Toenails - Bay Area Foot Care

Why are my toenails discolored?

Posted on October 21, 2025July 20, 2026 by minagonzalezc

Introduction

Healthy toenails have a clear and partially translucent color which is an indication of a healthy body. Often, one of the first symptoms of an underlying illness is discolored nails.

Toenail discoloration is also known as chromonychia and can have many causes. These range from minor injuries to potentially serious health conditions. The discoloration can appear yellow, green, blue, purple, or black.

Causes of toenail discoloration

Nail fungus or onychomycosis

Toe nail fungus can make your toe nails become yellow, reddish brown, green, or black. If left untreated, the infection will spread, and the discolored area will get larger. Some common causes of nail fungus are sweaty and damp feet, walking barefoot, cuts or scraps near the nail, and improper foot hygiene.

Injuries

Trauma to the nail like stubbing the foot or dropping heavy objects on it can cause a subungual hematoma which leads to a red or purple discoloration.

Improper shoes

Tight-fitting shoes can stop blood circulation to the toes resulting in discoloration. Nails will become bruised and purple.

Health conditions

Nail discoloration can occur as a result of an underlying health condition. For example, psoriasis can manifest yellow-brown spots under the nail, cirrhosis can cause severe whiteness of nails, yellow can signal diabetes, etc.

Nail polish

Nail polish is one of the biggest culprits in regards to toenail discoloration. It contains chemicals like formalin, dimethylurea, or glyoxal that penetrate and stain the layers of keratin in your nail.

Medication

Toenails can get discolored due to some kinds of medication. Chemotherapy drugs cause darkening or white bands across the nail, rheumatoid arthritis drugs may cause a dark brown discoloration, antimalarial drugs cause toe nails to turn blackish blue, minocycline can give it a bluish gray tinge, and tetracycline antibiotics can cause yellow nails.

If you have Toe Nail Problems, you should see a podiatrist. They will be able to diagnose the reason for the discoloration and provide a treatment plan for it.

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Nail Fungus

Posted on February 20, 2025July 20, 2026 by minagonzalezc

Introduction

Onychomycosis is the medical term for toenail fungus infection. It is the most common toenail disorder and makes up nearly 50% of all toenail problems.

This condition affects both toenails and fingernails; however, toenail infections are far more common. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, toenail fungus affects 12% of all Americans.

The symptoms of toenail fungus are the nail plate having a thickened, yellow, or cloudy appearance. The toenails may become rough, ragged, or brittle, and could possibly crumble or separate from the nail bed (onycholysis). When the infection is severe, nails can be distorted in shape or display a dark color caused by buildup of debris under the nail. However, unless the disease is particularly severe, pain is usually not a symptom of toenail fungus; the symptoms are noticeable in the appearance and smell of the toenails.

Toenail fungus infections often follow fungal infection of your feet. Tiny white or yellow spots under the tip of your nails are often the first signs of nail fungus. If a nail fungus is left untreated, it can persist indefinitely. See your doctor at the first sign of nail fungus.

Fungal skin infections of your feet are more commonly referred to as athlete’s foot (tinea pedis). Athlete’s foot is contagious and can be passed on through direct contact in showers or locker rooms, areas of prolong periods of dampness where fungus tends to thrive. The most common symptom is cracked, flaky, peeling skin around the foot or between the toes, with or without associated itchiness and redness. Other symptoms may also include burning, blistering, oozing, or crusting. Treatment of associated skin fungus is often a preventive measure to avert future nail fungus reinfections.

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The Facts About Nail Fungus

Posted on February 20, 2025July 20, 2026 by minagonzalezc

Introduction

Toenail fungus is an infection that lives underneath the nail, in the skin of the nail bed. Toenail fungus is more than a cosmetic concern.

What is Toenail Fungus?

Toenail fungus is an infection that lives underneath the nail, in the skin of the nail bed. Toenail fungus is more than a cosmetic concern. Toe nail fungus is a condition your doctor may refer to as Onychomycosis, other nails include dermatophytosis of the nail or Tine Unguium.

Onychomycosis is an infection of the nail caused by fungi such as dermatophytes, non-dermatophyte moulds and yeasts (mainly Candida species). Of these 80% of the toenail infections are caused by dermatophytes (Trichophyton rubrum).

Some contributing factors that can increase the risk of developing toenail fungus include: Wearing closed-toe shoes. Getting pedicures with improperly sanitized tool. Having a chronic illness, such as diabetes or HIV. Having a deformed nail or a nail disease

It is important to be evaluated by a podiatrist or dermatologist to appropriately diagnose nail changes. Other systemic conditions can mimic onychomycosis. If the physician is unable to make the clinical diagnosis a sample of the nail is sent for further evaluation.

Treatment Options for Nail Fungus:

Several things make it especially challenging to treat toenail fungus. The thickness of the nail can pose a barrier between treatment and the fungus under the nail. Additionally, the time it takes for a healthy nail to grow back varies from person to person. Even after the fungus has been eliminated, nail regrowth can sometimes take a year or longer.

