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Toenails growing in "layers" that create horizontal lines, why?

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by gilmoregirlz, Aug 22, 2010.

  1. smithbaker101

    smithbaker101 New Member


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    I also got these type of cases in my clinic.
    Whenever you got these type of problem you have to use the nail filer to file your toe nail and also remove the dead skin from toenails.
    You can use the hot water to keep your toenails clean.
     
  2. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Cure: file off top of it. May take many times but it works. If you don't throw away any shoe that rubs the toe you will forever have this problem.
     
  3. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I've had this problem for about 4 months and so far it has grown out a little past halfway.

    I agree with the fact that some kind of trauma caused it. I had an ingrown toenail (converse can do that to you if you have very curved toenails) and noticed the "ridge" not long after.

    I'm hoping it will just grow out eventually on its own. I am now wearing better shoes and trying my best to prevent any further ingrown toenails!
     
  4. robertharris750

    robertharris750 New Member

    Ingrown toe nails occur due to many reasons. the old toe nail will get removed on its own. But the main thing is to keep it away from any infections and bacteria. Stay away from injuries and keep your toe nails and foot dry
     
  5. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I, too, have this problem, but I'm not so sure I have 'layers' on my toenails. It really just looks like a horizontal crack on both big toes. The lines will eventually grow out and for a while, both toenails will look normal, but then another line appears at the nail bed and it starts all over again. Its not painful, itchy, etc, and I haven't had any trauma to the toenails....I think it just looks awful, so I keep them painted to cover it up. I don't know if I can blame shoes for this b/c this happens in the spring/summer when I wear nothing but sandals and flip flops. I would LOVE to know how to stop it, if possible, though.
     
  6. I'm 33 and my right big toe has grown in layers for several years.


    More recently, my left big toe started doing the same.


    I have broken my right big toe before and have had surgeries on both big toes in my teen years, one for ingrown toenail and the other for infection (my toe was GREEN!) due to ingrown toenail.

    I'm discouraged that there seems to be no cure. Yes, my toes have had trauma and yes, my feet are usually cold.

    It just sucks. They are ugly. I hate it.

    And because my left foot developed the layer thing several YEARS after my right, I'm wondering if its contagious. My husband is scared I'm going to give it to him.

    We need a foot doctor to comment on this board.

    Please!
     
  7. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Both my big toes have this right now. Both were due to an ingrown toenail. I caught the 2nd before it was too late by putting some paper under the nail to keep it from growing into the side and stunting the growth. The first nail was not so lucky. Infection led to surgical removal of the entire nail. It has been 2 1/2 years and has stopped growing. There are ridges and multiple horizontal layers like yours. The top nail is completely dead. One good point, which I haven't tried yet but definitely will, is that after you soak your feet and your nails are still soft..dry them and then file them down until you meet your new nail. You can do this with yours since you can see where the new nail begins. Good luck!
     
  8. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    My daughter's fingernail are doing this. Did anyone ever get an answer as to what it could be?
     
  9. Hi. Searching for horizontal ridge across all of my nails. When the ridge started growing, at the base of the nails, it was very uncomfortable-maybe slightly painful for a couple of weeks. My Rheumy said many diseases can be the cause. I have autoimmune diseases and he prescribed Arava, low dose chemo drug. Mine started when I started taking Arava. The old part of the nail is more yellow and thick, whitish. The newer growth behind the ridge looks healthier. Very weird. He switched me to Methotrexate and the pain stopped and did not create another ridge, thank goodness. Hope you can find reason. Thanks!
     
  10. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Our daughter has the beau's line across all of her toenails at an equal rate of growth. We are on round two. She has some other health issues. No fungus and no infection. The current theory is when her body is shocked by trauma, it shuts down growth on her toenails. She has some suspected vascular issues, and Mast issues(anaphylaxis /allergies/reactions)so we are guessing it is a result of her body shocking and shutting down growth/circulation to her nails.
     
