Yellow Toe Nails - Not A Good Thing

Yellow toe nails are a warning sign of toenail troubles to come.

Yellow is known as a cheerful, happy colour. But, people are not usually happy to have yellow nails.

How Yellow Toe Nails Happen...

A nail fungus infection occurs when fungus infects one or more of your nails.

It may begin as a white or yellow spot under the tip of a fingernail or toenail. Then, the fungus may spread deeper into your nail. As the fungus spreads, it may cause your nail to discolor. Your nail may even develop crumbling edges or thicken to thick toenails.

The most common reason for yellow toenails is a fungus infection.

Usually, yellow toenails do not start out as uniform in colour. The fungus may only affect one of your nails or cause only part of the nail to be discolored. As the fungal infection grows and spreads, the whole nail will usually become discolored and yellow.

Yellow Nails Are Not Always Fungus

There are other reasons that nails can become yellow.

Sometimes a harmless bacterial colonization can cause a change in your nail colour. However, this usually makes the nail a greenish colour.

There is a very rare condition called yellow nail syndrome.

And, nails may become temporarily stained from wearing nail polish too often.

If you are unsure or concerned about your yellow nails, visit your doctor.

How To Know For Sure...

If you decide to go to a doctor, the doctor will usually diagnose you by just visually looking at your nails.

Occasionally, a doctor may take a sample of the yellowed nail to get tested at a laboratory

What You Can Do...

The sooner you start treatment, the better. It is easier to treat yellow nails as soon as you see some discoloration.

You can start treatment once you know what the cause of your yellow toenail or fingernail is. Here is some information to help you decide on the best treatment for you.

You can take oral medication.
PROS - easy
CONS - take for a few months to a year, can be expensive, possible side effects

You can try topical nail lacquer which you paint on.
PROS - easy
CONS - must catch infection early on, not suitable for advanced fungal infections that involve the white crescent part of nail (this is called the lunula)

You can use one of the home remedies for nail fungus cures.
PROS- easy, many options, people tend to have much success with them
CONS- can be timeconsuming, what works for one person, may not work for someone else

Yellow nails can be caused by staining and discoloration from nail polish.
Give nails a break from nail polish and wait for healthier nail to grow back

During treatment, carefully watch your affected toenail and fingernails to see that it is improving and not worsening.

Tell us about your yellow toenails experiences. Read what other's say about their nail fungus symptoms.

If you found this yellow toenail information useful, you will also like the information in our YIA Health Ezine.
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Yellow Toe Nails
by Lisa Geary B. Ed., M.A. Health Researcher
www.yeast-infection-answers.com

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