Are Your Toenails Changing Color?
We all know that when our toenails are healthy, they should look clear. But what happens when they begin to turn all of the colors you see in a rainbow? It could be a minor injury and potentially nothing which should cause worry. However, it can also be something more severe, and you may need to pay close attention to what your feet are attempting to tell you.
What a Change in Color Can Mean
- Nail fungus—never fun and constantly irritating, nail fungus is an infection that turns your toenails yellow, brown, red, green, or black. The color will change under the nail, first at the tip. When the infection gets worse, you will notice the entire nail changing color. You should seek treatment from your podiatrist when you first notice the change to ensure that you avoid surgical options.
- Kidney failure—when you experience kidney failure, nails can let you know by turning a white on the bottom half of the toenail and pink at the top.
- Psoriasis—psoriasis is another irritating condition. It can cause flaky skin, itching, redness, and discoloration of your skin as well as your nails. The nails will have brownish-yellow spots that appear under the nail.
- Medication—certain medication can turn your nails black, blackish-blue, bluish-gray, yellow, white, dark brown, light brown, and additional colors that will need to be taken care of immediately. You will find that the medication that does this ranges from antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, and arthritis drugs.
- Autoimmune issues—autoimmune conditions cause a variety of problems and may also affect your nails. Either the autoimmune issue or medications used for treatment, you may experience multiple color changes on your toenails.
The foot experts at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists in the Tucson, Oro Valley, and Green Valley areas of Pima County, Arizona, have extensive experience treating every aspect of foot and ankle care. Our team of doctors: Christopher M. Funk, D.P.M., FACFAS, Bradley A. Whitaker, D.P.M., FACFAS, Peter C. Merrill, D.P.M., AACFAS, and Zeno Pfau, D.P.M., is dedicated to serving you with state-of-the-art, cutting edge medical technologies, including the PinPointe FootLaser, custom-fitted orthotics, and Radial Pulse Therapy (RPT) for chronic foot, heel, or ankle pain. If you have any questions or want to make an appointment, please call (520) 575-0800.
