What do your Toenails Indicate about your Health?

Toenails can reveal a lot about your overall health, acting as a window to potential underlying conditions. Interestingly, the nail plate is more permeable than skin, which means that harmful substances and microbes can penetrate it more easily. Here’s what different toenail characteristics might indicate.

Discolouration

• Yellow Nails: often associated with fungal infections. Persistent yellow nails can also indicate conditions like psoriasis, diabetes, or respiratory issues.

• White Spots: are often the result of minor trauma to the nail, but can sometimes indicate a zinc deficiency or fungal infection.

• Blue/Purple Nails: may indicate bruising, poor circulation or a lack of oxygen in the blood, possibly due to heart or lung conditions.

• Brown or Black Streaks: could be a sign of a serious condition like melanoma, a type of skin cancer, especially if the discoloration changes or spreads.

Texture Changes

• Thickening: often caused by a fungal infection, microtrauma, or aging.

• Brittle/Cracked Nails: commonly due to dryness, overexposure to moisture, or nutritional deficiencies (e.g., lack of biotin, iron, or calcium).

• Pitting/Grooves: small dents or pits can be a sign of psoriasis or other autoimmune conditions. Horizontal grooves (Beau's lines) can indicate serious illness or malnutrition.

Shape Changes

• Clubbed Nails: if the nails curve around the toe tips and the tips of the toes are enlarged, it can be a sign of lung disease, heart disease, or other serious conditions.

• Spoon-Shaped Nails (Koilonychia): nails that are thin and concave could indicate iron deficiency anaemia or other systemic issues.

Growth Abnormalities

• Slow Growth: may indicate poor circulation, malnutrition, trauma, or systemic diseases like hypothyroidism.

• Nail Separation from the Nail Bed (Onycholysis): this can be caused by trauma, fungal infection, psoriasis, or a thyroid disorder.

Nail Beds

• Red/Purple Nail Beds: could indicate heart disease or a connective tissue disorder.

• Pale/White Nail Beds: may be a sign of anaemia, liver disease, or malnutrition.

Healthy toenails are typically smooth, pinkish, and uniform in appearance. Changes in colour, texture, or shape can sometimes be a sign of underlying health issues. If you notice significant or persistent changes in your toenails, it’s important to see your local podiatrist for an assessment.