Psoriasis nails

Posted Fri 8 Jan 2021 04.32 by Neptune 7411

I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis when I was 21, with occasional itchy rash, in my late 20s my nails began to look odd, yellow/white and crumbly, thickened with lines and a deposit underneath them, toenails and fingernails, after struggling with my nails for years (the appearance) I thought I may have fungus and a locum gp at my practice prescribed terbinafine, which I have taken for 8 weeks and see a slight improvement, today my regular gp contacts me ranting that the terbinafine is dangerous and he wont give it to me anymore, he says I have psoriasis that is linked to my ankylosing spondylitis, I haven't seen a rheumatologist for years as my arthritis stabilised and although stiffness can be a problem, severe pain is not experienced very often and I don't have typical skin symptoms of psoriasis, I wondered if I could buy a uvb light that gel nail polish is set with to help my nails as I don't need anything for my skin, has anybody had experience with this? Thank you in advance

Posted Fri 8 Jan 2021 07.31 by scarletsmummy

a uvb lamp using for setting nail gels would in no way be strong enough to have any inpact on nail Psoriasis ,My nails have been really bad for years they lifted away from the beds and my thumb nail completely fell off at one point. I have been taking a supplement called Biotin (Nails and Hair supplement i got from amazon) and have been taking it since March last year, it has been a slow process and i make sure u use a good hand and nail cream as well to keep my nails moisturised but the improvement has been significant ,My nails are no longer yellowing and they are far stronger than they have ever been

Posted Fri 8 Jan 2021 14.43 by scouternorm

My fingernails & toenails were very bad 3-1/2 years ago. The dermatologist told me they were dead and to forget about them ever coming back. I was getting prepared to go on methotrexate, but found a marijuana infused resin salve product in Canada (where I live) that was made by MJ Creams. I started using this on just my fingers because the tips were split so bad. I saw a noticeable improvement in about 2 months. Then I was able to get a prescription for medical CBD oil which I applied topically. Within a year, my hands & feet were almost back to normal. I still have the nails on my thumbs & big toes that aren't the greatest, but compared to how I was, it felt like a miracle cure. And there are no medical side effects. See pictures at http://www.normtoogood.ca/psoriasis.htm and decide for yourself. Good luck!

Posted Fri 8 Jan 2021 14.56 by Neptune 7411

Thank you for the replies, I felt very disappointed after speaking to my doctor, as I honestly had no idea that my problem is psoriasis and the more I do for my nails the worse they get, but I didn't know I had psoriasis of the nails, I really have tried hard to sort them out to no avail, so it's nice to know that something different may work

Posted Sun 10 Jan 2021 17.24 by Manc lad

I occassionally get psoriasis flare-ups on my nails and find that strangely Diprosalic scalp application actually works wonders on both hand and feet nails when applied every night followed by a good handcream during the day. Maybe give this a try?

Posted Fri 15 Jan 2021 05.57 by Mario64

I had to share my success here as I'm so pleased about it. Contrary to what I've been advised online, my 2 year battle with nail psoriasis was finally resolved in a matter of 1 to 2 months with daily uvb treatment. (2 to 3 minutes per nail seemed optimum for me) I tried 3 months of cbd 10% prior to this with no benefit, but thanks for the suggestion Norm. I recommend everyone use scholl fungal nail treatment daily, or excilor. You can get both on Amazon - both at different stages gave considerable benefit but the only thing that completely got rid of the oil spots and nail detachment was the uvb. You can get desktop UVb lamps for selling £100 from eBay. I wish I'd bitten the bullet and made the purchase sooner. I hope this helps someone!

Posted Sat 16 Jan 2021 21.19 by Neptune 7411

Is diprisalic over the counter or is it prescription only please?

Posted Sat 23 Jan 2021 18.27 by Happychappy

Psoriacic nails have a very similar appearance to fungal nails. Terbinafine can be only be affective if it's fungal. However, your GP is right to be precautions as it can affect your liver. The only way to know what type of nail condition, is to have nail samples sent for analysis. I would suggest visiting a Podiatrist. They can assess and treat the problem. You will also get peace of mind as they deal with this all the time. Good luck.

Posted Sun 24 Jan 2021 02.25 by Mario64

Diprosalic appears to be prescription only as it contains a potent steroid. Many people report success with nails when applying potent steroids, and I've observed some success myself, the problem is I get a massive rebound from it if I stop for a few days and it's not great to go around with steroid on your fingertips for various reasons, not least it can get in your eyes easily if you rub them, forgetting. I can't stress enough my recommendation to try a uvb lamp (a proper one, not the nail varnish drying hand sized ones) Has anyone tried uvb on the nails and seen no result after a month?

