Where
Plot No D13B, Wellington Rd, Vikrampuri Colony, Karkhana, Secunderabad, Telangana 500009.
- Serves Trimulgherry, West Marredpally, Bowenpally, Alwal
- Formerly BNR Skin & Vitiligo Hospital
Nails are skin, and they get the same diseases skin does — fungus, psoriasis, lichen planus, alopecia areata. Which is why a nail that has changed is worth a dermatologist looking at, rather than months of an antifungal that may be treating the wrong thing.
A thickened, discoloured, crumbling nail is assumed to be fungus by almost everybody, including a fair number of prescriptions. A substantial proportion are something else — psoriasis of the nail, damage from repeated trauma, lichen planus, or the pitting that goes with alopecia areata.
This matters because the treatments are not interchangeable and the courses are long. Months of oral antifungal for a nail that has psoriasis achieves nothing except the monitoring that goes with the drug. So where a long course is being considered, the diagnosis is confirmed before it starts rather than assumed from the appearance.
The other thing nails do is report on the rest of you. Sudden changes across several nails, a dark streak in one, or nail changes appearing alongside a rash are all reasons for an examination rather than a pedicure.
| Problem | Usual approach | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ingrown toenail | Procedure under local anaesthetic | Recurrent ones need the nail edge dealt with, not just trimmed |
| Fungal nail infection | Oral treatment, confirmed first | Months; topical alone rarely reaches the nail bed |
| Nail psoriasis | Treated as psoriasis, not as fungus | Often the clue that a rash elsewhere is psoriatic |
| Pitting and ridging | Depends on cause | Seen in psoriasis, eczema and alopecia areata |
| Chronic paronychia | Address the moisture and the inflammation | Common in people whose hands are wet all day |
| A dark streak in one nail | Examined promptly | Usually benign — but it is not something to watch for a year |
Recurrent ingrown toenails are the one where repeated trimming is the problem rather than the treatment. A definitive procedure on the nail edge is what stops the cycle.
Nail procedures are done under local anaesthetic given as a ring block at the base of the digit. The injection is the uncomfortable part and it is brief; the procedure itself is felt as pressure rather than pain, and you walk out afterwards.
For a recurrent ingrown toenail the aim is to stop it recurring, which means treating the offending edge of the nail rather than cutting the spike out again. For a nail that is changing in a way nobody can explain, a biopsy is sometimes the only way to get an answer — small, and worth it.
If the skin is fungal tooA fingernail takes around six months to grow out fully and a toenail considerably longer. Improvement is judged against that.
For ingrown nails and recurrent fungal infection, what you put your feet into all day matters as much as what is prescribed.
Consulting rooms, phototherapy and the surgical list at one address in Secunderabad — the practice formerly known as BNR Skin & Vitiligo Hospital.
Plot No D13B, Wellington Rd, Vikrampuri Colony, Karkhana, Secunderabad, Telangana 500009.
On WhatsApp — one number, answered by the clinic team, who confirm a time and say what to bring.
Months, because the nail has to grow out. Toenails take longer than fingernails, and the treated nail does not look better until new growth reaches the tip. This is precisely why the diagnosis is confirmed before a long course is started.
Not necessarily. Psoriasis, repeated trauma and lichen planus all produce similar changes, and the treatments are completely different. Where a long course of medication is being considered, it is worth confirming what you have first.
Simply cutting out the spike usually does not — it grows back the same way. A procedure that addresses the edge of the nail is what breaks the cycle for recurrent cases, and that is decided after examining it.
The local anaesthetic is given as a ring block at the base of the toe or finger, and that injection stings for a few seconds. After that the procedure is felt as pressure. There is soreness for a day or two afterwards.
Tell the clinic what you are having done. Aggressive cuticle work and shared instruments are a route to both infection and recurrent paronychia, and are worth avoiding while a nail is being treated.
Sometimes, and that is one reason a dermatologist looks at them. Nail changes accompany several skin conditions and occasionally point elsewhere — which is why sudden changes across several nails are worth examining rather than covering.
Not a treatment plan sold on the spot. Message the clinic and bring your history.