Our toenails tell us a lot about our overall health and well-being. Nails contain a protein called keratin, just like skin and hair. This is what makes nails strong, hard plates or shields. The matrix in the nail bed creates new skin cells which push out the old ones creating a nail. If the nail matrix is damaged or injured, this can affect the way the nail grows.
Fungal toenails, also known as onychomycosis, occur due to an infection of the nail. It is similar to another fungal infections of the foot, such as Athlete’s foot, although they differ in their location and treatment protocol. It is vital to understand these differences when preventing and attending to fungal toenails.
Our lower limb clinicians will have insight into your overall health, just by looking at your toenails. The lack of vitamins or minerals, or the presence of dehydration, nerve dysfunction and other diseases, such as kidney failure, can be evident to a BioPed Chiropodist just by examining your toenails.
