Nail dystrophies are changes in nail texture or composition occurring due to a variety of factors like fungal infection, trauma, congenital abnormalities, psoriasis, lichen planus, benign tumours, and occasionally cancer. Nail disorders and dystrophia could appear in your fingernails or toenails and make you look unhygienically messy and unappealing.
Dystrophic nails can become disfigured, thickened, or have a partially destroyed nail plate. Nails could also become distorted by too much keratin in the nail plate and nail bed, and cause it to lift off the underlying skin. Commonly caused by fungal infections, there are various levels of severity and treatments. Fungal infection of the toenails also called onychomycosis could be treated using effective and regular medications whereas, extreme cases of dystrophia require nail removal and growth-inducing procedures. There could be other potential causes that include psoriasis and trauma – either direct injury or chronic, repetitive microtrauma.