Intended for healthcare professionals

A guide to nail disorders – clinical features and treatment options

Emma Howard
Fingernails add function to the hands by acting as tools (for example, to pull or scrape) and as a counterforce, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of the fingertip. They also protect the terminal digits and surrounding soft tissues from injury. In addition, many people feel that both their fingernails and toenails have a cosmetic importance, which they wish to preserve. Diseases both of and affecting the nail apparatus thus have potentially important physical and psychological consequences for patients.
Dermatology in practice 2014; 20(2): 8–13
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