Retronychia: report of two cases.

Retronychia is an incomplete form of nail shedding that leads to embedding of the nail into the proximal nail fold and subsequent inflammation. Patients present with persistent paronychia in the setting of disrupted nail growth. Other nail changes may be present. Simple avulsion is curative, and unlike other forms of ingrown nails, it does not tend to recur. We report 2 cases of retronychia that were associated with distal onycholysis and subungual hematoma, respectively. Both were successfully treated with nail avulsion.