  11. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    My left big toe has been showing ridges for several years; six to be exact. It looks very similar to yours, but mine does not have any layers. There is no pain, and no fungus that I can see. The nail is strong and intact.

    I had trauma to this nailbed wearing horrible shoes that left my toe consistently hitting the top of my shoe. It was very painful and occurred during a labor intensive move, so I had no opportunity to change shoes, as they were all packed. Horrible experience.

    Days later that toe was so sore I couldn't wear shoes at all. It turned black and blue past the lunula. A lot of trauma. Since that time, that specific toe also has problems with becoming ingrown and there's a lot of pain in the corners as it grows out. I've learned to keep that toenails short and filed. If I do this, there is no pain, and it does not become ingrown.

    However, since that trauma, my toe has been yellowish toward the end (tip) and I have a perfectly straight raised horizontal line that runs across it. It looks awful. I keep it polished most of the time, and you can't tell there's even a problem. But bare nails for me can't happen anymore very easily unless I wear a nude base coat with a french manicured tip, which is a nice alternative.

    My sympathies are with you. I personally have learned through all of this, that your feet are worth their weight in gold. Take care of them!!!

    I've never seen a doctor, and it hasn't gotten worse or better with time. It's pretty consistent. I've read all the posts here so far and I will say that filing that top layer down after a good hot soak has worked in the past. But it does thin the nail, and I think it can also make it vulnerable to infection, so I don't do this. Also, wear excellent shoes! I've learned that shoes are an investment. Be willing to spend some hard earned cash, regardless of the kind you purchase, be it heels, sneakers, flip-flops, sandals, etc. I'm a woman, and I love my shoes. I've got more pairs than I can count. But I try to buy what is kind to my feet.

    I hope this helps! Best wishes to you!
     
  12. Nail Carrier

    Nail Carrier Guest

    Re: Toenails growing in "layers" that create horizontal lines, why?7

    While shoes may be a cause it is definitely not the "sole" (pun in memorium to Toby, RIP) cause. My ward developed an "armadillo" plating type of nail growth after being confined to a wheelchair as a result of a brain injury (no particularly noticeable trauma to the foot). Since shoe wearing (frequently open toed Birkenstocks) has no weight bearing forces at play 99% of the time, footwear can be ruled out in this case. Apparently not a severe health issue as the many of those here who have consulted medical professionals have not cause a sounding of the alarm for this malady.
     
  13. Carla

    Carla Guest

    I have had the same thing on both big toes for 12+ years. For me this was toe trauma caused by wearing new socks on a day that I was running a marathon. 26 miles of pain from very tight socks. Sneakers were fine as I had done several long runs in them before. Both big toe nails turned black and eventually grew out, leaving the dreaded double toenail epidemic in its wake. I always hoped it would stop the pattern but not so much. Podiatrist said there is nothing to be done, there is no fungus and no pain. So I keep them nice and short & painted in the summer. In the winter, I don't use any nail polish at all and let my toenail beds breathe. If anyone has figured out a cure, let me know!
     
  14. APR

    APR Guest

    I had the same problem. The Vicks worked for me too. It cleared up the fungus, but I still have several layers to my toenails
     
  15. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I have the same thing the author of this thread has with the second toe. My big toe is fine but my second to looks exactly like the author's second toe with several horizontal lines across it. What is it? I notice that nail never really grows long like the other nails do too.
     
  16. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I've had this exact thing for around a year. It was only ever two layers but i think i may have noticed another today. I have never seen a doctor about it because i was kind to embarrassed to tell my mum and i thought the one one top would just fall off and it would go back to normal. At around the time it started I went on the pill, so not sure if that has anything to do with it.

    When i got it i was on a school camp, and their was no showers or anything. I noticed at the bottom of my toes there was puss and i thought i might have caught some fungus from the water we were kayaking in as its not exactly known for being the cleanest. But the puss stopped and all was good until a few weeks later.

