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| repeated nail polish can also cause yellow toenails |
Our systems, tissues, and organs in the body are always more prone to attack by both internal and environmental hazards. Our toenails are also not that exceptional: Yellow toenails.
Yellowing of toenails is a condition where the toenails turn into a yellow color alongside patches, spots, cracks and sometimes can even turn into black.
What Are The Culprits Behind Yellow Toenails?
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Toenails are normally pinkish in color and do not have any related health issues like yellowish color and abnormal shapes.
If you start experiencing or seeing yellow toenails, then this is a clear indication that your toenails are facing some health-related problems, which can transform into something else if not properly managed.
The most common causes of yellow toenails are poor hygiene, poor lifestyle, malnutrition, age, and infection.
The causes, symptoms, treatments, and preventions are discussed in detail below:
Diseases
Some diseases start with symptoms that affect the outer part of the body.For instance, yellow nail syndrome is a disease condition that can make both fingernails and toenails to turn into yellow.
The disease causes yellow to greenish coloration, thickened, and curved nails.
People that are suffering from disease conditions like tuberculosis, diabetes, jaundice, and psoriasis can also be at high risk of developing yellow toenails.
Infection
Yellow toenails can also be as a result of an infection.
Onychomycosis is a fungal infection that can turn your toenails into yellow.
The disease condition infects all parts of the toenails, and this increases the likelihood of turning your toenails into yellow.
Poor Lifestyle
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Poor lifestyle is another factor that can make your toenails to turn into yellow.
For instance, excessive nail Polish was found to discolor toenails.
This is because using a nail polish repeatedly on the same nails can make the nails to permanently look-like that color with time.
Time
The wise man says, "Time leaves nothing ". And this is also true for toenails.Our body changes with time. Yesterday, you were a kid, and today you're adult, and tomorrow you will be an old person.
As we age, our skin loses its elasticity and immune system, and this makes our nails to also lose their shapes and color.
This is the same thing in the case of yellow toenails.
Most older people above 50 are found to develop yellow toenails.
When To See A Doctor
If you start experiencing painful discomfort, bleeding, severe cracks and inflammation alongside yellow toenails, you need to rush to a medical doctor and clearly explain your problems for proper medical diagnosis.
Treatments Of Yellow Toenails
Yellow toenails can be managed by changing lifestyle if the root cause is nail polish.
When you avoid nail polish for a good 8 days, your toenails can return to its normal color without the need for any complicated treatments.
However, if the root cause is fungal infection.
Topical and oral medications with antifungal agents will be sufficient to solve the problem.
Other effective over-the-counter medications are topical and oral vitamin E.
But, if the root cause is an underlying medical conditions, then treating the underlying diseases is a good place to start.
Home Remedies For Treating Yellow Toenails
These are at-home natural treatments that can significantly lower or treat yellow toenails.
These include:
Warm Water And Baking Soda
Soaking your foot into a mixture of lukewarm water and baking soda can soften and reduce color that stained your toenails.
Warm water can allow blood flow and oxygen supply to the living tissues around your nail bed. And this helps soften the thickened nails, and thereby reducing nail cracks, irregular shapes, and bleeding.
The warm water and baking soda can make a perfect combo that can help eliminate the activities of fungus on the nails.
Both baking soda and water are proved to have antimicrobial benefits.
Hydrogen Peroxide And Tea Tree Oil
Other alternative home remedies are tea tree oil and hydrogen peroxide.Both of which are great when it comes to fighting microbes.
The hydrogen peroxide can prevent dead skin cells aggregation by bleaching the surface of the toenails, thereby making your toenails clean and dusted.
On the other hand, tea tree oil with its moisturizing and soothing benefits can help moisten and regenerate new skin cells, and hence this helps send alert to older skin cells to give room for the new cells.
This helps remove your boring yellow toenails.
Preventions Of Yellow Toenails
Yellow toenails sometimes tend to be stubborn when it comes to management, and this can take up to a year.
However, prevention is better than cure.
With lifestyle and dietary changes, you can prevent your toenails from turning into yellow.
