ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Although they only constitute a small proportion of the body and are somewhat vestigial in man, the nails, especially those of the hand, are highly visible and often cosmetically decorated. Diseases of the nail plate and surrounding area are rarely life threatening but always generate a high degree of self-consciousness that can lead to psychological stress and physical discomfort. The most common nail plate diseases are the result of fungal infections, onychomycoses, which may invade the nail bed, the periungual area or the nail plate itself. The prevalence of onychomycoses may be as high as ~27% in Europe (1) and 10% in the United States (2). There are many treatment regimens for onychomycoses, the most common of which involves oral dosing with one or more of the available antifungal agents. The past 15 years have seen the emergence of new experimental techniques to investigate the penetration, permeation, and distribution of topically applied chemicals into and through the nail plate, and this has led to a deeper understanding of the movement of drugs within the nail plate. Furthermore, this understanding has resulted in the development of newer, more effective topical products for the treatment of onychomycoses and other nail diseases (3−6).