    My toes nails are sometime probably a slight bit longer then they should be and i often wore shoes like vans and other ones like that. I also used to wear double mini shoes (trampoling or gymnastics) and they were quite small but that was a number of years ago. I also used to walk on the top of my toes, (as if i was wearing point shoes). Not sure if that would have anything to do with it.

    I also have a slight intolerance to dairy. I used to get sores in the corner of my mouth and i was told it was from iron and zinc deficiencies, so i take supplements here and there.

    Also I noticed when it started that there was black dots under my nail, not really sure what they were and i still get them now and i can sometimes get them out and it just looks like dead skin and dirt kind thing but in my experience that has never been black.

    Also when i was about 12 (I'm 16 now) I found a little black pebble under my skin on the bottom of my toe. I had no idea how it got there and ended up just forgetting about it. Then one day I was walking in sandals and i noticed there was blood all over my foot. Turned out the pebble had pushed its way out of my skin. I never found the 'pebble' so I can't tell you what it really was?

    All this informations probably not relevant but maybe others have have the same experiences as me
     
  17. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I think I've solved this mystery, at least for myself, because I had the exact same problem with my big toenails on both feet. First of all, from your photo, I really think that the discoloration is just caused by nail polish. (I can see that you use dark polish by the dark red line where the layers start.) I have more or less eliminated the discoloration in my toes recently by using a base coat before applying polish to my toes. The product I've been using most recently is a "nail brightener" which is basically a sheer white polish, which I let dry before using a darker polish over it.

    Second, the problem with the horizontal lines and the "layers" - I agree with the other posters who said it is likely caused by trauma to your toes. I could not figure this out, because I don't usually wear tight or pointy shoes. However, I was (for the past 4 or so years) in the habit of working out 4-5 times a week at the gym. My sneakers are not tight, BUT I have always noticed, when using an AMT trainer or elliptical machine, that I feel a lot of pressure on my toes. That's the answer right there.

    This past year, I had to curtail my workouts a lot, due to an illness and subsequent death in my family. So, I'm not as trim and toned as I used to be, but guess what? My toenails went back to "normal". No more horizontal line, and no more layers. Still a slight bit of discoloration, but much better since I started using the nail brightening base coat before polish.

    Now that I'm back to working out regularly, I'm going to switch to the treadmill for cardio, because I really think the pressure on my toes from the elliptical was what was causing the constant trauma and damage.
     
  18. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Hi! I have exactly the same problem on both my big toes! I've also had surgery on both toenails twice to remove ingrown toenails so I've always assumed the layering was just a result of these surgeries. I'm an athlete and this is starting to bother me so if you've found any sultiotions it would be amazing!
     
  19. Chica

    Chica Guest

    Same thing here. I'm 51 and have had problems with my feet and toenails for as long as I can remember. I'm sure my problem started in my early 20's when I was a cocktail waitress wearing heels at work every night. Then bartending in shoes that weren't made to stand in for hours on end. But the real nail problems started around age 35. Went to a pediatrist who cut 5 nails down to the quick to test for fungus. Nada. He had no answers or suggestions for me. But thats also the time when symptoms of food allergies and psoriasis started showing up (although I didn't know that's what it was at the time). I think a combo of nail trauma and unresolved health issues lead to my nails ending up like this. My left big toenail is in a constant state of layering and pushing the top nail off. It's just the way it is. I keep them well manicured (I do it myself once a week) and I file down the thickness and use a cuticle remover cream to clean out the dead skin that gets trapped underneath and around the edges. I shape them and paint them a pretty and get on with life. It's just the way they are and I don't think they'll ever change. I did finally get a hold of the food allergies and haven't had a psoriasis break out in over 3 years so who knows, maybe by the time I'm too old to bend down and do my own nails they'll finally start growing right again ..but I'm not holding my breath ;)
     
  20. Hello, just thought i'd mention that nutrition can sometimes be a cause of nail problems.
     
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