As you age, your toenails become thicker. This can make it more difficult to clip your nails, and your nails may begin to look unsightly. If you have thick toenails, it can be due to something other than your age. Read on for a few other issues that may be causing your toenail problems.
Overweight
If you're overweight, it can put a lot of stress on your feet. You may also experience other issues, especially with your feet and toes. When you're overweight, your feet can also grow, causing your toes and feet to become squished in your shoes. If you have this problem, you need to change your footwear to see if this helps your toes at all.
Diabetes
Diabetes can cause a number of health problems, especially with your feet. Your toenails can also take a toll if you have diabetes. They become thicker, but clipping them yourself can be dangerous. If you have diabetes, you should leave clipping your nails to a podiatrist to prevent injury. Injuries to your feet if you have diabetes can result in major problems, including amputation if you aren't careful.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition that can flare up due to a number of different things, such as stress. It causes your skin flare up in red, scaly patches that can peel. It can also cause your feet to peel and your toenails to become thick. Psoriasis can be treated with medicated creams and anti-inflammatory medication. If your toenails are too difficult to clip on your own, go to the podiatrist to have them clipped for you.
Toenail Fungus
Foot fungus can be the cause of your thick toenails as well. If you have a foot fungus, it will need to be treated with a medicated ointment in order to clear it up. You can get foot fungus from going barefoot in public places such as a public pool, gym shower house/locker room, or any other public facility where you are barefoot. You can also get a foot fungus from wearing open-toed shoes as well. Be sure to take good care of your feet, and keep them clean and dry to prevent a fungal infection.
If you have thick toes, it may be just how your toenails are growing as you age, or it could be something else. Talk to a foot specialist about your toenails and what you can do about them. If you aren't able to clip them on your own, leave this to the podiatrist to prevent injury.
Many people take the good health of their feet for granted until they develop foot problems. We created this blog to post foot care advice to not only help people experiencing foot problems, but also help everyone learn how to prevent foot problems, when possible. We plan to post tips on how to fight toenail fungus, how to choose shoes that offer good arch support, and much more.
We hope you find the answers to all of your foot care questions on this blog, whether you are currently experiencing problems with your feet or not. If you cannot find the answer to your foot care question here, then we hope you use the resources we plan to post to find the answer to your question or locate a foot care professional who can offer you the help you need.