Nail Diseases & Disorders - How Do You Remember Them?

[Mrs.Clooney]

I think most nail techs find nail diseases and disorders terminology quite challenging at the best of times. I don't blame you. I've been a nail tech for a few years and still could not get my head around the names and definitions when at beauty college recently. However, I had to learn them and therefore had to find a way of remembering them.

For some of them, I think you just have to memorise them, but for others I had to come up with ways to help me remember. I share these with you now. What may seem lame for one person, might totally click for another. Please feel free to add your ideas and anything which has helped you with a name or definition:

Many of the words begin with onycho because the Greek name for the nail is the onyx.

Onychocryptosis (on-ee-co-crip-toe-sis) - ingrown toenail.
A crypt is a burial place usually deep underground beneath a building. Therefore, think of the nail deeply burying itself into the sidewalls of the nail.

Onychogryphosis (on-ee-co-grip-fo-sis) - claw nail.
A bird or lions uses is claws to grip its prey. Therefore, think of gripping with a claw.

Onychophagy (on-ee-co-fa-jee) - bitten nails.
Some nervous people puff on a phag/ fag (cigarette) or bite their nails. Therefore, think of having a fag and biting nails.

I also used to get muddled up with onychia (on-ic-ee-ah) and paronychia (par-on-ic-ee-ah) and could not remember which was which. If you know that onychia is infection and inflamation of the matrix (according to college notes) then paronychia is inflammation and infection of the tissue in the nail wall (side walls) because the prefix para means beside/next to. Also, the side walls of the nails run parallel to eachother and hence, inflammation/infection is in the side walls.

Koilonychia (coil-on-ic-ee-ah) - spoon shaped nails.
A coil is round and curved and so is a spoon.

I hope these help. They really helped me. Making these associations meant that memorizing the rest was easier.

 

[adelekeegan1]

I think that this is a great way of doing it

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

My initial post said that 'onyx was the other word for the nail' and Geeg kindly corrected me that it's the Greek name for the nail hence alot of the wording comes from the greek language. Thanks Gigi. I edited my post.

 

[geeg]

Your method is a great way to learn and to retain information.

When at school I used to make up songs too with info in the songs because I always remember song lyrics!!

This is a great post and I'm sure will help many. I hope others add some more that have worked for them.

 

[*Ang*]

I have none to add but what a fantastic thread! I love your method of learning...I'll definately take this on board with future learning :hug:

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

I have remembered another one that I use to help me remember the chemical composition of the nail:

Fat Consh: A conch is a hard protective shell for a sea mollusc (snail).
Our nails are hard protective plates for the tips of our fingers and toes, therefore ............. small amount of Fat and oil
Carbon
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Sulphur
Hydrogen

 

[loubylou]

Great thread tracey,
i have problems pronouncing most of these words but the way you have broke them down will really help me get my tongue around them
cheers hun :hug:

 

[Phil_NewNails]

Thank you so much for posting this, what a fantastic way to remember them. I was wondering how I was going to remember them all.

Phil x

 

[Gilly T]

I have remembered another one that I use to help me remember the chemical composition of the nail:

Fat Consh: A conch is a hard protective shell for a sea mollusc (snail).
Our nails are hard protective plates for the tips of our fingers and toes, therefore ............. small amount of Fat and oil
Carbon
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Sulphur
Hydrogen

That is a great way of helping to learn Tracey.. very clever

 

[Bebeautiful]

I think most nail techs find nail diseases and disorders terminology quite challenging at the best of times. I don't blame you. I've been a nail tech for a few years and still could not get my head around the names and definitions when at beauty college recently. However, I had to learn them and therefore had to find a way of remembering them.

For some of them, I think you just have to memorise them, but for others I had to come up with ways to help me remember. I share these with you now. What may seem lame for one person, might totally click for another. Please feel free to add your ideas and anything which has helped you with a name or definition:

Many of the words begin with onycho because the Greek name for the nail is the onyx.

Onychocryptosis (on-ee-co-crip-to-sis) - ingrown toenail.
A crypt is a burial place usually deep underground beneath a building. Therefore, think of the nail deeply burying itself into the sidewalls of the nail.

Onychogryphosis (on-ee-co-grip-fo-sis) - claw nail.
A bird or lions uses is claws to grip its prey. Therefore, think of gripping with a claw.

Onychophagy (on-ee-co-fa-jee) - bitten nails.
Some nervous people puff on a phag/ fag (cigarette) or bite their nails. Therefore, think of having a fag and biting nails.

I also used to get muddled up with onychia (on-ic-ee-ah) and paronychia (par-on-ic-ee-ah) and could not remember which was which. If you know that onychia is infection and inflamation of the matrix (according to college notes) then paronychia is inflammation and infection of the tissue in the nail wall (side walls) because the prefix para means beside/next to.

Koilonychia (coil-on-ic-ee-ah) - spoon shaped nails.
A coil is round and curved and so is a spoon.

I hope these help. They really helped me. Making these associations meant that memorizing the rest was easier.

this brings me back to my first year of training, I had a class mate who bit her nails and smoked so we called her onychophagy so that we can remember and look at her nails

 

[moosey]

these are fab great way as they are not the easyest words in the english language lol. i try to remember what i can which is a fair ammpunt but just incase i get caught out i always have a little info sheet in my desk to refer to ..... just incase xx

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Another one which may help,especially newbies to nails. I used to get muddled up with epocychium and hyponychium.

If you hold a finger up in the air, the hyponychium is the tissue at the highest point or high up on the finger ie. highponychium.

 

[Beauti-listics]

A great Thread! xx

 

[An*Gel]

A great Thread! xx

An oldie... but a goodie!

 

[MissLB]

Agree completely I'm feelin more confident already about my test tomorrow! Thank u to An*Ge for showing me and Mrs.Clooney for sharing!! X

 

[Claireybearyowen]

Flippin brilliant thread thank you sooooo much.

I have doug schoon's and marian newman's book and I regularly read and reread them both.

I love the way you have broken down the pronounciation very very helpfull xx

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

 

[sharondd]

Its the pronounciation that is difficult for me

 

[snaz]

Yeas great thread, doing my level 3. So this will help loads.

 

[An*Gel]

Its the pronounciation that is difficult for me

It's next to impossible to remember a word if you can't say it...

Check out this link


Pronunciation of onychophagy - how to pronounce onychophagy correctly.

Have fun and no putting in rude words :lol:

 

[missjodylee]

Thank you so much for this thread. Very helpful x