Trachyonychia (twenty nail dystrophy of childhood). Any skin disease that affects the nail matrix may result in an abnormal nail plate. There are children, though, who only manifest dystrophy of the nail without any other cutaneous lesions, a condition that has been termed twenty nail dystrophy of childhood. The nails have a rough, sandpaper-like quality as well as longitudinal ridging and occasional splitting at the distal nail edge. Similar nail changes can be seen in lichen planus and alopecia areata. In many patients the condition spontaneously regresses.