Posted Sun 24 Jan 2021 03.53 by Neptune 7411

I will definitely be buying a uvb lamp, the terbinafine tablets I took had absolutely no effect on my fingernails, but did improve my toenails slightly, one thing I had been doing for years was manically pushing my cuticles back and picking skin from around my nails and trying to get the odd white stuff out from underneath, which apparently is the worst thing to do, so I am just leaving them alone as best I can, which is definitely improving the appearance

Posted Sun 24 Jan 2021 04.57 by Mario64

Yes, I accelerated a huge decline in progress last year as soon as I started pushing the cuticle back and picking at stuff. I still get the occasional odd white paste-like stuff that I can squeeze out from below the cuticle but its causing no pain and the cuticle actually looks completely normal. I have a new oil spot under my nail emerging so I'm going to up the time of the UVB. I think we become accustomed to the exposure and perhaps need to gradually increase it to get the same benefits.

Posted Sun 24 Jan 2021 09.52 by Nessie

Hi, l have had nail psoriasis for years and have always been told nothing can be done. I have tried several remedies one of them being pure alcohol, putting a drop under each nail morning & night. I found this helped with the colour of my nails a lot. My nails are very discoloured, brown, various shades of green & brown. Most are lifting & l’ve lost 3/4 nails in the past. One thing l’ve found works well for me is having acrylic overlays which l have regularly done also to cover them up as l hate the way they look. When l have them fully replaced (taken off) there is always a big difference in appearance. Since lock down l’ve not been able to have them done & they are back to looking like 💩l’ve no idea why this works for me but would be interested if anyone else finds this x

Posted Sun 24 Jan 2021 11.56 by Neptune 7411

My GP told me nothing can be done, however when I was was in my mid 20s I was taking methotrexate for Ankylosing spondylitis and had not had nail problems previously to that, when I started trying for children, the methotrexate was stopped and a short while after I had my 2 children in quick succession, my nails became bad, I wonder if the methotrexate partly prevented my nails going bad, anyways the arthritis at present is not sufficiently bad enough for me to ask for the medication again, my nails were fine until discontinuation of medication

Posted Fri 29 Jan 2021 10.50 by Manc lad

Hi Neptune7411 Sorry for not replying sooner but Diprosalic scalp application is only available on prescription as far as I'm aware. It's a clear liquid so very good for applying during the day straight on to nails and it has no residue. I'd hope this could be affective for you if used in conjunction with UVB light treatment. Good luck and let us all know how you get on.

Posted Tue 27 Apr 2021 13.42 by Elizabeth

I have had nail psoriasis for at least 15 years. They have recovered but it's difficult to pin down what has caused this as I have made several dietary changes, that were not intended to help but incidental in last 6 months. My thoughts are maybe anti inflammatory???? Sugar reduction??? The main changes. .. I have no red meat processed meat or potatoes , eat fish X 4. and smoked mackerel every week. Started taking kimchi, and sauerkraut several times a week (from local producer). Reduced fruit intake to once a day. And now make own bread. So without elimination /introduction which I'm loathe to try it's difficult to say but if helps anyone? It may not be dietary of course and maybe lock down suits me!!

1 Posted Wed 28 Apr 2021 00.03 by Yacht

A handheld UVB wand worked for me. Zapped the nail for 10secs, 3 times a week, building up to 60secs. Took about 4 months. A lot of patience needed. Gave 100% repair to a fingernail that had crumbled in half (yuck).

Posted Sat 1 May 2021 14.51 by Mario64

For myself i started with 2 minutes uvb and worked up to 11 minutes, most days. Probably a day or two break a week. I try and get it as close to the bulb as possible. I'd really doubt a few seconds is enough for most people. How do I know if you I'm not long enough under the lamp? If skin doesn't go slightly pink after a few hours, it wasn't long enough. Trial and error and I get there. If it goes so pink that is sore then I know did too long. Take a few days break until it calms down. If I don't increase my exposure as I become more tolerant, the psoriasis comes back.

Posted Sat 1 May 2021 19.43 by Yacht

Not sure I'd wanna be spending 11mins under a UVB lamp. Very high chance of severe burn or DNA damage. Some folks burn in as little as 10secs. Start (very) low, and build up slowly, for home UVB. Patience is king.

Posted Mon 3 May 2021 07.14 by Happychappy

Have you had scrapings taken to test for fungus? If confirmed fungus, terbinafine tablets is a good option. It is possible that it may affect your liver. Doctors monitor by checking your liver function. It needs to be taken for 3 months. Interestingly, you mentioned some improvement. It clears the nail at the base and then grows out. It really is essential to have the sample test. This will confirm if its fungus. If not then other causes need to be considered. Good luck.

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