Yellow Toenails: Causes, Treatment, Diet Tips

There are many answers to the question of why yellow toenails are yellow, and some of them are frightening. The reason may lie in a serious disease, which a woman does not even realize.

The plate literally signals, reporting the internal state of the body. But this applies only to certain types of diseases, through which the background of the dorsal layer changes. In this article, we will discuss the current topic, why yellow nails appear on the feet after the removal of the decorative coating, let’s analyze the causes and choose a way to eliminate the problem by treatment.

Symptoms

Our body with a lack of vital vitamins and trace elements is not able to ensure the normal functioning of all departments. Periodically, we can observe how the skin changes its structure, the hair becomes dull, and the fingers have an unpleasant yellowing of the nails. Sometimes these changes in the shade of the nail plate are accompanied by the following symptoms:

Profuse peeling around the nail;
Inflammatory formations around the plate;
Brittleness and crumbling of the structure;

unpleasant odor;
peeling;
deformation of the plate.

Any of the above symptoms are harbingers of the fact that the nails are likely to acquire an undesirable yellow color. During the winter and fall cold weather, you need to pay close attention to your feet. After all, feet are most often in shoes and socks, so hygiene is relegated to the back burner.

During the cold season, you can forget about vitamin D, and it is badly needed, because it is a source of important substances. The problem can be solved in two ways: change the diet or add vitamin supplements.

Information verified by the iythealth.com team.

The reasons for the change in the shade of the nails are many, the list starts with simple cramped shoes, to fungal nail disease. The reason why yellow nails can be caused by diabetes. Many women don’t understand the problem until it makes itself known.

We will not deny that the surface yellowing is sometimes due to decorative nail polish with regular coloring of the nails in bright colors. However, this is not a reason to shift the blame to the manufacturer. You should always check all sorts of options to rule out scary diagnoses and symptoms.

Yellow toenails on the thumbs

Eliminating a few points about the yellowing of the plate from nail polish, you can safely move on to the diagnosis of the disease of the stratum corneum. By one look, it immediately becomes clear whether the yellow toenail on the big toe has changed color due to fungus or from tight shoes.

If the nail is affected by infection caused by constant foot sweat, the appearance of the plate resembles a dry branch, which is about to crumble into small pieces. Here you need to act immediately.

A small seal that appeared due to changes in the structure of the nail should not have any build-up. Ribbed bands indicate that the plate is deformed due to microcirculatory disorders, there is a detachment from the skin. The nail must be cut out and treated closely.

Yellow spots or stripes

A variety of manifestations on the plasticine in the form of stripes or spots indicate a disorder in the body. Most often it is associated with a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine and cardiac system. The condition of the nails can also be affected by the liver, if a person has hepatitis or other forms of its manifestations. It is not only the appearance of the skin that aggravates the diagnosis.

If there is a yellow stain on the nail, located on the free edge, remember if there were any small injuries that left a mark. If the cause is not a bump, then it’s time to see a doctor, take a blood test to determine the true cause.

Almost always yellowing is a sign of health problems that last for more than a year. An annual examination will help to rule out, eliminate the formation of all sorts of furrows on the nails, the appearance of spots and other defects.

All fingernails are yellow

Narrow shoes or too high of a heel affect the condition of the feet. Yellow spots on the toenails appear due to impaired blood circulation when the toes are squeezed by narrow toe shoes or a small shoe size. Another reason why the nails are all stained yellow is varnish with a rich pigment. During the summer, girls never give the plate a rest, change the color of nail polish, resort to staining the nails with decor. As a consequence, yellow formations appear.

Perhaps a recent change of household chemicals caused an allergic reaction, and the nails changed color.

Causes of Yellow Toenails

The most common external causes of yellowing and thickening of the toenails:

Systematic use of products containing acetone in their composition. It is on the basis of this substance that nail polish remover is made.
If the shoes are made of low-quality cheap material or too small in size, this can also lead to yellowing. In addition to the fact that in this case, the nail thickens and yellowing, also appears dystrophy, ribbing. In most cases, the shoe affects the pinky or big toe.

It should also be noted that if the nails turn yellow, the cause may lie in the food habits. The plates are detrimentally affected by coffee and black tea. These drinks contain special pigments that can change its natural color.
What causes the yellowing of nails if nail polish is not applied? It can also happen due to the use of some medicines for a long time.

In some cases, yellowing of the nail is the absolute norm. This phenomenon is most often observed in women and men of advanced age.

Yellowing of the nails is a consequence of many different causes. Sometimes, as mentioned earlier, the nails turn yellow because they are covered with low-quality acrylic or shellac. The fact is that the composition of such cheap cosmetics contains chemicals such as camphor oil, toluene, and formalin resin.

Since these components adversely affect the functionality of the liver, it also affects the skin and other tissues, such as nails. Of course, the reaction appears only against the background of long-term use of such varnishes. From a few applications, nothing will change.

Many young girls have the question of why yellow nails on the feet. The reason for this is the gel polish, which is applied to the plates. The composition of such products contains nitrocellulose, which changes the shade of the nail. In this case, there will be no other symptoms of any disease.

Diseases

If the cause of the yellowing of the nails is an external influence, it is quite easy to overcome this problem. First of all, the main provoking factor should be excluded. For example, if the nail on the big toe is yellowing, it is necessary to change shoes.

But what to do if the cause of this unpleasant symptom lies in the development of some disease?

Onychogryphosis and other pathologies

This is one of the common ailments, which is inherited. When this disease develops, the nails become yellowish in color and harden. In addition, they lose their natural shine, as well as lifted above the bed.