Here are some best tips:
- avoid frequent nail polish
- always wear protective shoes, if you are used to moving beach and places with stagnant water
- always wear clean socks
- wash your toenails regularly
- avoid swimming in dirty water
- eat and exercise well
- wash your toenails with good cleanser after every exercise
- avoid wearing cover shoes day in day out
- ensure you dry toenails after wash
Related: Discolored Toenails Causes And Preventions
Frequently Asked Questions About Yellow Toenails
Below are some of the frequently asked questions about yellow toenails:
How Do You Fix Toenails?
You can fix yellow toenails by using antifungal creams and oral drugs.
Before you apply the creams on to the surface of the yellow toenails, make sure you gently reduce down the surface of the toenails with warm water and hydrogen peroxide.
So, that will make it easy for the creams to reach the deeper part of the toenails.
Are Yellow Toenails a Sign Of Diabetes?
The fact is, people with diabetes lose their skin immunity and so, many infectious diseases can easily get attached to the body.
Diabetes patients are more likely to get infected with Onychomycosis than nondiabetic patients.
Moreover, diabetes normally comes with different symptoms, which may include yellow toenails.
What Kills Toenails Fungus Fast?
Yellow toenails fungus can easily be treated with antifungal creams. Combination of vitamin E and tea tree oil will also work wonder.
Can You Scrape Out Toenails Fungus?
If you are suffering from fungal diseases like yellow toenails and athlete's foot, you can gently scrape or trim a bit of debris and dead skin cells from beneath the nails to help antifungal creams and other topical medications get access to the deeper target site.
Does Hydrogen Peroxide Kill Toenails Fungus?
Treating your toenails fungus with hydrogen peroxide can help kill fungus. To help speed the healing process, you can soak your foot into a warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.
Then, brush the nail bed and over the top of toenails with hydrogen peroxide. This helps eliminate fungal colonies on your toenails.
What Causes Toenails Discoloration?
The most common factors responsible for toenails discoloration are poor personal hygiene, dirt, malnutrition, and fungal infection.
Can You Tell If You Have Cancer By Your Toenails?
Absolutely, you can tell whether you have cancer or not by looking at your fingernails.
According to the American Academy Of Dermatology, looking at your toenails can help detect melanoma quickly before it goes beyond treatments.
Melanoma is a medical name for skin cancer.
Is Tea Tree Oil Good For Toenails Fungus?
Tea tree oil is an amazing oil with numerous benefits among which is its antifungal property.
This can be an alternative remedy for treating nail fungus.
Using tea tree oil frequently on your toenails can significantly help lower the activities of toenails fungal growth.
What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Toenails Fungus?
Vitamins that are important for healthy skin growth and regeneration are vitamin E, D, 12 and C.
With their antiseptic properties, nail fungus proliferation can be prevented.
Conclusion
Skin condition involving nails is sometimes difficult to treat.
However, with a combination of some proven medications, yellow toenails can easily be managed and treated.
We have discuss the causes, preventions and treatments of yellow toenails in detail.
We hope the post gives a solid understanding of yellow toenails.
We would like listening to your words about yellow toenails. So, do write to us in the comment section below.
This article is written by Idris Ya'u
This article is written by Idris Ya'u
References
- Avinandan Banerjee et al., 2014. Yellow nail syndrome: A rare entity; 5(4): 529–531.
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4228665/
- Abdullah, L., & Abbas O., 2011. Common nail changes and disorders in older people: Diagnosis and management. Canadian Family Physician, 57(2), 173–181
Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038811/
- Flores, F. C. et al., (2013). Antifungal activity of nanocapsule suspensions containing tea tree oil on the growth of Trichophyton rubrum [Abstract]. Mycopathologia, 175(3–4), 281–286
Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23392821
- Ghannoum, M., & Isham, N. (2014). Fungal nail infections (onychomycosis): A never-ending story?. PLoS Pathogens, 10(6), e1004105 Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4047123/
- image was obtained from Wikipedia creative commons for illustration purpose
image: retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Yns.jpg
- Tips for healthy nails. (n.d.) ; an article published by American Academy Of Dermatology
- Toenail problems. (2003,), an article published by Havard Medical College
Retrieved from health.harvard.edu/skin-and-hair/toenail-problems
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