nail may develop a white area where it is separated from the skin underneath your nail. It usually starts at the tip of the nail and extends toward the root. The nail bed (skin under your nail) may become infected.

    * Crumbling of the nail: Your doctor may call this nail plate crumbling at the nail bed or nail matrix. Your nail weakens because the underlying structures are not healthy.

    * Tiny black lines in your nail in tip-to-cuticle direction: Your doctor may call this a splinter hemorrhage or dilated tortuous capillaries in the dermal papillae. This occurs when the tiny capillaries in the tip of your fingers bleed between the nail and the skin under the nail.

    * Redness of the pale arched area at the bottom of your nail: Your doctor may call this spotted lunula. It occurs when the capillaries under your nail are congested.

    * Arthritis of your fingers with nail changes: The nails are affected in 53-86% of people who have psoriatic arthritis. 

Nail psoriasis can also occur with fungal infections of the nail (onychomycosis) and inflammation of the skin around the edges of your nail (paronychia).

Original Article: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/nail_psoriasis/page3_em.htm#Nail%20Psoriasis%20Symptoms

Results 1 - 1

  • Jaymes

    I have had nail psoriasis for quite some time.. around 5 years. I am in my mid twenties and have made efforts to try and restrict the spread and cosmetic effects. To date all efforts have been unsuccessful. I am fortunate that I don't have too many areas affected by psoriasis.... spots on scalp, legs and on occasion face, but all minimal.

    Does anyone have any alternative medicines or anything that has helped them?

    Thanks

    12 months ago

Sign In to leave a comment.