What color are your toenails?

Find out what the color of your toenails means and whether it is normal or a sign of a problem.

Yellow Toenails
The most common cause of yellow discoloration in the toenails is a fungal infection. The fungus often develops underneath the nail, resulting in it becoming thick, raised, and yellow in color.

Yellow staining of the nails can also occur in individuals who use nail polish. A stained nail may take a year or more to grow out.

White Toenails
A white area close to the nail fold (the lunula) varies in size from one person to another is normal. But sometimes white toenails can develop because of trauma or infection.

If the trauma does not cause broken blood vessels, a white spot may appear under the nail. The spot will slowly grow out with the normal growth of the toenail.

White lines sometimes appear within the toenail because of recurring trauma, such as when a runner wears shoes that are too small and the toe hits the end of the shoe. White lines may also occur due to a medical illness or trauma that has occurred elsewhere in the body, causing protein to be deposited within the nail bed.

A fungal infection that affects the outermost layer of the toenail may also cause a bright white discoloration of the toenail.

Black, Purple or Brownish Toenails
Dark discoloration under or involving a toenail is frequently due to trauma to the toenail, such as when something is dropped on the toe. The color results from a blood clot or bleeding under the nail, and may involve the entire nail or just a small portion of it.

This can be very painful when the entire nail is involved, and may need medical attention to relieve the pressure caused by bleeding under the toenail.

Although it is very rare, a more serious cause of dark toenails is malignant melanoma. Since early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma improves the chances for a good outcome, it is important that a podiatrist evaluate non-trauma related dark discolored toenails.

Other rare causes of dark toenails include fungal infections, chronic ingrown nails, or health problems affecting the rest of the body.