Efficacy and Safety Study of Tazarotene Cream 0.1% for the Treatment of Brittle Nail Syndrome

Brittle nail syndrome refers to nails that exhibit surface roughness, raggedness, and peeling. It is a common problem, with a higher prevalence among elderly patients. The goal of this study was to determine if tazarotene cream 0.1% ameliorates the signs and symptoms of brittle nails. In this open-label, single-center trial, participants applied tazarotene cream to the nails twice daily for 24 weeks. Signs and symptoms were rated by the investigators and by the participants during treatment and 12 weeks after discontinuation. Twenty participants were enrolled in the study; 1 participant withdrew prior to the 4-week follow-up visit. Of the 18 participants available for analysis (1 participant was excluded because baseline photographs were not available) for the primary end point of improvement in the physician global improvement assessment (PGIA), all 18 participants achieved improvement of the target nails at week 12 as well as 16 participants (88.9%) at week 24. All 18 participants had improvement in the PGIA score 12 weeks posttreatment at week 36. The physician global assessment (PGA) improved for 14 of 19 participants (73.7%) at both weeks 12 and 24; at week 24, 4 of 19 participants had achieved a PGA score of none. At week 36, 17 of 19 participants (89.5%) agreed that their nails had improved overall. Only 1 participant (5.3%) reported mild local irritation. This study demonstrated that tazarotene improves some of the changes noted in conjunction with brittle nail syndrome with minimal to no irritation.