Have you ever tried to look at your toenails only to notice those white spots? Again, have you ever thought about the health of your toenails besides daily showering and having a nail polish? I am posing these questions because healthy toenails are something many people take for granted. Most times, people only realize that something is wrong when their toenails lose shape and adopt a different color. Ideally, your toenails should have a pale pink color. This pink color can change and become white, purple, red, black, green, or yellow because of trauma, infections, wearing tight-fitting shoes, the reduced blood supply to the toes, and many others. For you to understand how these problems arise, you must first learn the basics of your toenails. The toenails comprise keratin, which is a special type of protein that is found in your hair and nails too. Keratin is very key because it makes your toenails hard and less prone to scratching, hence protecting them. Again, the visible portion of the nail plate you see is made up of dead cells. This means that there are no sensitive nerves endings to this part of the nail and that's why you can cut your nail, without feeling any pain. This blog will teach you more about the causes of white toenails and what you can do about them. So, here is the list of the top five most common causes of white toenails.


Trauma. Trauma happens when your toenail is injured. Many factors can lead to toe injuries including cuts, being stepped upon, hard blows by heavy objects, bumping the toes, or a sharp object such as a needle dodging into the nailbed. This injury may not cause white toenails immediately, as this depends on the severity of the injury. One thing you should know is that your nails grow in phases. The nail you see grows from underneath the skin. If a needle reaches the matrix of the nail, for example, you may end up feeling the pain, but the white color may not come immediately. This is because the nail matrix is far away from the nail bed and the free edge parts of the nail. Also, the matrix contains actively dividing cells that make up your nail. So, if these cells are injured, the result will be a discolored nail you will notice once the injured region reaches the nailbed. Again, once the toe is injured, the blood vessel under the skin break and starts bleeding, changing the toe color. Sometimes you can bump your toe on a hard surface such as a rock or a chair and end up getting a white streak, also known as leukonychia.


Nail Polish. We all love having beautiful toes, right? One of the best ways to achieve this is through pedicure. Pedicure is a comprehensive procedure for the feet. Depending on what you like, it involves cutting, trimming, and shaping the toenails, tending to your cuticles, exfoliating, hydrating, massaging the feet, and painting the toenails. Most of the products used in pedicures contain harsh chemicals that can harm your nails. Acrylics, for example, use paints rich in color that change the natural outlook of your nailbed. Again, some adhesives, synthetic glues, and gels polish used during pedicure may damage your toenails even without you realizing it. The worst part is that leaving the nail polish over a long period, i.e., three weeks or more, you dehydrate your nails, making them form keratin granules which may appear white on the surface of the toenail.


Nutritional Deficiencies. We are often told we are what we eat, right? This is true because your health depends on the type of diet you consume daily. Just like any other part of your body, your nails require certain vitamins and minerals to develop. Some of these minerals come from our everyday foods or supplements. Minerals like iron and zinc are very essential for healthy-looking nails. This means that failure to have adequate these minerals in the body can lead to color changes on your nails, making them white. Deficiency interrupts the normal growth of nails, making you have a spoon-shaped nail (koilonychia). Having white nails usually tells us that something is wrong with our general health. Sometimes you can notice that the entire toenail looks white except for the nail tip, and this also shows a deficiency. For example, zinc and calcium deficiency causes thin, brittle, and easy-breaking nails.


Infections. Some fungal infections are the major causes of white toenails. We also know this type of fungal infection as onychomycosis or yeast candida and causes white spots on the nails. A fungal infection does not just happen, as it is highly linked to factors like injury and wearing tight-fitting shoes that exert pressure on the nails, causing micro-tears. The danger of these micro-tears is that they damage the cuticle, and hence open the portal for the fungal to enter the nailbed. After a while, these fungi multiply in numbers and cause an inflammation of the underneath skin. This alters how your toenails look and gives them a white appearance. Also, having a weak immune system is another factor that exposes you to infections. Ideally, your body has some types of cells (B-cells and T-cells) that protect your body from any invasion of microorganisms. If the immune system is weak, it cannot protect you from these pathogens and exposes you to more infections.


Nail Psoriasis. This is a common inflammatory nail disease that affects 80-90% of people globally. It is caused by autoimmune conditions that also cause psoriasis of the skin. People with nail psoriasis usually have inflamed nails that look thicker, white, and scaly. The condition also separates the nail from the nail bed, making your toenails appear deformed. In most cases, nail psoriasis is mistaken for nail fungus, although the two conditions are distinct and with different causes. Nail psoriasis affects the nail matrix and alters the nail manufacturing cells, making the nails grow to have some white patches on the nailbed. Psoriatic nail disease requires medical attention because the condition can severely damage your nails, making you have disfigured toenails.


The Outlook

Having white toenails is a common problem affecting about 80-90 percent of the population. Most often, it's caused by a weak immune system, nutritional deficiencies, wearing tight-fitting shoes, fungal infections, poor feet hygiene, and others. White toenails usually show that something is wrong within the body, and you can only know it by visiting the hospital. You can live normally with white spots on your nails. However, having white nails that are brittle and poorly defined may warrant a comprehensive medical examination. The treatment depends on the cause and the severity of the problem. For example, if your problems result from fungal infections, your doctor can prescribe oral or topical antifungals for that. Always treat your nails like any other part of the body that requires proper attention, cleanliness, and medical check-ups. To understand more about white nails, check these links:
https://www.healthline.com/health/toenail-discoloration#injuries
https://parade.com/1307097/emilyshiffer/white-toenails/ 
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