AREATA alopecia nails: images, symptoms and treatment

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition that causes abnormal inflammation around the hair follicles, causing excessive hair loss. The condition can cause nail symptoms, including texture, shape or color changes.

These changes are generally minor and may not affect your daily life. However, some people have more serious nail changes that can cause pain and interfere with daily activities.

About 45% of people with AREATA alopecia have nail changes, and certain changes are more common than others.

The number of nails with symptoms may vary, from a nail to all your affected nails. Changes can affect your nails or nails. The severity to which each nail is affected could differ, and you might see more than one type of nail change.

The changes can be subtle enough not to notice them. For some people, however, they can be obvious enough for them to feel embarrassed.

In a minority of people, nail problems can cause nails and pain, which makes it difficult to do daily tasks. If this is the case, your nail problems can cause you more distress than your hair loss.

Nail bites

The bites are the most common nail problem in Areata alopecia, occurring around 70% of people with nail changes. It looks like shallow indentations in nails and generally affects only nails, not nails.

Most often, nail bites are soft and may not even be noticed. When serious, nail bites can cause nails and nail pain, which could interfere with your normal activities.

Trachyonie

The word trachyonie has Greek origins, roughly translating into “rough nails”. It affects approximately a quarter of people with AREATA alopecia’s nail changes.

With Trayyychia, the nails are rough, brittle, thin and fragile, often affecting the 20 nails. You might see longitudinal ridges, where several ridges go up over the length of your nail. The nails may seem extra shiny, and you can also see the fractionation of the nails, the cracks in the nail that can cause pain.

Leukonychia

Leukonychia comes from the Greek word for “white nails”. This can affect around 20% of people who have AREATA alopecia nail problems. In Leukonychia, small white spots are distributed through the nails. The condition generally does not cause pain.

Other nail changes

Other nail changes, such as excessive fragility and finesse, could cause new nail damage. Target cuticles or brown discoloration can also occur with AREATA alopecia.

Some other possible but rare problems may include:

• Lunula Red: Reddish plots in the crescent -shaped white area at the base of the nail, given in particular in people with very serious alopecia
• Beautiful lines: Bumps that cross the nails horizontally
• Koilychia:: A “spoon -shaped” back form to nails
• Onycholysis:: When the nail separates from the underlying nail bed

Onycholysis is very rare, but it probably alters daily activities and requires direct treatment more often than other nail changes.

In AREATA alopecia, some parts of your immune system become abnormally activated. Lymphocytic cells can target areas around hair follicles, causing hair loss.

The nails share similarities in the structure with the hair follicles. For this reason, certain inflammatory cells that affect the hair follicles can also affect the nails of certain people with AREATA alopecia.

Nail changes from AREATA alopecia sometimes occur before undergoing hair loss or receiving a diagnosis of AREATA alopecia. Other times, your nails can show changes of months in years after your initial hair loss. Most often, they start almost at the same time.

The specific type of nail change may not influence the treatment, but the overall severity of the nails – how many nails are affected, that you suffer and how your daily activities are affected – can dictate a treatment.

Many people do not need a specific treatment for nail symptoms, especially if the changes are not serious. Nails often improve with standard oral treatments for Areata alopecia, such as oral corticosteroids or drugs like Olumiant (Baricitinib).

Certain nail changes improve even without treatment, especially in children.

People with larger nail problems may require medication directly applied to the nail and skin nearby. The options may include creams based on vitamin A such as Tazorac (tazarotene) or corticosteroids such as Clobex (Clobetasol). Corticosteroids can also be injected directly into the nail.

A urea cream can help people separation from nail plates. In addition, if you do not yet take oral drugs such as Olumiant, you might consider creating one.

Approach other than drugs

Non -pharmacological approaches can also be useful for nail problems. ONGUENTS and oil jelly can help trap moisture in the nail, while nail polish can help hide certain nail problems.

It is also important to prevent nail trauma by doing the following:

• Cut your nails regularly
• Prevent excessive exposure to water, as this can weaken bridging nails
• Avoid biting or picking your nails
• Limit use of your nails as a tools

If you have more severe hair loss, nail changes are more likely to occur. For example, people with alopecia hair loss plates are much less likely to have nail symptoms than people with more widespread hair loss.

Children are also more likely than adults to have symptoms related to their nails.

If you have AREATA alopecia and your nail changes bother you, bring it with a health care provider. This is particularly important if your nails cause you pain and interference with your life.

A dermatologist can already help you manage your AREATA alopecia. Dermatologists are doctors trained in conditions that affect the skin, hair and nails, making it a useful supplier for nails related to alopecia.

People with AREATA alopecia – in particular those with more serious hair loss – can feel nail changes, ranging from light cosmetic problems to greater problems causing pain.

Standard treatments for AREATA alopecia can help change the nails, but work with your health care provider if your symptoms bother you or interfere with your daily life.