Have Pterygium Nail. What Cure And Medication Should Be Done?

Posted on Sun, 25 Nov 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 Answered on

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : Pterygium Nail ! I have a nail condition ,both thumb nails splitting bad ,what cure or medication can solve the problem?

Answered by Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (5 hours later)

Hi there.
Do you have any other skin condition eg lichen planus associated with this pterygium? If not & if it is only the pterygium bothering you , then it is to be removed or treated purely for cosmetic reasons.
It is a very difficult condition to treat as it involves destruction of the nail bed in most instances & the ensuing nail growth is not normally satisfactory to be honest.
However, for best results, i recommend total avulsion of the nail under a local anaesthesia & then an intralesional steroid injection into the area again under a ring or digital block. This can be done by your local dermatologist or dermatosurgeon depending on competency levels or by a surgeon (general).
Cheers & Good luck. Please do close this query if my answer has hit the 'nail on the bottom' & feel free to give us a healthy rating :) Good luck with the nail!
Dr Praveen Rodrigues MD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar