Yellow toenails look very unattractive. Their owners are often upset by the inability to wear open summer shoes or walk barefoot along the beach, and few people think that changing the color of nail plates indicates a malfunction in the body.
Causes of yellow nails on the legs
Changes in the color of nails can be caused by external factors:
- temperature;
- air humidity;
- ultra-violet rays;
- exposure to household chemicals and low-quality cosmetics.
But most often, negative changes occur when pathological processes occur in the body. Let's consider, why the nails on legs can become yellow:
- Chronic infections such as hepatitis, psoriasis, malaria, rubella, etc. entice yellowing of the nails.
- The syndrome of yellow nails can accompany chronic diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems or signal a violation of the lymph flow in the limbs.
- Unevenly thick yellow nail plates are a consequence of metabolic disorders in endocrine diseases and diabetes mellitus.
- The color of nails varies with heavy smokers and alcohol abusers.
- Occasionally untidy appearance and yellowish-gray color of nails appears with uncontrolled intake of antibiotics.
- Yellow thick toenails indicate infection with dermatophytes - fungi that cause onychomycosis . Due to neglect of elementary hygiene in the pool, sauna, while staying on the beach and fitting shoes in the store, yellow stains can form on the nails of the feet. At the same time, the structure of the nail plates becomes non-uniform, the edges break, the nails are frayed and crumbled.
Treatment of yellow nails on the legs
In order to get rid of an unpleasant lack of appearance, you should eliminate the influence of harmful factors: change the brand of cream and varnish, make a pedicure disinfected tools, do household work using chemicals in protective gloves. If the cause of discoloration of nails is a chronic disease, then systemic therapy should be performed under the supervision of a doctor.
With fungal lesions, pharmaceuticals are effective:
- Lotsaril;
- Mycosan;
- Batrafen;
- Cyclopyroxolamine.
In drugstores, you can purchase patches with a disinfectant-exfoliating effect.
From home remedies apply:
- juice or celandine oil ;
- tea tree oil;
- a mixture of egg, a tablespoon of 70% vinegar and a tablespoon of vegetable oil;
- grated garlic, mixed with a small amount of butter.
If you are at a loss to determine the cause of the discoloration and structure of the nails, you should consult a therapist and dermatologist.