What should you know about spots on toenails?

A white mark can follow minor nail trauma, tight footwear, or picking at the nail surface. Red, purple, or dark areas beneath a nail may reflect pressure or bleeding after an impact. Yellow, thickened, crumbly, or lifting nails can suggest a nail infection or another nail disorder. A mark caused by injury should gradually move toward the tip as the nail grows.

Colour alone cannot diagnose the cause. A dark band or spot that widens, becomes irregular, affects nearby skin, or does not move with nail growth deserves assessment. Toenail changes are not explained by facial conditions such as Acne or Folliculitis, despite those links appearing in some general symptom collections.

Keep nails clean and dry, trim them straight across without cutting into the corners, and choose footwear with enough room. Do not scrape, drill, or aggressively polish a discoloured area. If an injury caused the mark, record its location and take a clear photograph so changes can be compared over time. Avoid sharing nail tools until an infection has been ruled out.

Arrange an assessment for a dark mark without a remembered injury, a streak that changes, pigment extending onto surrounding skin, a nail that lifts or bleeds, or a spot that fails to move as the nail grows. Seek earlier care if the toe is hot, swollen, draining, or very painful, particularly when circulation or immune health is reduced.

Ask whether the mark looks traumatic, infectious, or pigment-related; whether a nail sample is needed; and how long to observe it. Bring a list of recent toe injuries, footwear changes, nail treatments, medicines, and any photographs showing its progression.