Treatment Plans for HAIR AND NAIL conditions
Dermatologists also treat hair and nails as they are also an essential part of skin care that can require the help of a medical expert when there is something that goes wrong.
Sometimes, this can impact self-esteem and, in some cases, your health.
During your appointment with Dr. Porter, he will hear about your concerns and will help create a treatment plan that is specific for you and your objectives.
Common Hair and Nail Conditions
Skin And Nail Fungal Infections
A lot of times we can have bacteria or even fungi that lives on our skin for our whole lifetime, and we don’t even know because they don’t do anything that adversely impacts us. However, these can cause redness as well as itching and sometimes even a burning sensation, as well as many other symptoms that can be aggravating.
Fungal infections are easily treatable, but they can cause long term problems if untreated. If you do start experience any of symptoms, it’s important you schedule and appointment with the doctor to have the area looked at.
Hyperhidrosis
Is a condition that produces extreme sweating. Extreme sweating is described as an unnecessary amount of sweat on any area of the body, that is not due to the needing to cool down the body. Many people experience this extreme sweat in areas such as: hands, feet, underarms, and head.
There are two types of hyperhidrosis recognized in the Dermatology field:
- The first type typically happens during adolescents and can impact only a few focal points on the body. Usually occurring upon waking up and typically happening at least one time a week.
- The second type of hyperhidrosis happens because of an underlying cause.
Treatment varies on the type of hyperhidrosis you have. During your exam Dr. Porter will go over a series of questions and when the type of hyperhidrosis is diagnosed, as well as the cause, he will review possible treatment options.
Nail Plate Removal
Nail plate removal is a surgical procedure where the nail (from the finger or toe) is taken off because it may have become infected, ingrown, or even be painful. Sometimes this can be the best course of treatment if you’re regularly experiencing symptoms mentioned above. In some instances, it can be part of a skin cancer treatment and may require a nail bed biopsy before removal.
Alopecia
An auto-immune disease that is associated with extreme hair loss. Alopecia can impact anyone and is not specific to any gender, race, or age. Different than regular patterned baldness that is caused by genetics, this auto-immune disorder occurs when it attacks the hair follicle itself.
It can affect the nail area as well, and at times nails may be the best sign of alopecia being present. If you do have alopecia, your nails may show the following symptoms: get tiny dents or lines, become thin, split, and feel rough to the touch and sometimes will change color.
