When you look at your toenails, do they look straight, normally-colored, and healthy? Or do your nails appear warped, distended, or discolored? If your toenails don’t look healthy, it could signal an underlying problem.
Treating the underlying cause will likely restore your nails to health and save you from further complications affecting your toes and feet.
Experienced podiatrist Dr. Leonard Greenwald of San Jose, California, can diagnose the reason for your warped or deformed toenails. Visit our office promptly if you’re concerned with the strange shape of one or more of your nails.
In this blog, Dr. Greenwald informs you about some of the most common causes of toenail trouble and the specific symptoms that result from each. Do any of these conditions sound like probable causes for your symptoms?
You can pick up a toenail fungus infection quite easily. Fungal dermatophytes love the warm, dark, damp environment found inside your shoes and socks. Fungal infections take root in dead tissue like your nails and can be challenging to treat without professional help.
Toenails affected by a fungal infection show changes in shape, thickness, and color. Your nails may turn yellow, brown, or black, or discolor in spots.
Fungal infections may make your nails flaky and often cause your nails to thicken, building up mass unevenly and giving them a warped appearance.
This inflammatory skin condition can affect any part of your body, including your toenails. It’s not clear why psoriasis affects some individuals more than others. The condition may run in families and presents unique treatment challenges.
When psoriasis attacks your toenails, deformity commonly results. Psoriasis causes accelerated epidermal skin growth. In your toenails, this ends up looking like accelerated nail growth. Your nails grow longer quickly and thicken irregularly, causing warping. Nails affected by psoriasis may have a pink color.
The trauma of a physical injury, especially one that impacts your toenail’s cuticle and the cells that generate the nail, can cause your nail to grow incorrectly afterward. You may need specialized trimming support or padding and taping if an old injury causes ongoing nail deformity.
These conditions can all cause one or more of your toenails to take on a warped shape. In addition to being unsightly, warped nails can cause problems with the fit of your shoes and socks and may leave you prone to blisters, corns, or calluses.
Once you notice your nail is warped, seek treatment to learn more about the underlying cause.
Once Dr. Greenwald identifies the cause of your toenail deformity, it’s time to turn our attention to treatment planning. You don’t want to have to go through the whole summer with unattractive, misshapen toenails! And, if you have a fungal infection, you’re likely contagious and could pass the condition to others if you share space while barefoot.
The right treatment to restore your toenails depends on the cause of their deterioration. If you have psoriasis, you may need treatment with topical steroid-based creams.
For nail fungus, Dr. Greenwald offers effective treatment with antifungal medications, which tend to work better than topical over-the-counter products. No matter the cause of your toenail deformity, the right treatment improves your foot health, as well as your foot appearance.
For customized support with warped or misshapen toenails, schedule a consultation with Dr. Greenwald today. You can book your appointment online or over the phone.
