Patients with certain dermatological conditions appear prone to pigmentation of the nails after the application of ammoniated mercury ointment (5%, USP XVI). These dermatoses include psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, alopecia areata, atopic and stasis dermatitis, and unexplained pitting of the nails. Periods of refractoriness occur when discoloration fails to develop. It is postulated that in those diseases where discoloration of nails occurs, a more soluble type of keratin is present in nail tissue.
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THOMAS BUTTERWORTH (1963) studied this question.