Contents
In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.
Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.
Patients with onychomycosis have a worse life than those suffering from diabetes or hypertension – says Prof. Andrzej Kaszuba, dermatologist. It is difficult for a person suffering from mycosis to hide this disgusting ailment. Yellow nails disfigure the feet and can also be a symptom of the disease.
The causes of yellow nails
Discoloration can be caused by thickening of the nail plate, impact bruises, nail polish residue, or a fungal infection of the nail.
In the case of injuries, the nail plate very often turns yellow at the last stage of healing. If the plate is also broken, the nail will take longer to heal (the yellow color will last longer), because in the damaged area, the plate grows twice as hard to regenerate the defect faster. Over time, however, such nails on the feet and hands will return to their natural appearance, but this process can be accelerated by undergoing a treatment by a podiatrist.
Some medications can also cause yellowing of the nails for example containing beta-carotene or tetracycline-based antibiotics, or diseases such as jaundice type A or type B, psoriasis.
The thickening of the plate is the result of changes in the nail growth rate. The slower it grows, the thicker it becomes. Slower growth may be caused by age, disease or poor diet. The yellowish color results from the loss of transparency of a thickened nail.
In pharmacies and drugstores, preparations are available to remove discoloration caused by thickening of the plaque. Before using them, you can gently file the surface of the plate with a file. Regular use of these agents allows you to avoid yellowing of the nail. These preparations can also be used as a base for varnish.
Remember about proper nail care. For example, Bioherba Nail and Cuticle Oil, available at a favorable price on Medonet Market, will help you in this.
Another cause of discoloration is nail polish. When applied, it often penetrates the nail plate and leaves stains that cannot be removed with a remover. Special preparations for removing such stains can cope with these discolorations. However, it is worth using a primer under the varnish, especially a dark one, to protect the nail plate from staining.
Besides, wearing properly fitted shoesfingers that allow you to stretch your toes helps to avoid thickening of the toenails as a result of pressure.
In addition, yellow nails may be the result of cigarette smoking. Interestingly, in such cases, the yellow color appears on the nails of the fingers in which the person usually holds a cigarette. If yellow nails are caused by smoking cigarettes, then to deal with this problem, just stop smoking and be patient (the nails will take time to recover, even a few weeks here).
As already mentioned, yellow nails also appear in people who suffer from hepatitis A or B and psoriasis. For both of these conditions, the discolored nail symptom will disappear once the condition is healed. It is not recommended to use preparations intended to discolor the nail plate, because they may unnecessarily irritate it, as well as make it brittle and brittle (especially if yellow nails are caused by psoriasis). In this case, it is worth reaching for the EPTA PSO Intensive Nail Conditioner, which you can buy separately or in the Set with 30% urea for body and nail care with EPTA PSO 30.
It will also allow you to take care of a healthy and smooth nail plate, e.g. Advanced Oncoria One nail serum, which you can buy now at a promotional price on Medonet Market. Also try ONCORIA IN DERMA food for special medical purposes – healthy hair, skin and nails that will support the condition of your body even during oncological treatment.
Find out more: Nail appearance and health
Yellow nails and onychomycosis
The nails may also be yellow due to fungal or bacterial infections or less common conditions such as yellow nail syndrome.
Ringworm is one of the most common foot ailments, accounting for about 50 percent. reported nail diseases. It should be noted that the mycosis can affect not only the toenails, but also the hands. Besides the fact that it can hurt, it looks unsightly. Mushrooms feed on keratin. It is a protein that is found in the epidermis, hair and nails. Those who like nails secrete enzymes that loosen the keratin of the nail plate. As a result, the nail thickens, white, yellow or brown spots appear on it, it becomes scaly and brittle. A nail fungal infection initially forms a mild infection of a small part of the nail.
Unfortunately, if left untreated, it intensifies and covers more and more parts of the nail, leading to its complete destruction or even falling off. Besides, it moves to the next fingers.
Healthy nails are well protected against the environment by the cuticles as well as the epidermal helix and the subungual epidermal helix, which help seal and protect the nail against the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms. However, even slight damage to the protective structures as a result of injury or disease opens the door to infection.
To support the good condition of nails, we recommend Cold-pressed plum seed oil for hair, skin and nails, available at a promotional price on Medonet Market.
