Onycholysis (separation of the nail plate from the nail bed) is a disorder with many different causes. The more common causes include fungal infection (particularly the yeast fungus candida), psoriasis, or perhaps a sensitivity to certain nail products. Usually, nails will not reattach on their own unless the causative factor is eliminated. Sometimes, cutting back the nails and removing the lifted portion and then treating the nail bed or skin underneath can be helpful, but it is difficult to correct unless the patient is evaluated medically.
Once the diagnosis is made and the client is treated for the disorder, it usually takes anywhere between three to six months for the nails to reattach. Sometimes the nails never reattach. If the cause of lifting is allowed to continue affecting the nail, it can eventually create a scar in the nail bed, and the nails won’t be able to reattach. — Dr. Scher