Nail grows at an average rate of 0.1 mm/day (1 cm every 100days). Finger nails require 3 to 6 months to re-grow completely while toe nails require 12 to 18 months. The actual growth rate depends upon the age, season, exercise level and hereditary factor.

Treatments for fungal nails include oral medication, topical anti-fungal agents and laser therapy.

Oral Lamisil (Terbinafine) is the most effective systemic therapy. There have been cure rates reported from 57.8% to 73% when taking the medication once daily for 3 months. Whether or not this treatment is right for you should be determined by your doctor.

Topical preparations in the form of lacquers applied on the nail plate are a valuable tool in the treatment of onychomycosis, however, monotherapy success is limited.

In randomized studies carried out in the US on 460 patients with mild to moderate onychomycosis (20-65% nail involvement) showed a high safety profileand effectiveness of Ciclopirox monotherapy. The agent was applied daily on all toenails, including the healthy ones. After 48 weeks of treatment, negative culture and negative direct examination were achieved in 29% of patients compared to 11% in the placebo.

Topical Julblia (efinaconazole) is clear solution not a lacquer applied to the nails once daily. This has been proven to be the most effective topical treatment. Clear nail (0% affected target toenail) was achieved in 19.7% of patients at week 52, meaning clinical signs of the fungus had been treated. Further more treatment success leaving only less than 10% of the affected toenail was seen in 42.6% of the patients.

Laser therapy has been proven to increase the effectiveness of topical agents and achieve similar or even greater success than oral medications.

The cure rate of 71.88% in the laser and nail lacquer combined-therapy group at 16 weeks was significantly higher than the 20.31% in the nail lacquer monotherapy group. This result confirmed the effectiveness of combination therapy.

In addition, when compared with results in a meta-analysis of oral medication [systemic antifungal therapy] for onychomycosis, the cure rate of the laser and nail lacquer combined-therapy in this study was similar to the 60%~76% for systemic antifungal therapies such as terbinafine and itraconazole.

Many patients ask about removing the toe nails. Although nail surgery is useful in some cases of onychomycosis, it is a painful and disfiguring process and should be limited to one or only a few nails if used at all.

Recurrence is also a common problem with onychomycosis. Topical agents may be useful in preventing the relapse of chronic tinea pedis, which often accompanies onychomycosis. An at home anti-fungal regimen is important to help prevent recurrence. Ask your podiatrist for tips at your next visit or stay tuned for up coming blogs on the subject.

Don’t wait any longer to treat your toe nail fungus. Visit one of our podiatrists and start your treatment today!

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Understanding Fungal Nail Infections and Best Treatment Options

Posted on February 20, 2025July 20, 2026 by minagonzalezc

Introduction

When it comes to the many conditions that can affect your feet, fungal infections in your toenails are among the most common. While these infections aren’t necessarily dangerous, they can pose serious cosmetic concerns as your nails discolor and crumble. Not to mention, fungal infections are notoriously tough conditions to get rid of.

Our team of podiatric specialists offers several solutions to battle fungal infections in your toenails, including an advanced laser solution that makes quick work of the fungus.

Here’s a look at the different types of fungal nail infections and, more importantly, what we can do about them.

Fungal nail infections in detail

There are four main types of fungal nail infections, including:

1. Distal subungual onychomycosis (DSO)

This fungal infection is far and away from the most common, and it’s the same fungi that are responsible for athlete’s foot. DSO typically invades the nail bed beneath your nail, eventually leading to yellowish and thickened toenails that are very brittle. In advanced cases, the nail separates from the nail bed.

2. White superficial onychomycosis (WSO)

This type of fungal infection affects only the surface of your nail, leading to white spots that may overtake your entire nail.

3. Candida onychomycosis

This condition is less common and stems from a yeast infection. Candida onychomycosis can affect both your nail and your surrounding skin and lead to a separation of your nail from your nail bed.

4. Proximal subungual onychomycosis (PSO)

This condition is typically found in those with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and affects the skin at the base of your nail.

It’s worth emphasizing that most fungal infections that we see are caused by distal subungual onychomycosis.

Treating toenail fungus

When it comes to treating toenail fungus, the rule of thumb is that early treatment is best. Toenail fungus is typically progressive and usually starts out as white spots on your nails. At this early juncture, we can prescribe antifungal medications.

In most cases, however, the fungus spreads quickly and, before you know it, your entire nail is compromised. In these cases, we recommend the most advanced therapy available, GenesisPlus® laser toenail fungus treatment. With this innovative laser technology, we deliver light energy into your toenail, which destroys the fungus without damaging your healthy tissue.

The laser treatment is noninvasive and takes us less than 30 minutes to complete. Most patients are perfectly comfortable during the procedure and there’s no downtime afterward, which means you’re free to get on with your day.

With the fungus effectively destroyed, newer, healthier nails will regrow, returning your feet to a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

If you’d like to get rid of your toenail fungus, once and for all, contact us today to set up an appointment.

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