Fingernail problems

[Oztony]

Hi everyone my name is Tony from Australia and I have psoriasis which I can generally control on my elbows and knees (injections from dermatologist eliminate red patches) and my scalp (diprosone lotion provides temporary releif) but what I need is some advice for controlling it in my fingernails.
My nails lift off the bed and are brown and mottled looking. Undisguiseable and it is making my life a misery as I have to hide my fingers all the time. Ive tried cutting them short etc but they are still receding back and look hideous. My dermatologist suggest a course of drugs I cant remember the name of them but he said it will cause me liver damage and I will never be able to drink again. Alas I like my beer and would like to avoid such strong drugs. Is there anyone who knows a way I can control or disguise my condition even a nail polish that doesnt look like Im wearing any would be good. I have had this condition on my nails for the last year and have lost my self confidence and had to give up playing guitar in my band because of the look of my nails. Im also a fireman and work with my hands a lot so this condition tends to annoy me as well. Please help me someone!!

[bjmac]

I had the same nails...mine are now clear...i was also covered in plaques..the older i got, the worse they got!...

I know it's going to be fall there but you still have time...

((this is a must))) get  sun...direct sun...about an hour three times a week and  no sunscreen until you get pink or the hour is up.
take 400-600 iu of vitamin D/day
take a small multivitamin/day (this will probably include 400 iu of D so you'll have a total of 800-1000iu)
take 200-300mcg B12/day
take 400mcg folic acid/day
Take 2- 1000 flax oil capsules/day
eat can of tuna of salmon three times/week

you'll see little change one month...less flaking  be patient..
obvious changes after two months...plaques thin and no flakes
after three months plaques clear and by four months nails are clear..maybe a little longer since they have to grow out..but they will be clear

As your fall and winter ensue, you'll get less sun and some small plaques will reappear but maintain your vitamins and the nails will remain clear...they will be the last to clear(since they grow slowly) but once gone, it stays gone from the nails..

the secret is to get enough sun while you can so you can build up your levels of D for the winter.

my nails have been clear for almost a  year  

hope this helps...read my Vitamin D post in alternative...

i was where you are....only worse....good luck

[rockstoneUK]

Hi Oztony and welcome to the forums....  

I don't think bjmac is being very responsible in asking you to take all those vitamins...especially the vitamin d.
Here's some info about the recommended doses per day from the University of California -
The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin D in 1989 by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Commission on Life Sciences of the National Research Council is 200 IU/day (5 micrograms/day) up to the age of 50. The recommended intake for people from age 51 to 70 is 400 IU/day (10 micrograms), and over age 70 is 600 IU/day (15 micrograms). The RDA of vitamin D for both pregnant and lactating women is recommended to be 200 IU (5 micrograms/day).

Some p drugs and exposure to the sun can also increase your vitamin d intake so it's worth being carefull with this.
I haven't followed bjmacs rules and got my nails clear with taking jelly/jell-o/gelatine.

Your nails and your body/plaques need proteins before they need excess vitamins...you can still be deficient in vitamins if you don't have enough protein available in your blood....no matter how many vitamin pills you take.

I put up all this info and more in my treatment program in the alernatives section.

Also bjmacs advice about going out into hot sun without suncream is also potentially dangerous...be careful before you follow any advice you see on these forums...and use your best judgement.

All the best, Brian

[twoprettygirlys]

hi i had only began to get nail p but i did the jelly thing and they defo getting there, i'd say try the alternatves and give it time as what u have said your nails are quite bad.

xxx

[bjmac]

rottonstone..quit eating horses hooves and do your homework..those dosages are old news..1989???......17 years ago....thats a lifetime in medicine...and also..what do they know in california?..They voted Arnold as their governor!

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Harvard  School  of Publlic Health

       Optimal Intake: The current recommended intake of vitamin D is 5 micrograms up to age 50, 10 micrograms between the ages of 51 and 70, and 15 micrograms after age 70. Optimal intakes are higher, though, with 25 micrograms (1000 IU) recommended for those over age 2. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Good sources include dairy products and breakfast cereals (which are fortified with vitamin D), and fatty fish such as salmon and tuna. For most people, the best way to get the recommended daily intake is by taking a multivitamin, but the level in most multivitamins (10 micrograms) is too low.

