Thread: Toenail issue

Just took off my toenail polish and discovered that my right big toenail is black! It doesn't hurt. There is some gross dark gold-ish brown stuff under the nail.

I think it must be a fungus of some sort. I looked at some pictures online but nothing looks right. Any ideas? Anyone ever treated a toenail fungus before?

Hmm I would see a dermatologist just to be sure!
Have you used toenail polish constantly for a long time? You often hear the nails con get "unhealthy" colours when no "time to breathe" is allowed between the application of different nailpolishes (particularly dark ones).
A very dark colour does not sound normal though. I know the discoloration normally is yellowish if no undercoat polish is used.. I would definitely see a dermatologist to be sure!!

Oh and do you dance barefoot in class or restaurants? There recently was a thread either here or on tribe on diverse infectious diseases bellydancers have caught on restaurant floors, carpets etc.
And I bet studio floors are not 100% infection-proof either ;(

yuk, lol! My friend has constant black big-toe nails because she runs a lot and her shoes press on her nails. I don't think it hurts on her actually. Have you worn dance shoes or anything that presses on your toes lately?
I think nail fungus usually makes the nail yellowish and thick, but I'm not sure

Oh or something heavy hit you there (dropped something, somebody stepped on it really hard)? Sometimes the nail turns black when it dies off because of a strike or hit. It will then go off and a new one will grow :)

That sounds like toenail fungus. You can use tea tree oil to treat it. But if you have medical insurance, your doctor can prescribe Lamisil tablets. They work faster, but without health insurance, they cost around $300.

could be a bruise starting to fade. I'd keep off the nail polish to see if it fades or changes.

& Tea tree / manuka is reported to be good for fungus.

Mine has been bruised since April - It is barely coming off now. I hit it a good one!

I once got hit by a big box filled with electric cooking plates falling down from top of a staple in a big electronic device chain - right on my foot.
Lucky me - my foot had practically nothing, I felt only mild pain for a few weeks on and off (the shock of maybe having messed up my foot for good was the worst actually). The only thing was my "pinky toe" nail turned dark. And stayed this way for about 2 years (?). It must have come off unnoticed at some point.
(My theory is it goes off only when the "new" nail is fully developed.. now how that took so long with nails growing a mm in a couple of days I do not know..)

Had I been a US citizen or had that happened in the US I might have been even luckier with a nice damage payment :)

Thyme oil is good, too. Apply it every night before you go to bed. If you look up home remedies, you will likely find several using organic apple cider vinegar. It's apparently a cure-all!

Originally Posted by gypsydanse

That sounds like toenail fungus. You can use tea tree oil to treat it. But if you have medical insurance, your doctor can prescribe Lamisil tablets. They work faster, but without health insurance, they cost around $300.

I had something like this happen to me. I stubbed my toe pretty bad, and when I changed my toe nail polish several days later my nail was all black and gross. It took months for it to finally grow out, but I'm glad it didn't fall off at least!

Thanks for all the advice!

Get it checked out anyway, just to be sure.

Fungus shouldn't make it black so quickly that you didn't notice something amiss before now. Usually they get yellow and thick. I would get it checked out like others have mentioned.

Did you get a pedicure at a salon or do your own?

tea tree oil if it's fungus. not had it myself, but cured my hubs before we got married.

Originally Posted by Reinaa

Mine has been bruised since April - It is barely coming off now. I hit it a good one!

I bruised my big toe in April, too! It didn't hurt at the time, or at any time after I did it, really. I took my nail polish off a week or so later and discovered that most of the nail was black underneath.

Fast forward to just a week ago... I was taking a shower, and I discovered that that the nail was starting to come off on the side where the bruise was. There is a new nail growing up out of the cuticle.

I went to the doctor just to be safe, and she said she could either yank off the nail (which she didn't advise), otherwise she told me to just keep it bandaged and soak it in peroxide every other day until it falls off.

Zohra -- Google "subungual hematoma" and see if the photos you see look like what you have going on.

Originally Posted by Anjela

Zohra -- Google "subungual hematoma" and see if the photos you see look like what you have going on.

That does look like what I have! I just can't remember hurting my toe.

I always do my own pedicures because I am scared to death of plantar warts and fungus.

I have an appointment to see my doctor next week. I'll keep you posted.

Originally Posted by ZohraMostafa

That does look like what I have! I just can't remember hurting my toe.

I always do my own pedicures because I am scared to death of plantar warts and fungus.

I have an appointment to see my doctor next week. I'll keep you posted.

I couldn't remember hurting my toe, either. Then I Googled "toenail falling off" or something like that, and I found this info:

"Might you be an athlete? When you kick a soccer ball, pivot for a fade-away jumper, or stop short at the net for a volley, your toes can get jammed against your shoes, sometimes causing a trauma that can result in the loss of a nail. If a toe gets smacked hard or repeatedly, the result can be a subungual hematoma — painful bleeding under the toenail that can, in more serious cases, cause the nail to fall off."

What I think did it in my case was a night of clubbing in a pair of killer platform boots. The very high heels pushed my toes forward into the front of the boot, causing a lot of pressure on my big toes, and a few hours of dancing in those evil boots must have caused the bruise. I imagine that dancing a few sets in closed-toed ballroom shoes could have the same effect too...

If the toe is black it is almost certain that it's an hematoma and the internal bleeding is what makes the toe look black. Someone stepped on my toe months ago and although it doesn't hurt my right big toe is still black. I am just waiting for the new nail to grow now.

Fungus makes the nail yellowish, brown and thicker. An excellent remedy for fungus is also Vicks VapoRub. It really works wonders !

Originally Posted by Antigone

If the toe is black it is almost certain that it's an hematoma and the internal bleeding is what makes the toe look black. Someone stepped on my toe months ago and although it doesn't hurt my right big toe is still black. I am just waiting for the new nail to grow now.

Fungus makes the nail yellowish, brown and thicker. An excellent remedy for fungus is also Vicks VapoRub. It really works wonders !

Ditto on Vicks. I injured both nails doing an intense certification (long story) and they just had to grow out.