Magazine for the professional nail industry.
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92 | NAILS MAGAZINE | APRIL 2017 } HEALTH In this month's column, Dr. Stern discusses yellow nails. Causes range from cosmetic concerns — like polish staining — to medical conditions such as fungus, onycholysis, and yellow nail syndrome. A Day in the Life of a Nail Expert >>> Dermatologists treat skin, hair, and nails. I am a board-certified dermatologist and I specialize in the treatment of nail disorders including inflammatory diseases of the nail, cosmetic issues related to the nail, cancers of the nail, sports-related nail injuries, and nail infections. Stern When Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, is belting out "and they were all yellow" he is not referring to yellow nails. One of the less sexy nail topics — albeit an important one — yellow nails are a common issue seen in both medical practices and nail salons. There are several causes of yellow nails, some cosmetic in origin and others indicative of an underlying medical issue, so it is important to understand when to refer your client to a physician. One of the most common causes of yellow nails is secondary staining from nail lacquer. Because the porosity of the nail varies from person to person, certain individuals who inherently have more porous nails are more prone to pigment migration and thus secondary yellowing. Another common cause of polish-induced nail yellowing is polish remover. Polish remover dissolves polish, resulting in the migration of pigments that then can leach into the nail plate causing yellow discoloration. Theoretically, the longer the soak, the more leaching that can potentially occur. The last factor related to polish has to do with the dye content of the polish. Not all polish dyes are alike. Generally, the darker the color, the more the pigment has an opportunity to migrate and leach into the nail plate to cause yellowing. While darker colors tend to be the culprit more often, this phenomenon can also occur with lighter colors as well. Yellowing from polish is not a brand-related phenomenon. Yellowing is an issue that can occur with all brands. How do we distinguish polish-induced yellowing from other causes of nail yellowing? When polish is the sole cause, the nail will be healthy looking and intact, but have a yellow hue throughout. The surface will be smooth and a normal thickness, as opposed to fungal nails where there is thickening or subungual (under the nail) crumbling. And importantly, there will be a history of prior polish application. Onycholysis — or separation of the nail plate from the underlying nail bed — can result in a yellow nail. Note the yellow, thick nails and lack of a cuticle that are symptoms of yellow nail syndrome. This is a classic example of onychomycosis. You can see yellow streaks within the nail plate.