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Brittle Nails

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Advances in Nail Disease and Management

Part of the book series: Updates in Clinical Dermatology ((UCD))

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Abstract

Brittle nails are a polymorphic disorder characterized by increased fragility or loss of flexibility of the nail plate. The prevalence is approximately 20%, with women being nearly twice as likely to be affected than men. Patients may complain of both aesthetic and functional problems. The cardinal clinical features are onychoschizia, or lamellar splitting and peeling of the nail plate’s free edge, and onychorrhexis, or longitudinal ridging of the nail plate. The pathophysiology is not fully understood, and there are few evidence-based treatments. In this chapter, we review the etiology, history, physical findings, and treatment options for brittle nails.

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Abbreviations

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

HPCH:

Hydroxypropyl chitosan

TOWL:

Transonychial water loss

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SUNY Downstate Medical School, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Solomon Geizhals

  2. Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Dermatology, New York, NY, USA

    Shari R. Lipner

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  1. Solomon Geizhals
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Correspondence to Shari R. Lipner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nail Diseases Centre, Cannes, France

    Robert L. Baran

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Geizhals, S., Lipner, S.R. (2021). Brittle Nails. In: Baran, R.L. (eds) Advances in Nail Disease and Management. Updates in Clinical Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59997-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59997-3_10

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