Are Your Toenails Turning Yellow? Watch Out for These Health Warnings

As the weather warms up, many of us gravitate towards open-toed shoes like high-heeled sandals or mules to stay stylish during summer. However, before diving into fashion, it’s essential to prioritize the health of your toenails. Your toenails can offer valuable insights into your overall health. If you notice any alterations in color or shape, it might signal an underlying health issue.

 

Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails are the most well-known toenail-related condition, which is the toenail digging into the soft tissue, causing inflammation. You might think that the toenail grows and digs into the nail fold, but in most cases, the nail fold becomes swollen and triggers inflammation. Causes of ingrown toenails include wearing tight shoes and cutting the toenail too short. Depending on the severity, treatment may involve antibiotics or surgical procedures.

 

What if your toenail turns yellow?

A yellow toenail could be a sign of a fungal infection. The toenail may become yellow, thickened, and prone to breakage when affected. Prolonged use of the same pair of shoes can create a moist environment where moisture cannot evaporate, providing an ideal breeding ground for fungus. Therefore, it’s advisable to rotate between different pairs of shoes and consider using topical medications to address the issue. It might be related to a lymphatic problem in rare cases, so seeking medical attention to determine the underlying cause can also be beneficial.

 

Double Toenails

Double toenails don’t necessarily need treatment if there are no symptoms such as pain or inflammation. However, they can spread to other body parts, like the fingernails, and can be transmitted to family members. Also, the toenail can curve towards the skin, causing severe pain and odor. Double toenails can be confused with fungus, so careful observation is essential. If it’s hard to distinguish, it is good to seek professional help.

 

Onycholysis

You might suspect onycholysis if your fingernails or toenails are brittle and broken. Onycholysis is a condition where the nails separate from the skin. It can occur due to mechanical stimulation, thyroid dysfunction, pregnancy, or syphilis. It might look slightly brittle in the early stages, but the entire nail can fall off if it becomes chronic. If the toenail separates from the underlying skin, cutting it off and keeping it dry can help.

 

Toenail Fungus

If your toenail thickens and splits, it could be toenail fungus. The likelihood increases if the skin between the toes peels or is accompanied by blisters. Fungus is a skin disease that occurs when the fungus infects the skin’s stratum corneum. The fungus can also penetrate the toenail, causing it to thicken, lose its shine, and break easily.

 

Onychodystrophy

Onychodystrophy is a condition where the toenail loses its shine, turns white, and thin vertical lines appear. It’s characterized by simultaneously appearing on both the fingernails and toenails, and the cause is not yet clearly known. However, it is generally believed to be caused by malnutrition, psoriasis, or atopic dermatitis.

 

Subungual Exostosis

Subungual exostosis, a relatively unfamiliar name, is a condition where a bony protrusion under the toenail pops out, indirectly causing deformation and pain in the toenail. This condition is often caused by repetitive trauma that the person may not even be aware of, and it can cause discomfort when wearing shoes. It can be treated with simple radiography and surgery to remove the protruding bone.

 

Blackened Toenails

Blackened toenails are often the result of trauma. This can happen if you kick something with your foot, apply excessive pressure to the tip of your foot, or run long distances in ill-fitting shoes. If there’s no pain, you can wait for the toenail to grow out and the black color to disappear. This usually takes around 6 to 9 months. However, if your toenail turns black without any specific trauma, visiting a hospital is a good idea. Rarely, it could be a symptom of melanoma.

 

Glomus Tumor

A glomus tumor is a benign tumor that proliferates in the area of the small blood vessels at the end, which regulates body temperature. It causes severe pain, and the toenail takes on a weak blue color. The pain worsens when exposed to cold or cold water and can be felt when pressed. In this case, excision surgery is necessary. However, it’s a rare disease that often takes a long time to diagnose.

 

Paronychia

Paronychia is an infection that occurs in the toenails and often accompanies ingrown toenails. It usually presents as a local infection when you wear tight shoes or when your toenails are damp and unclean. Therefore, you should avoid irritation by wearing wide shoes and maintaining cleanliness. In severe cases, part of the toenail may need to be removed.
 

By. Shin Young Jeon