There are two primary causes for toenail loss, fungus, and injury. Toenail fungus, a fungal infection caused by dermatophytes, is the most common reason that a toenail will fall off. Dermatophytes feed on the keratin found in the skin and nails and thrive in warm, moist environments.
Your toenails tell a lot about your overall health. A fungal infection often causes thickened yellow toenails. Thick, yellow nails also can be a sign of an underlying disease, including lymphedema (swelling related to the lymphatic system), lung problems, psoriasis, or rheumatoid arthritis.
Diabetes can also restrict circulation to your feet, which creates the right conditions for fungus to grow and your toenail to fall off. When fungus grows untreated on your foot, it can sever the connective tissue between your toenail and your foot. And eventually, that causes to your toenail falling off.
Thickened, yellow toenails. Fungus infections such as athlete's foot between your toes. A blister, sore, ulcer, infected corn, or ingrown toenail.
Coat the area with antibiotic ointment and top with a nonstick bandage. Change the bandage every day and whenever it gets wet. (If any part gets stuck, soak it under warm running water until it slips off.) For the first couple of days, ease any pain and swelling by propping up your foot.
Sometimes detached nails are associated with injury or infection. In other cases nail separation is a reaction to a particular drug or consumer product, such as nail hardeners or adhesives. Thyroid disease and psoriasis — a condition characterized by scaly patches on the skin — also can cause nail separation.
Your feet also swell during a walk or run and get compressed by your socks and shoes. That pressure and impact can cause toenail soreness, damage your toenail beds, or create a blister under the toenail itself. When this happens, the extra blood and fluid cause your toenail to separate from the toenail bed.
Terry's nails is a type of nail discoloration. The nailbeds look “washed out,” except for a thin reddish-brown strip near the tip. Often, Terry's nails is a symptom of a chronic condition, such as liver failure or diabetes.
Various nail changes have been described in patients of liver cirrhosis including Terry's nails, leukonychia, dystrophic nails, onychorrhexis, as well as onycholysis and clubbing.
Onychomycosis is an infection of the nail, usually caused by a dermatophyte, that affects about 10% of the U.S. population. Onychomycosis is not life-threatening but can cause pain and negatively affect quality of life.
After a nail separates from the nail bed for whatever reason, it will not reattach. A new nail will have to grow back in its place. Nails grow back slowly. It takes about 6 months for a fingernail and up to 18 months for a toenail to grow back.
If you have psoriasis, it's important to check your fingernails and toenails for signs of nail psoriasis. Common signs include: Tiny dents in your nails (called “nail pits”) White, yellow, or brown discoloration.
The nails become brittle with longitudinal ridges. The condition was named after Maurice Raynaud (1834–1881). The condition is the result of a vasospasm that decreases the blood supply to various organs. The triggers are cold and emotional stress.
Contact irritants, trauma, and moisture are the most common causes of onycholysis, but other associations exist.
While a toenail falling off is usually not a major medical concern, it can be painful and annoying. In some cases, a damaged or detaching toenail may become infected, or it may be a sign of a more serious medical condition. A person can take steps at home to help ensure that the nail bed is kept clean and protected.
Soak your foot in a combination of 1 tsp (5 g) of salt and 4 cups (1 L) of warm water for 20 minutes, 2 or 3 times each day, for the first 3 days after you lose your toenail. Cover with a fresh bandage. Ensure the nail bed is kept dry and clean until the nail bed is firm and you see signs of the nail growing back.
Nail disease is a broad term that covers several different conditions, including fungal or bacterial nail infections, tumors, nail lifting and splitting, in-grown nails, psoriatic arthritis and skin infections (paronychia).
Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia.
Nail Health & Diabetes
In some people with diabetes, the nails take on a yellowish hue and become brittle. This is often associated with the breakdown of sugar and its effect on the collagen in nails. In certain cases, this yellowing of nails can be a sign of a nail infection.
You'll know that the medication is working and the toenail fungus is dying when your toenail changes back to its natural color, decreases in thickness, shows healthy new growth, and you see a clear delineation between the infected part of the toenail and your new nail growth.