Nail psoriasis
About 250 million people in the world suffer from psoriasis. This disease can affect any part of the body, including the torso, arms, legs, and even nails. Today we will talk about what is nail psoriasis and how to treat it.
What is nail psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the immune system that can be mild or severe.
About half of people with psoriasis, and about 80 percent of people with psoriatic arthritis, which affects the joints, experience nail changes. Doctors cannot clearly determine why this happens to some people and not to others. In rare cases, the nails are the only part of the body that shows signs of psoriasis.
Most often, nail psoriasis is a side effect of common psoriasis because the nails are part of the skin. They grow from the nail root, which is located under the cuticle. And nail psoriasis is formed in this root.
What are the causes of nail psoriasis?
The most important thing to start with is to let you know that psoriasis is not contagious. Why nail psoriasis develops is not fully known. Nail damage appears to be a combination of genetic (hereditary), immunological and environmental factors.
Psoriasis is usually a hereditary disease. About 40% of people with psoriasis have a first-degree relative who suffers from psoriasis. If both parents have psoriasis, then with a probability of up to 75%, the child will also face this problem. Men and women suffer from psoriasis equally. Also, psoriasis does not care what race you are.
Nail psoriasis symptoms
Nail psoriasis can cause several different symptoms, such as:
- Dents on nails. The nail plate is the hard surface that forms the top layer of your nails. It is made up of keratin cells. Psoriasis of the nail provokes the loss of these same cells by the nail plate. This leads to the formation of small dimples on the nails of the hands or feet. The number of depressions varies from person to person. Some people may only have one notch per nail, while others will have dozens. The indentations may be shallow or deep.
- Peeling of the nail plate. Sometimes the nail can separate from the nail bed. This separation is called onycholysis. In the process of onycholysis, an empty space is formed under the nails. Bacteria can get into the space under the nail and provoke an infection, which, in turn, will be responsible for the blackening of the nail completely.
Treatment of nail psoriasis is not an easy task. And it will take a lot of time. Some will even have to try several treatments to find one that really works. But proper nail care will help you get the best treatment results. Be healthy and beautiful! :)