$Unique_ID{BRK00767}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Crumbling Fingernail Condition}
$Subject{fingernail fingernails finger nail nails fungus treatment Skin fungi
fungal Infections infection potassium hydroxide}
$Volume{A-20}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Crumbling Fingernail Condition


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QUESTION:  I have a terrible looking condition affecting my finger nails.
They are yellow, and seem to be crumbling away.  I have tried to clean them
with soaps and have been taking a gelatin preparation everyday to try to make
them stronger, but nothing is working.  I am ashamed to be seen this way in
public.  Can you help me?

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ANSWER:  If information can help, I'll try, but I believe it will have to be
your local physician who is going to have to do the real work.  From your
description, I suspect that a fungus infection of the nails is at work here,
at is eating away at the dead tissue of the nail itself.  There are no
protective mechanisms here for your body to fight with, as there is no blood
circulation to the nail, so help will have to come in the form of appropriate
medications.  When you visit your doctor, he may scrape away some of the
debris which is now lodged beneath the nail, and use this material to test for
a fungus.  By using a solution of potassium hydroxide, he can prepare a slide
that may be examined under the microscope and reveal the presence of the
fungus that is causing you all the trouble.  There are a number of
preparations that may be prescribed, but you must be prepared to use them
regularly, usually applied twice a day, and for a period that may last as long
as four weeks.  But it won't end there, for once the infection is killed you
must still be patient while the new, normal nail grows back at the rate of 0.1
mm a day or about 6 months for an entire new nail take the place of those now
causing your embarrassment.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.