A variety of conditions can lead to abnormal looking nails; these can range from common fungal infections, inflammation of the nailfold (paronychia) to skin cancers.
After having a detailed history and nail examination taken by your dermatologist, other investigations may need to be done. These may include clippings of the nail to confirm a fungal infection or sending off bacterial confirmatory tests if pus is present. If there is any suspicion of skin cancer, a skin biopsy will have to be performed to examine the lesion by a pathologist.
There are multiple treatment options depending on the cause of the nail abnormality. If there is a fungal infection, this may need to be treated with prolonged oral antifungal medications and/or topical antifungal nail medications. Viral wart infections of the nail fold may be treated with surgery or cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen).