ABSTRACT
Nail disorders have always remained a therapeutic challenge for the dermatologist. Deformed and unhealthy nails give a psychological setback and may have significant adverse effects on a patient’s daily life, social functioning, and mental health and, hence, the quality of life. So, nails form a vital part of the individual’s personality. A wide range of topical and systemic modalities have been used for treating various nail disorders, but response is often not satisfactory due to various reasons: poor drug delivery, slow growth of nails, and systemic toxicities of drugs. The author discusses various modalities used for nail disorders with special emphasis on injection therapy in nail disorders. This chapter discusses various drugs, namely triamcinolone acetonide, methotrexate, and cyclosporine, which can be used as intramatricial therapy. This chapter also emphasizes upcoming use of injection etanercept for nail disorders. Nail matrix injections are easier than nail bed injections. However, the nail bed disease is less responsive to intramatricial injections. This chapter discusses various indications, contraindications, methods, and complications of injection therapy in nail disorders. Injection therapy has been proven to be a safe, economical, simple, and effective modality in the management of nail disorders. Hence, keeping in mind its low cost, fewer treatment visits and minimal side effects, injection therapy is the best promising option for nail disorders.
