This article was medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS. Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006.
Onycholysis is the gradual, painless separation of a fingernail or toenail from its nail bed. The most likely cause is trauma, but other factors could affect it. Visit your doctor to determine the cause of your onycholysis. If an underlying medical condition is to blame, your doctor will help you treat it so that your nails can heal. If injury or prolonged exposure to moisture or chemicals caused your onycholysis, it will likely go away with the proper treatment and preventative measures.
This article was medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS. Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006. This article has been viewed 205, 507 times.
Onycholysis (nail Separation): Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
If you want to cure your onycholysis, make sure to see your doctor to find out the cause and determine the best treatment options. Since nails separated from their nail beds can lead to further injury, ask your doctor to trim yours, since doing it yourself could cause infection. For onycholysis caused by a fungal infection, use an antifungal medication prescribed by your doctor. Make sure to apply any topical creams around the nail bed daily. To protect your nails from excessive moisture as they heal, apply a drying substance like Thymol in alcohol to them after getting your hands or feet wet. For more advice from our Medical co-author, like how to prevent onycholysis, scroll down.Onycholysis is when your nail separates from its nail bed. It often appears after an injury to your nail, but it may have other causes, including fungi. Treatment may only involve cutting away the separated nail as it grows out, or you may need to take antifungal medications or stop using certain nail products.
Onycholysis (on-uh-coll-uh-sis) is when a nail (nail plate) on your fingers or toes separates from the skin on which it rests (the nail bed). It typically only affects one nail.
Onycholysis is common, and it generally lasts for several months or over a year. Any conditions that affect the skin underneath your nails eventually cause onycholysis.
Onycholysis And Toenails Falling Off
Onycholysis usually isn’t painful, but what causes your onycholysis may be painful or irritating. If you have onycholysis due to injuries or fungal infections, you may experience pain and irritation.
Depending on what causes your onycholysis, it may be contagious. Onycholysis caused by an injury, nail psoriasis or reaction to a medication or chemical isn’t contagious. However, onycholysis caused by a fungus may be contagious.
A person with an infection can spread the fungus to someone else through skin-to-skin contact. You can also get nail fungus by touching an infected surface (indirect contact), like walking barefoot around public pools or showers or by sharing items like towels, nail clippers and nail scissors.
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Onycholysis is easy to recognize, so you don’t necessarily need a healthcare professional to diagnose it, especially if you know its cause.
If you don’t know what’s caused your onycholysis, seeing your healthcare provider is a good idea. They’ll look closely at your affected nails to evaluate your symptoms.
There isn’t a cure for the section of your nail that’s detached from the nail bed — you can’t reattach it. But treatment can keep new nail growth attached to your nail bed.
A. Separation Of The Nail Plate From The Nail Bed Using A Nail...
If you have onycholysis because of an injury, the detached part of your nail will eventually grow out. Use nail clippers or nail scissors to remove your affected nail as it grows out.
Nail fungi can be difficult to treat. It’s important to finish your full course of medicine. If you stop too soon, the fungus that caused your onycholysis may come back and be harder to treat.
While essential oils are safe for most people, it’s a good idea to check with your healthcare provider before trying them. You may be at risk of developing an allergic reaction.
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If you and your healthcare provider can determine the cause of your onycholysis, your nails will slowly but surely regrow. Your fingernails grow slowly, and your toenails grow even slower. It may take up to six to nine months for your fingernails to grow completely out, and it may take 12 to 18 months for your toenails to grow completely out.
Onycholysis causes your nails to pull up from nail beds. It usually isn’t painful, but can be contagious if a fungus is the cause.
It’s important to pay attention to your nails. If you haven’t experienced an injury or trauma to your affected nails, it’s a good idea to contact your healthcare provider as soon as you notice onycholysis. You may have a fungus, or your onycholysis may be a symptom of a more serious condition.
Onycholysis Images, Stock Photos & Vectors
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Onycholysis is the medical term for when your nail separates from the skin underneath it. Onycholysis is not uncommon, and has several possible causes.
This condition lasts for several months, because a fingernail or toenail won’t reattach to its nail bed. Once a new nail grows to replace the old one, symptoms should resolve. Fingernails take 4 to 6 months to fully regrow, and toenails can take 8 to 12 months.
How To Address The Disappearing Nail Bed
Injury to the nail can cause onycholysis. Wearing tight shoes can cause injury. The condition can also result from an allergy to products used on the nail, like chemical nail polish remover or artificial nail tips. Onycholysis can also be a symptom of nail fungus or psoriasis.
Nails tend to be a barometer of your overall health. If your nails look unhealthy or have problems like onycholysis, this could be the first visible sign that something deeper is going on in your body.
Sometimes onycholysis can indicate a serious yeast infection or thyroid disease. It can also mean that you aren’t getting enough of essential vitamins or minerals, such as iron.
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If you have onycholysis, your nail will begin to peel upward from the nail bed. This is not usually painful. The affected nail may become yellow, greenish, purple, white, or gray, depending on the cause.
Determining the cause of your onycholysis is the most important step. Once the cause is found, treating the underlying issue will help resolve the issue.
While it’s important to keep your nails short, aggressive clipping is not recommended. As the affected portion of the nail grows out, you will be able to clip off the lifted nail as the new nail comes in.
Fungal Nail Infection
The cause of the nail separation will need to be addressed before the symptoms stop occurring. It may feel unnecessary to visit your doctor over a nail issue, but it’s not. Onycholysis, especially recurring onycholysis, might need a diagnosis and a prescription in order to heal.
It’s not uncommon to have onycholysis as a symptom of psoriasis. The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Association estimates at least 50 percent of people with psoriasis experience problems with their nails.
Fingernails in particular are affected by psoriasis. Treating psoriasis in the nails can be difficult. Doctors may prescribe topical vitamin D or corticosteroids to treat nail psoriasis.
Nail Separating From Skin Underneath
A blood test may reveal that you have a thyroid condition or vitamin deficiency causing you to have onycholysis. In this case, your doctor may prescribe medication or an oral supplement to treat the underlying cause.
In the meantime, you might want to try to treat your onycholysis at home. Don’t try to clean underneath the nail, as you could sweep bacteria deeper underneath the nail or make the problem worse.
Talk with your doctor before using tea tree or another essential oil. Don’t put essential oils directly on your skin. It’s also important to dilute them first.
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Applying a mixture of tea tree oil diluted by a carrier oil, such as jojoba or coconut oil, may get rid of the fungus. It’s important to keep the nail dry while it heals.
A skin sensitivity to products such as glue, acrylics, or acetone used during manicures and pedicures. If you have skin allergies to these products, avoid the nail salon. Choose allergen-free products and paint your nails at home.
If you have a fungus or yeast growth causing your onycholysis, you can stop it from spreading by taking proper care of your nails. Don’t bite your nails, as this will spread the
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