I can send you the same info on sunlight if you like...

[bjmac]

rocky...here's another web MD site on how little sunlight we get.

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please read it and learn ....it may keep you from getting hoof cancer

[rockstoneUK]

your funny bjmac!  
Gosh it seems just like only yesterday you were trying to sell your pills on here...so what happened at the FDA?...did you get your license for your 'sure fire cure from psoriasis' ?...somehow I doubt it.

Yeah maybe I do advise caution when it comes to vitamins...largely because I think vitamins are only one part of nutrition and can be harmful in excess...so when you get over your honeymoon period with vitamins...send me an email and I'll give you some more balanced advice..  

It might stop you getting intellect cancer!!

 

[royal supreme being wednesday]

Oh gosh - I'm so sorry you are having a bad time. I have ppp and my hands and feet get plastered - also my nails get pitting and lift. I can empathise with how you must be feeling and how frustrating it is, also because it is so visable people feel very free to comment! grrr  

I'm not a great one for alternatives because in my experience they just don't work, if it were as simple as using jelly none of us would be here desperately seeking a remedy, having said that some people get relief from some of them.

When I have a bad outbreak I use Zorac and a hefty dose of anti biotics. At the moment I'm keeping it under control with lots of tea tree oil - vitamin E oil and moisturiser. I also take a quality multi vitamin every day. I think that tea tree is quite good but nails take a very long time to respond to treatment of any kind. As everyone is different I don't know what will work for you but you can't do any harm with tea tree oil and it is also cheap - might be worth a try.

Please don't let this condition make you give up on your music because of the appearance - don't let it define you.
I really hope you get some relief from it soon.

[trilbyana]

Hia all,

A short history of my P.
After having been clear for nearly 5 years my P came back at the beginning of last year.  First I tried Curataderm (vitamin D) and Exorex Lotion which I had used previously, but to no avail they did not work any more and my P was getting worse.

In September I started a course of Zorac which made my skin look red raw. After about 2 months the original plaques were indeed clearing but new ones were appearing all around the old ones and size wise what were 50p plaques turned into angry looking £50 notes. On both my shinns, all the way down my back, my elbows and around my tum.

I looked worse than ever and was getting pretty desperate.
I then read about Curcumin, went out and got that.

But then I saw Brians postings and even though he kept us in suspense it was well worth it.
Before Xmas I stopped Zorac.
I went on my South American holiday armed with aqueous moisturising cream, 5 packs of Jelly, my multivitamins and my glucosamine & controitin.
Nothing much happened in those 3 weeks, I just knew I had to give my skin a rest from the Zorac.

I have not done Brians full programme and instead of taking the Jelly morning noon and night, I have started to take the whole lot (3 cubes) in one go, shock treatment plus all the vitamins etc as above.

When I came back from my trip I thought I give my skin a bit of a nudge and  got some dithrocream 0.25 for short contact therapy, every day for 40 min followed by a bath.
After about 2 weeks all my plaques have gone (I just have some leopard rings left from the dithrocream, but even they are fading) and my skin is starting to look good again (a bikini is on the shopping list to get that extra bit of sunshine).
I am still taking the Jelly because I know that is the magic ingredient
(ate lots of Haribos and Jelly Babies in the previous 5 years but for some reason had stopped them last year), my multivitamins, my glucosamine & controitin, a pot of natural yoghurt, just one curcumin for good measure and the aqueous moisturising cream.

Now having said all that I still have a dodgy nail and antifungal does not work on that.  But I have found that if you put a drop of Dermovate Scalp lotion between the lifting nail and the nailbed to moisten it, it does start to grow back normally. You just have to do it every day preferably before you go to bed and be very patient.

Well I hope that works for you, good luck with your nails and a huge thank you to Brian.
I will keep you posted on my progress.

Trilbyana

[woodbunny]

Hi, my bro has really bad toe-nails and they make his feet really painful, it has begun on his fingernails now have read the posts here and seems very interesting any advice you can me (for him)?