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Air
Bag Dermatitis
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Median
Canal Dystrophy: This 42 year old woman has a recent onset of
nail dystrophy on both thumb nails. She had been applying anit-fungal
creams without success. There is no history of physical trauma to
the thumbs. Examination shows both thumb nails to have a central,
slightly elevated ridge with a canal-like crevice within it. Discussion:
Median canal dystrophy is an aquired nail deformity of unknown cause,
with the sudden onset of the development of a central groove in
the nail plate, usually on the thumbs. There is no treatment, and
the deformity may spontaneously resolve.
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Myxoid
Cyst (mucous cyst) with subsequent nail deformity. In this photo,
you will notice a longitudinal grooved defect of the nail plate,
with a bump present at the proximal nail fold, near the cuticle
area. The bump is a myxoid cyst, composed of mucinous jelly-like
material. The pressure that the cyst exerts on the nail matrix area
causes the resulting nail deformity. The cyst may be treated by
incision and drainage, by cortisone injection, or by freezing the
area with liquid nitrogen. Occasionally, the area may be excised.
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Basal Cell Carcinoma: This lesion is the most common cancer known. Notice the pearly color, with blood vessels coursing across the top of the nodule. It is felt that the cause of this tumor is chronic sunlight exposure, and consequently the most common locations for this cancer are on the sun exposed parts of the body, especially the face, upper back, and forearms. Luckily, this tumor only rarely metastasizes, but generally causes most of its destruction by local invasion of near-by tissue. |
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| Seborrheic Keratosis: This 62 year old male has a seborrheic keratosis lesion on his back that has slowly grown over the past several years. It is painless and does not bleed or itch. Examination shows an irregularly shaped, uniformly colored dark brown elevated papulo-nodule on the upper back. Discussion: A biopsy showed a typical seborrheic keratosis, a wart-like, benign lesion that occurs most commonly on the face, chest and back. It tends to occur in family clusters, most likely inherited. It can range in color from flesh colored to tan to dark black, but has no tendency whatsoever to become malignant. Treatment, if desired, can be any destructive method, such as freezing with liquid nitrogen or curetting/burning. |
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| Nail Biting (onychophagia) is a condition seen in both youngsters and adults. The constant manipulation of both the nail plate and the nail matrix leads to a deformed nail, which can become permanent, if scarring of the nail matrix unit is accomplished. Generally, but not always, onychophagia is a habit tic; but it may also be representative of a deeper psychological problem. The treatment for the actual nail problem is simply to leave the nails alone, and treat any infection which might have ensued. If scarring of the nail plate has occurred, then the use of false nails may be necessary for cosmetic acceptance. |
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| Of course, the opposite of nail biting is pictured above: never cutting the nails. The nails will often become curved, and occasionally will become thickened, hard, and unmanageable (especially if the nails are on the toes). This condition is called onychogryphosis. |
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Amelanotic Melanoma Malignant melanoma, or cancerous mole, is potentially one of the most malignant tumors known to affect humans. As a general rule, the ABCD's should be looked for: Assymmetry (the lesion is not able to have one half of it be the mirror image of the other half); Border (the border is irregular, not smooth and regular); Color (the color scheme is a hodge-podge of colors, ranging from pink to tan to brown to gray to black); Diameter (the lesion is generally larger than a pencil eraser). In the above case, however, there is no irregularity to the color, and in fact, there is no pigment. In addition, the tumor possesses a smooth border and is symmetrical. Because an amelonotic melanoma (one without any pigmentation to it) does not correspond to the ABCD's of a malignant mole, these are often overlooked, and the resulting consequences are devastating. |
... zitdoctor.com