Common Toenail Problems: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

A lovely nail colour teamed with a beautiful nail art design will mean nothing without healthy nails.

Well-kept toenails look very beautiful, especially in summers, when you wear your colourful flip flops and sandals. Lack of proper care, however, can result in various toe nail problems. These can be easily taken care off. When ignored, it can turn into a long term problem and may need medical assistance.

Here are some of the most common toe nail problems 

1. Dry Toe Nails:

In the case of dry toe nails, the nails appear kind of powdery and dull on the surface. This condition is caused due to lack of oil and moisture to the nails and the skin around. It is also caused due to over exposure to water.

How to avoid:

• Try and keep the water exposure of your toes to a minimum
• Make sure you use a good foot and toe nail cream to keep these areas properly moisturized and nourished

2. Weak or Soft Toenails:

In the case of weak or soft toe nails, the nails appear quite thin and fragile. They may also flake easily and may grow very slowly. This can mostly happen due to genetics. It can also occur due to improper or incorrect filing techniques.

How to avoid:

• Make sure you visit a reputed place when you go for any foot treatment
• Use a good foot cream or toe nail cream

3. Brittle Toenails:

Brittle toe nails appear extremely hard and very inflexible. They also break very easily and can crack down often. Such nails may also appear ridged. This condition is caused due to lack of oil and moisture and also because of aging of nails.

How to avoid:

• Make sure you use a good foot and toe nail cream to keep these areas properly moisturized and nourished
• Eat healthy and visit a skin specialist if the problem persists

4. Damaged Toenails:

Damaged toe nails appear extremely soft and very thin. These types of nails also grow very slowly. This condition occurs due to application of gels and artificial techniques that are used on the nails. It can also be caused due to over buffing of the nail plate.

How to avoid:

• Give your toe nails some rest in between the various beauty treatments
• Use good quality products
• Use a minimum of products

5. Peeling or Flaking Toe Nails:

Peeling or flaking toe nails are the type that peel and flake in layers. They are also very thin and fragile. This condition is also related to genetics. Another very common reason for this condition is dehydration.

How to avoid:

• Make sure to drink lots of water through the day
• Use some good foot and toe nail creams to keep the nail and surrounding area hydrated and nourished

6. Ingrown Toe Nails:

Ingrown toenail problem usually occurs to a big toe. This may arise because of the pressure one gets from wearing ill-fitting shoes.

How to avoid:

• Wear shoes that are not too tight
• Go for shoes that have comfort fits and will help keep some space for your toes
• If the problem persists, wear open toed shoes for some time

Most of the toe nail problems can be kept at bay by taking care of your feet and providing adequate moisture and nourishment to your feet and toe nails.

The following are a few ways in which you can take care of your toe nails:

• Use a good cuticle oil that will help nourish your nail area
• Do not wear ill-fitting shoes
• Go for regular pedicure visits
• Avoid buffing your toenails too much
• Use emery board filer to file your toenails.

Following the above steps will take care of your toe nail problems in most cases. If none of these help and you still experience problems, consult a doctor immediately.