Toenail Discoloration: 6 Potential Causes And How To Treat Them

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Skin Care

Why Are My Toenails Changing Color?

Medically reviewed by Kelsey Nank, PA-C — Written by Ana Gotter — Updated on April 23, 2025

Nail fungus
Injuries
Subungual melanoma
Health conditions
Nail polish
Yellow nail syndrome
Medication
Pictures
Prevention

Understanding what’s causing discolored toenails can help you determine the best course of action.

Typically, toenails are more or less a clear, partially translucent color. But sometimes, they can appear yellow, green, blue, purple, or black.

Several things can cause toenail discoloration, also known as chromonychia, ranging from minor injuries to potentially serious health conditions.

Here’s a look at some of the most likely causes of your toenail discoloration and how they’re treated.

Nail fungus

Nail fungus, also called onychomycosis, is one of the most prevalent causes of toenail discoloration. The most common organism to cause toenail fungus is called dermatophyte. However, mold or yeast can also infect toenails. Dermatophytes grow by eating your body’s keratin.

If you have nail fungus, your toenail color might be:

white
yellow
reddish brown
green
black

The discoloration tends to start under the tip of your nail. Left untreated, the discolored area will grow as the infection spreads.

Anyone can develop nail fungus, but certain people are at a higher risk, including older adults and people with reduced blood circulation or weakened immune systems.

Other things that can contribute to nail fungus include:

frequent sweating
walking barefoot
small cuts or scraps near your nail

How to treat it

Mild fungal infections usually respond well to over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal treatments or home remedies. Look for something that contains either clotrimazole or terbinafine.

If you have a severe fungal infection that’s painful or causes your nails to thicken or crumble, it’s best to see a professional. Left untreated, several fungal infections can cause permanent nail damage.

You should also see a healthcare professional if you have diabetes and a fungal infection in your toenail.

Injuries

If you’ve recently dropped something on your foot or stubbed your toe on something, your nail discoloration could be a symptom of a subungual hematoma. This injury can also result from wearing shoes that are too tight.

A subungual hematoma can make your nail appear red or purple. Eventually, this will change to a brown or black color. The affected nail will also likely feel sore and tender.

How to treat it

Subungual hematomas usually heal on their own within a few days. In the meantime, try to rest the affected foot. You can also wrap an ice pack in a towel and place it on the nail to help with the pain.

While the injury itself heals quickly, it takes 6 to 9 months for the discolored nail to completely grow out.

If you notice that the pain and pressure aren’t getting any better after a few days, make an appointment with a healthcare professional. You may have a more severe injury that requires treatment.

Subungual melanoma

Subungual melanoma is a rare form of skin cancer, accounting for only 0.7% to 3.5% of all malignant melanomas worldwide. It’s caused when cells in the nail bed create too much melanin, cells that cause color in things like your skin, hair, and eyes.

Subungual melanoma develops under the toenail and, depending on the type, can be fatal if left untreated. Most people with subungual melanoma have a dark black, vertical band in a single toenail, which can be confused with other conditions like bacterial and fungal infections or nail injury.

In addition to a dark band of color on a nail, warning signs of subungual melanoma include:

splitting or bleeding nail
painful nail
drainage (pus) from the nail
injured nails that are slow to heal
nail dystrophy
nails that separate from the nail bed

If you have any of these and your doctor suspects subungual melanoma, they may order or perform a nail biopsy to check for cancer cells.

How to treat it

Treatment for subungual melanoma includes:

surgery to remove the affected nail and nail bed
chemotherapy
radiation therapy
immunotherapy
partial or complete surgical removal of the entire toe

Health conditions

Sometimes, nail discoloration is a symptom of an underlying health condition.

Condition	Type of discoloration
psoriasis	yellow-brown spots under the nail
kidney failure	white on the bottom half and pink or discolored on the top
cirrhosis	white
pseudomonas infections	green

Seek medical attention if your nail or nail bed:

changes in shape
thickens
bleeds
swells
is painful
has discharge

Nail polish

When you apply nail polish to the surface of your nail, it can penetrate and stain deeper layers of keratin in your nail. Polish left on your nails for just one week can result in staining.

Red- and orange-colored nail polishes are more likely to cause discoloration. Nail hardeners containing formalin, dimethylurea, or glyoxal can also cause discoloration.

How to treat it

The only way to get rid of nail polish-related discoloration is to stop painting your nails. Even a 2- or 3-week break can resolve the issue.

Applying a clear base coat before applying colored nail polish can help protect the nail from staining.

Yellow nail syndrome

Yellow nail syndrome is a rare condition that causes your nails to turn yellow.

If you have yellow nail syndrome, your nails may also:

look curved or thick
grow slower than usual
have indentations or ridges
have no cuticle
turn black or green

Experts aren’t sure what causes yellow nail syndrome, but it tends to affect adults over the age of 50. It also often occurs alongside another medical condition, such as:

lung disease
lymphedema
pleural effusions
rheumatoid arthritis
chronic bronchitis
sinusitis
autoimmune conditions

There’s no treatment for yellow nail syndrome itself, though it sometimes goes away on its own.

Medication

Toenail discoloration can also be a side effect of certain medications.

Medication	Type of discoloration
chemotherapy drugs	darkening or white bands across the nail
rheumatoid arthritis drugs containing gold	light or dark brown
antimalarial drugs	blackish blue
minocycline	bluish-gray
tetracycline antibiotics	yellow

What does toenail discoloration look like?

Is there any way to prevent it from happening again?

Getting rid of toenail discoloration can take a bit of time. But once you’ve addressed the underlying issue, there are several things you can do to prevent the discoloration from returning.

These include:

Wash your feet regularly and follow up with a good moisturizer.
Wear breathable shoes and moisture-wicking socks.
Make sure your shoes aren’t too tight.
Wear shoes when walking around public areas, especially locker rooms and pool areas.
Trim nails straight across and use a nail file to smooth the edges.
Use trusted nail salons that sterilize their tools after every use.
Change your socks regularly, and don’t reuse dirty socks.
Wait until your feet are completely dry before putting on socks or shoes.
Don’t wear nail polish for more than two weeks at a time.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Dark nail polish and discolored nails dilemma. (n.d.).https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/dark-nail-polish-and-discolored-nails-dilemma
Dermatology. (2018). Discolored toenails: How to treat nail discoloration.https://share.upmc.com/2018/04/discolored-toenails-causes-treatment/
Fungal nail infections. (2022).https://dermnetnz.org/topics/fungal-nail-infections
How to check your nails for melanoma. (2021).https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/types/common/melanoma/nail-melanoma
Mole RJ, et al. (2023). Subungual melanoma.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482480/
Subungual hematoma. (n.d.).https://www.aocd.org/page/SubungualHematoma
Wu B, et al. (2017). Drug-induced nail disease.https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/drug-induced-nail-disease/
Yellow nail syndrome. (2025).https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/184/yellow-nail-syndrome

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Medically reviewed by Kelsey Nank, PA-C — Written by Ana Gotter — Updated on April 23, 2025

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Nail fungus

How to treat it

Injuries

How to treat it

Subungual melanoma

How to treat it

Health conditions

Nail polish

How to treat it

Yellow nail syndrome

Medication

What does toenail discoloration look like?

Is there any way to prevent it from happening again?

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