Sometimes the nail on the big toe turns yellow, while the rest are in a healthy condition. But in most cases, this pathological process spreads to all plates at once. The pathology is accompanied by a violation of their blood supply. The main causes should include such diseases:

Pneumonia, scarlet fever, measles.
Venereal diseases.

A disseminated form of sclerosis.
An overabundance or deficiency of minerals or vitamins.
Atherosclerosis of the blood vessels.

Varicose veins.

In these diseases, yellowing of the nails may be the only symptom, or it may be supplemented by other symptoms. The plate begins to burst, delaminate, and change in thickness. The color can range from light yellow to dirty brown.

Dystrophic onychia

Dystrophic onychia manifests itself as follows:

The nail plates on the feet have become hard and thick.
The nails have become rough and flaky.
There is a deformation.

Brittleness of the plates increases.
The nails change color to a yellowish hue.

If these symptoms occur only on one finger, then the cause, most often, lies in the trauma of the bed. This should include tight shoes, inability to trim the nails properly.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is not only a skin disease. This pathology often affects the nail plates on the feet and hands. The symptoms of psoriasis should include:

The appearance of ribbing as well as bumps on the nail plates.
Its clouding.

Peeling of the skin near the nail.
The formation of red and black spots under the nail plate.

These symptoms should be attributed to the initial stage of psoriasis. In more advanced situations, the shade of the nails becomes cloudy, matte, and to the touch the plate is rough, concave inward.

Fungal infection

For what other reasons can yellow nails on the feet? If the patient has no history of trauma, as well as serious chronic pathologies, and the patient did not use dubious varnishes, then the cause may lie in the development of fungus. This pathology can develop in people of absolutely any age, and regardless of gender. Clinical symptoms of mycosis are quite extensive. Most often these include thickening of the nail plates, as well as changes in their shade. In the most severe cases, when the fungus activity is high, the nail can become completely deformed as well as twisted.

Symptoms of mycosis are manifested by the following signs:

In hypertrophic fungus, the nails become thick, the color changes to brown or yellow. The surface of the plate without shine, matte, the edges are pointed.

Normotrophic fungus is characterized by a strong thickening of the nail. The shape of the plate in this case does not change.
As for atrophic fungus, on the contrary, thinning of the nail is observed here, it is destroyed.

Diagnosis

Carry out self-diagnosis only to determine whether or not the help of a specialist is needed. If the toenail on the big toe turned yellow after a week of walking in stilettos, the cause is clearly in the shoes.

If the state of health for a month already leaves much to be desired, perhaps excessive use of tobacco intensified the effect, and changes appeared on the nail plate. Consequently, it is time to take blood tests to detect abnormalities.

Yellow crumbly nails indicate fungal disease onychomycosis. There is no need to panic, the main thing is to begin treatment in an organized manner. Even at the most neglected stage, it is possible to grow a healthy nail with the right treatment. It is important not to launch the progressing fungus, and immediately contact a specialist for a list of medications.

What to do if you have yellow toenails

To remove or eliminate yellowing and unwanted effects after removing gel polish, pharmacy remedies, as well as folk recipes of our grandmothers will help. If the altered color is the cause of pathological diseases or the body’s reaction to disorders of one of the systems, then without the intervention of a specialist can not do without.

The usual yellowish tint can be removed with a corrector, white enamel, which is sold in drugstores. But this therapy is only suitable for nails tired of incessant coverage with bright varnishes.

The use of nail polish with a therapeutic composition is also suitable when there is a lack of building materials for the cells. Keratin composition with calcium, zinc and magnesium has a beneficial effect on the thickness and color of the plate. However, before you buy smart enamel, you need to determine what exactly the dorsal layer needs: protection, strengthening or simple nourishment with oils.

Any means should be applied, based on the instructions. If it is a therapeutic varnish, renew the coating every 3 days. If the product is in the form of an ointment or gel, but rub the substance into your toes several times a day.

The specialist can also prescribe other drugs, vitamin complex, baths with medicinal herbs, aroma oils. A comprehensive approach always gives a good result, even if the diagnosis is not very good.

Folk treatment

You can remove and get rid of unwanted yellowness in several ways. The first thing to focus on is the external influence through baths, nutrition. Folk medicine will just come in handy, since many modern remedies contain a similar formulation in the composition.

Home recipes help to cope with tired nails from constant coatings. Consequently, all folk methods, one way or another, work positively, but the procedures must be carried out regularly.

Chamomile is excellent for relieving sweaty feet, soothes tired feet from walking and helps in the initial stages of ingrown plates and when yellowing toenails.
Lemon has an illuminating effect. It removes yellowing, nourishes and energizes your feet with vitamins. You can use oil with lemon, or juice, diluted in warm water.
St. John’s wort gets rid of cracks, especially if you make a bath and add a couple of spoonfuls of calendula to the water.

Even an ointment can be prepared at home. This will require glycerin or fatty oils, which will be the basis. But according to the folk recipe, you can only use drops of tincture for mixing or vitamins, but not the product itself in pure form.

Prevention

Hand care begins not with the design, but with preventive procedures that have a moisturizing and nourishing complex. All kinds of fruit, herbal, vitamin baths have a beneficial effect on the condition of the hands and feet. Do not forget to conduct a regular rest from decorative coatings, especially if the nails were covered continuously during the year.

Conclusion

It is worth noting that as a wellness therapy, it is recommended to follow a diet so that the problem of yellow toenails leaves you as soon as possible and does not recur. Experts advise consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, olive oil should be included in the diet, because it is rich in vitamins and trace elements. You should eat whole wheat bread, chicken liver and red meat. All these products make up for the lack of B vitamins, which are good for the nails.