My toenail is dark and thick: what should you know?

Repeated pressure from footwear can cause blood beneath the nail, while a fungal infection may make it yellow, brown, crumbly, or detached. Nail psoriasis can produce thickening, lifting, pits, or colour changes and may occur with skin or joint symptoms. A dark streak that begins at the base, widens, spreads onto nearby skin, or affects one nail without a clear injury needs direct assessment because colour alone cannot identify its cause.

Do not dig under the nail or apply leftover antifungal medicine without a diagnosis. Keep feet dry, change damp socks, choose footwear with room at the toes, and trim the nail straight across without cutting the surrounding skin. Photograph the nail and note any recent impact, new shoes, pain, drainage, or changes in other nails. Testing may be useful before Oral Antifungal Treatment; Laser Treatment For Nail Fungus may be discussed when fungal disease is confirmed.

Arrange prompt dermatology review for a dark band that is enlarging, irregular, or extending onto the skin around the nail. Seek earlier care for increasing pain, pus, warmth, spreading redness, fever, or a nail change after an injury that does not improve as it grows out.

Ask whether the colour is consistent with bruising, infection, psoriasis, or another nail lesion, and whether a sample or close examination is needed. Discuss footwear changes, treatment choices, medicine interactions, and how to judge improvement.