Nails peeling from cuticle

My nails are peeling from the cuticle horizontally. There is a nail underneath, and it does not hurt. But it continues to peel down to the tip. It is tender and the peeling layer tends to get caught/snagged. This is happening to several nails on both hands, so I know it is not trauma related. I have a healthy diet with lots of fruits & vegetables and proteins. There is no discoloration to the nail either. Please help.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It can be due to fungal nail infection. In onychomycosis(nail fungal infection) nail plate can have a thickened, yellow, or cloudy appearance. The nails can become rough and crumbly, or can separate from the nail bed. Topical and oral antifungals are needed which are available under prescription. My sincere advice would be to consult a dermatologist and get a KOH examination of the nail and skin specimen done to confirm the diagnosis. Also nail fungal infection may take a bit longer to go away. So it is important to use the topical and oral anrifungals as and when prescribed by a dermatologist.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.