Meanwhile, pathogenic fungi are waiting for such an opportunity in many places. You can get infected with them wherever you take your shoes off, i.e. in swimming pools, gyms, in hotels – both in the shower, but also on the carpet and upholstered furniture. They also live in a domestic environment: in socks, shoes, towels, rugs. People with atopic skin allergy are more likely to suffer from mycosis because their resistance to fungi is weaker. You can also become infected with mycosis during cosmetic procedures performed on nails (e.g. manicure or pedicure).
Prevention and treatment of onychomycosis
Since pathogenic fungi can be infected in so many places, it is better to prevent infection. Over-the-counter mycosis remedies are an excellent prophylaxis. If we use the gym, swimming pool, we often spend the night in hotels, it is worth having such preparations. Wearing sports shoes, which is an ideal environment for fungi, also requires the use of anti-fungal agents.
However, over-the-counter remedies are not suitable for the treatment of ringworm. On the contrary, they make matters worse. – We call it incognito treatment. Since the patient smears his nails with such agents, he masks the symptoms of the disease and seems to be absent. Meanwhile, it is and takes more nails. Then the treatment is more difficult and may last for years – says prof. Kashuba.
The dermatologist emphasizes that there is no mycosis without a fungus. Therefore, before starting treatment, you need to take a scrap from the nail and check whether you are dealing with mycosis and what type of fungus caused it. Treatment without such diagnostics is, according to the professor, a misconduct, because treatment is selected depending on the type of fungus. It is long-lasting, even up to six months. It often requires not only topical nail medications, but also oral medications.
Remember that if the mycosis, if not treated, it will continue to spread and damage the nail, and then it will fall off.
Worth knowing: Changes in the appearance of nails
Yellow nail syndrome
The nails may also be yellow due to a condition known as yellow nail syndrome. The symptoms of this condition are yellow and thickened nail plates. These symptoms can be seen on both the toenails and the toenails. The disease can appear at any age, and other symptoms include: distortion of the free edge, slight green discoloration of the nails, furrows, and noticeable slower nail growth.
Vitamin E is sometimes taken for yellow nail syndrome. It has been clinically tested as an effective treatment for yellow nail syndrome. Since vitamin E stimulates healthy nail growth, it can be used topically or orally to accelerate nail growth.
The doctor explains: What can brown nails mean?
Yellow nails, yeast infection and onycholysis
Nails can also turn yellow due to the onset of nail candidiasis. This disease most often affects the hands of women, and much less often it can be noticed on the feet, as well as men. It is relatively easy to recognize yeasts, because in addition to the nail discoloration, the patient will also feel pain when the nails come into contact with water, e.g. while bathing or washing dishes.
The yellow color of the nail also appears in the case of protruding nails, when the nail plate detaches from its bed. Depending on the stage the nail is at, it will have a different color. It will be white at first, then yellow or green. It should be added that a protruding nail may be a consequence of mycosis or psoriasis, or it may appear due to a mechanical injury or even an incorrectly performed manicure.
Also read: Nail diseases – how to recognize them?
How to get rid of yellow nails?
If the discoloration of the nails is not caused by the aforementioned diseases, there are several ways to whiten them.
In addition to trying products available in pharmacies, i.e. ointments and creams with which you need to regularly lubricate the nail plate, and powders for scrubbing nails, or dissolving in water and soaking in such a solution, you can also use some natural methods.
One of them is whitening the nails with lemon juice, which has lightening properties. To do this, rub the fingernails with the juice and leave it on the nail plate for a few minutes. After this time, wash off the juice, not forgetting to moisturize the cuticles around the nails. This method works just as well for fingernails and toenails. However, it should be remembered that the toenails are thicker than the toenails, so this procedure should be performed more often.
Another good way is to soak your hands for a few minutes in warm milk or a solution of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. You can also use a mixture of water and gray soap. Some also dip their fingers in a glass of warm water mixed with one teaspoon of white vinegar. Nails should be soaked for about 8 minutes, and then rinsed with lukewarm water. After gently drying the nails with a towel, apply a little moisturizing cream or lotion.
Another way is to apply toothpaste to yellow and discolored nails. To do this, apply a small amount of toothpaste to the brush and gently scrub your nails. You can also rub a mixture of sugar and oil into the nails. You can also deal with the problem of yellow nails by simply going to a beauty salon and trying a Japanese manicure.
In the case of yellow nails, in addition to taking vitamin E, you can try zinc supplementation, which additionally prevents infections.
Also read: Nails as a mirror of health