Dermatologists: they're the skin doctors, right? Well, kind of. Dermatologists do spend most of their time diagnosing and treating skin ailments and disorders. However, dermatologists also deal with the other tissues on the outside of your body, including your fingernails. Here are some signs you may want to have a dermatologist take a look at your fingernails.
Your nails have pits and gouges in them.
When you look at the surface of your nails, do they appear to be covered in tiny pits and potholes? Maybe they appear to have gouges in them. This can be a sign of psoriasis. Most people think of psoriasis as a skin condition, but it can sometimes affect the nails before the skin. Or, if you have already been diagnosed with psoriasis, this could be a symptom you were unaware of to this point. Psoriasis is treatable with various topical agents and corticosteroids, so it is worth bringing your pitted nails to the attention of a dermatologist. If you don't have skin symptoms yet, starting to treat the condition now may even allow you to avoid them.
Your nails are lifting off your nail bed.
Does one or more of your fingernails seem to be lifting off the nail bed and away from your finger? This can be a sign of an underlying hormonal imbalance, such as a thyroid disorder. Your dermatologist can take a closer look and refer you to an endocrinologist if needed. In the meantime, they can trim your nails in a way that keeps you more comfortable and encourages them to keep growing back in as healthy a pattern as possible.
Your nails are thick and yellow.
If your nails are thick, yellow, and almost opaque, then there's a good chance you have a fungal infection in your fingernails. These infections are notoriously hard to treat. Although there are a lot of folk remedies out there that are promised to help clear up fungal nail infections, they don't always work. Seeing a dermatologist, who can prescribe an oral or topical antifungal medication, is more likely to be effective. If prescription treatments are not effective, your dermatologist may need to remove the infected nails and treat your nail bed.
Dermatologists do treat skin, but they also treat fingernails. If you have any of the fingernail problems above, or if something else strange is happening to your fingernails, then your first call should be to a dermatologist.
Share16 March 2021
Do you look in the mirror and wish that your skin was free from blemishes, more vibrant, or more youthful? Skin care and treatments for conditions like acne and psoriasis have come so far in recent years. Dermatologists now understand a lot more about these conditions and are able to prescribe treatment regimens that not only ease symptoms, but treat their underlying causes. This website is a good place to learn more about those treatments. Whether you're someone with acne, a patient with wrinkles, or someone with healthy skin who simply wants to keep it that way, you can benefit from reading about skincare and from seeing a dermatologist.
