title: Contact and primary irritant dermatitis of the nail unit diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: Contact dermatitis of the nail unit is not rare. The most common allergens are found in nail cosmetics such as enamel, sculptured nails, and preformed plastic tips. Toluene sulfonamide formaldehyde resin, acrylates, and ethylcyanoacrylate are the most common allergens. Along with a proper clinical history focusing on nail practices, a thorough understanding of the common allergens and patch testing are necessary to diagnose contact dermatitis. A discussion of the common allergens and irritants relevant to the nail unit will be presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA. gm2229@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Militello
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000009:adverse effects; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017453:Dermatitis, Irritant / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005533:Foot Dermatoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007509:Irritants / Q000009:adverse effects; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D003358:Cosmetics; D007509:Irritants