Does Toenail Fungus Make the Toenail Dark?

Question: My nails are discolored, and yellow. Some nails have dark lines in them. Is the dark discoloration cause by toenail fungus that could be cured with laser treatment?

Answer: Some of the dark lines in nails can be congenital and gradually become more prominent over time.  However, dark lines in the nails can also be caused by toenail fungus. As the fungus grows within the keratin that makes up the toenail plate, the fungal filaments expand and separate the layers of keratin. That separation causes light to refract differently and realist in color changes. Sometimes the nail can look dark brown, black, dark green or yellow. The areas of discoloration gradually spread over time. The fungus actually damages the nail as it becomes more and more discolored. The growing toenail fungus pulls the moisture out of the nail, making the toenail brittle, cracking and crumbling in appearance. 

If you are considering treatment, it is important to make sure it really looks a the cause if a fungal infection.

If you email pictures of the toenails to us, Dr. Segler can take a look and see if it is possible that nail fungus is causing the problem and whether or not laser treatment may help.