Pretty gross, hey? My thumbnails have been all ridged and pitted like this for years. I finally got around to asking a doctor about it last month. She guessed psoriasis (an autoimmune disease), but was perplexed due to the fact that I have no other symptoms and it is only my thumbnails that are affected. Anyway, she gave me a prescription for a topical steroid cream used to treat psoriasis, but I don’t really want to rub steroids on my thumbs. Hence the nails remain non-medicated. Let me know if you or someone you know has this going on; I’d like to figure it out someday.
Edits: To soften the blow this gross reverse macro might have on your eyes, I applied the Cinemascope effect in picnik.
I am off to buy some [n]ew plants during a break in the driving rain. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back on the site later to catch up. The site seemed to be down more often than it was up yesterday.
I'm currently situated in Victoria, having previously lived in Beijing, Halifax, Chilliwack, Calgary, Vancouver and growing up in Northwestern Ontario. My aim with photography is...
hmmm, can't rigid and pitted nails also be caused by lacking of a certain nutrient??? i don't blame you for not wanting to rub steroids on your thumb... so it's just your thumbnails??? very perplexing
Bizarre! My Mom has psoriasis and it doesn't seem to affect her nails at all. I would go with some sort of nutrient deficiency too? Maybe you could talk to a nutritionist and see? Or an endocrinologist? If it's some sort of hormone your body isn't making enough of? Totally just guessing here.....
uh... [N]asty!! thats a strange one... i have a thing on one of my thumbs as well... and cant get rid of it for ages.... spent so much time and money on trying so i know the pain :(
Ok...what the hell. You have UC, I have Crohn's. You have gross psoriasis nails and I'm covered with the damn stuff! Are we sisters separated a birth? lol
Hasn't hit my nails yet...but my shins and elbows are gross. I paste with steroids daily and it's just getting worse. Crohn's and psoriasis are linked....wish this stupid autoimmune shit would leave me alone!
Great shot of nasty nails....good for you for showing the world!
Ummm, yeah..... I'm no Dr. and no where near perfect so I have no critique and nothing to add. There must be someone your Doc can send you to see. Very brave of you to share. Good luck.
@laurentye@pwallis ~ Deficiency is what i assumed it was...but think the same problem with that theory is why only 2 nails? Hmmmm. Honestly, I know it's nothing compared to what full-blown psoriasis can be.
@shutterbugger ~ Oh, I hope I don't sound like a whiner to you! I know having it on skin is worse. It's itchy too, right? And I wasn't surprised to have her suggest something autoimmune related....once your immune system is wonky, it's wonky. Bring on autoimmune disease #3, I can't take it! Kidding. No more, thanks!
I'm not a doctor or anything. I am just a cosmetologist. So, this isn't medical advice in any way but you could try taking "hair, skin, and nails" pills. I take one called Biotin. Not only does it help with growing hair and nails but it has a lot of vitamins and proteins that are good for those things. I also recommend soaking your hands in warm oils like olive oil. Those could possibly help.
@jgoldrup please don't go dunking your hands in the fryer - warm oils?? hair and nails suppliments are good advice though make sure you pick something with zinc, magnesium, calcium and iron in. And go back and see a nutritionalist. Do you have bad digestion, like belching and feeling bloated? I believe that a wide range of health complaints can often be down to in-tolerances that we don't know about especially to lactose and gluten.. Thanks for the minging picture.
I know nails can react oddly to damage to the nail beds/fingers earlier in life. One of my toe nails has a ridge down the centre, while another never grows out after I got a deep cut near the tip. Not sure about the ridges on yours though. Did you ever injure your thumbs but not your fingers?
@chewyteeth ~ Ya, you could say that my intestinal disease results in bad digestion! Nails and intestine issues likely related due to wonky immune system.
Very considerate application of blur even though I'm not usually grossed out by stuff like that. I hope you find a better solution than those steroids.
Ok, I've had a quick double check and I don't think anyone else has brought this up, but do you chew/suck your thumb/s, possibly when sleeping? Occam's razor and all that. Maybe if you tie your hands behind your back when you go to bed and see if they get better over a few weeks? I'm only half kidding :)
@brizmako ~ I have had that hypothesis suggested to me before. I do intend on testing it, just need to buy some finger/thumb guard thingies from an office supply store. Not willing to tie myself up at night, though! It would be gross to think I mutilate myself in my sleep, but better than having another disease! ;)
@jgoldrup We can do some weird stuff while sleeping. I have pretty bad apnia and (unrelatedly) tend to wrap myself pretty tightly in sheets/blankets. Perhaps you could test it with rubber surgical gloves in the absense of rubber thimbles, however the tie-me-up/tie-me-down methodology seems sound as well ;)
@brizmako ~ ooooh, you should do something about that apnea....it weakens your heart. My dad wears a mask contraption for it and loves how he now actually sleeps soundly through the night. And who needs ropes when I can wind myself up in sheets and blankets...? ;)
June 24th, 2011
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![[N]asty [n]on-medicated [n]ails. by jgoldrup](https://media.365project.org/1/1636985_cehjmqsxy6_l.jpg "[N]asty [n]on-medicated [n]ails. by jgoldrup")
Hasn't hit my nails yet...but my shins and elbows are gross. I paste with steroids daily and it's just getting worse. Crohn's and psoriasis are linked....wish this stupid autoimmune shit would leave me alone!
Great shot of nasty nails....good for you for showing the world!
Sorry no photo of me diagnosin'. :/