Successful Treatment of Traumatic Onychodystrophy and Associated Pterygium Unguis With Fractionated Carbon Dioxide Laser: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Onychodystrophy is a common, chronic malformation of the nail that is aesthetically displeasing and can signi cantly impact patient quality-of-life. Onychodystrophy can be associated with pterygium unguis that contributes to pain and appears as a V-shaped exten- sion of the proximal nail fold skin. Treatment options are limited, and topical or intralesional corticosteroids have minimal ef cacy and cause signi cant patient discomfort. Surgical revision of onychodystrophy is complex, and symptomatic or aesthetic improvements are difficult to achieve. There is limited published literature on laser treatment of noninfectious onychodystrophy or associated pterygium unguis. We present a case of a 68-year-old man with a 10-year history of painful traumatic onychodystrophy with associated pterygium unguis, who was successfully treated after three treatments of fractionated carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. Additionally, we review the medical literature on laser treatment of noninfectious onychodystrophy and pterygium unguis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported successful treatment of painful traumatic onychodystrophy and associated pterygium unguis using fractionated CO2 laser. We hope clinicians consider this treatment modality to relieve pain and improve aesthetics associated with traumatic onychodystrophy and associated pterygium unguis. We envision additional research investigating the mechanism of action of fractionated CO2 laser may con rm this treatment option for the management of traumatic onychodystrophy and associated pterygium unguis. J Drugs Dermatol. 2016;15(11):1461-1464..