Should I see a GP with this toenail thing (pictures included)?

[flourella]

Just wondering if I should go to a GP with this toenail issue.

I wear socks day and night and don't really look at my feet from one month to the next. Every so often I think to check the length of my toenails and cut them if necessary. Earlier this year (February or March) I looked and found that all my toenails needed clipping except those on my big toes, which appeared to have not grown at all since I had last looked. The cuticles had also disappeared and there was minor inflammation down one side of one nail. I assumed they were ingrowing or headed that way, and soaked my feet in epsom salts twice a day for a couple of weeks. The cuticles reappeared and the redness faded a little so I stopped the routine.

A few weeks later I looked and there was indication that both nails had started growing again: near the cuticle of each was a narrow band of nail less thick than the rest and an abrupt step up to the older nail. So I assumed all was fine. Since then I've cut the big toenails once (and the rest a few times), so they are growing (but relatively slowly).

Today I looked and there is a black... thing in the corner of one nail, filling the space between the cuticle and the thicker, older nail. Thought it was a bit of fluff from my socks, but it's fused to the nail. Could it be fungus? Or something more sinister? Or a bit of fused sock fluff?(!). I've googled images of black toenail things and all the pictures seem to be of blackness under the nail, but this is sitting on top of the recent growth. Has anyone here had anything that looks similar? Should I bother a GP with it?

They look really like my DS toenails were. We came to the conclusion that it was caused by trauma to the big toenail from pointy shoes. He went to GP and then Podiatrist as he was under 18. But I think you can self refer to a podiatrist as an adult?
My DS did get fluff sticking on nail from socks but obviously get it checked.
One of his toenails grew out eventually but second one is going through the cycle again hopefully he'll get a healthy toenail this time

I’ve just been referred (under the two week pathway) as I went to the GP with a black spot under a nail. He thinks likely not sinister but wanted it checking just in case of melanoma. And I’d rather have it looked at tbh. Hope you get a good result.

I would see a GP asap. I had something similar under one of my toenails a couple of years ago and was referred urgently to a specialist service to rule out cancer. Luckily it was just a bruise but I would always advise people to get similar marks checked out.

@flourella no, no black thing on mine. I didn’t really focus on that sorry, more on the thickness, overlap and colour. No harm in seeing a GP if you are really concerned, or if you have AskmyGP it won’t take long to put the photo on there. I was more trying to put your mind at rest that it does grow out and all look normal when done!

Some NHS podiatry teams accept self referrals. Ours do. You do wait months for the appt though. Have a Google to check what the referrals process in your area.

@flourella
I've had these twice, exactly the same as your photo.
At the time I looked it up and i think I remember it saying that it's dried up blood and it comes from damage, often due to fungal infection in nail, which is what I had at the time.

I removed the black piece with a sterile needle ( it left a hole in the nail bed) I cleaned it with iodine for about 10 days.

Then I managed to sort out the fungal infection with Vicks by applying it to the whole of the nail and a small area of the surrounding skin. You have to be really thorough and do it every night till the nail grows a bit and then I did it every week or two. It took over a year, but it's gone now.

@thenoldmrsrabbit oh, I'm glad you saw this and responded! Whatever I've put into google I just can't find anything that looks or sounds exactly like this. I'm still going to get a doctor's opinion, but hopefully this is the same as yours. Although a year of treating a fungal infection sounds as though it could get tedious.

@Twwodoorsaway I've have been referred to dermatology on the two-week pathway before, for a changing mole on my leg. They could see using a dermatoscope that it was nothing of concern; no biopsy or anything needed. I don't know if it can be as easy as that when the lesion is under a nail, but I hope you get the same outcome.

Have you tried uploading your own photo to Google image OP? I personally would be seeing the gp, for reassurance if nothing else. Good luck

To be on the safe side I would go to the doctor.

I'd def get that looked at by a gp and get melanoma ruled out. You can still choose to go to see a podiatrist for treatment after that if you don't like the sound of what the gp would do with it.

Definitely get it checked out. Personally I'd go to a podiatrist but it's your choice.

To me the state of that nail looks to me like fungal nail - the yellowing, definitely. And you can also get black fungal nail as it progresses.

https://www.drchrishubbard.com/blog/item/571-symptoms-and-causes-of-black-toenail-fungus.html

I had yellow fungal nail on one big toenail only. I got rid of it easily using a paint-on product form the pharmacy but yours looks considerably worse so I'd seek advice.

I am an NHS podiatrist. Very unlikely you will be able to see us with that. But its not necessary anyway.
You have paronychia you've either bashed that nail dropped something on it or had an infection. That line going across horizintally is your original toenail which has detached from the nail bed. I can see a new healthy nail growing underneath. The old nail will eventually fall off and the new one will grow up to take its place. So dont be concerned when it starts to peel off.
It should grow back normally.
Nails do this a lot and dont need treatment.

Ps its not fungal. The nail goes yellow when it becomes detached from the nail bed so dont waste your money.

Melanoma shows up as a dark line vertically. Not like this.

@Gettingbysomehow I'm sure I haven't injured both toenails together, so could it have been an infection that caused the nails on both big toes to stop growing at the same time? My feet barely ever touch each other, as they are virtually always in socks, as I said. The two nails look the same apart from this one is more yellow (I've noted that the other does have a slight yellowish tinge after studying them both all day ) and has the black bit. Could that be dried blood as a previous poster said?

Yup its dried blood. So.ething has caused them to be damaged could have happened up to 6 months ago. When its both 1st toes its usually some kind of footwear. They are really easily damaged. Footwear, jogging, walking a lo g way, running for the bus, gym workout.

Actually, can wearing socks all the time cause issues? Stop toenail growth by keeping them hemmed in?! Or encourage infection? Last winter I also wore opaque tights as an extra layer under my jeans during the day and sometimes wore them under pyjama bottoms at night. I don't usually do that. And I noticed the nails changing at the beginning of spring.

This happened to me once from wearing a pair of pointed toe, high heel shoes. My toes were sore the next day or two but the real damage came a couple of months later when they started to look like this. Then a few months after that the old nails came off and there were little new ones underneath.

Its impossible to tell really. The most likely shoe to csuse this is either high heels or those flat ballet pumps. But whatever it is it isnt serious and should sort itself out.

Anything that is putting pressure on the nails consistently can do this, and your big toe takes the brunt of the pressure. It's more likely you had badly fitting shoes on than it being as a result of socks or tights, as they are unlikely to create that pressure. Wearing clean socks all the time won't cause an issue. It takes around 12 months on average for a big toenail to grow all the way out, so it would be months before you notice that a new toenail was growing.

The nail itself looks like classic trauma. Really easy to confuse for fungal infection because of the colour and often associate thickness. So I very much second everyone who is suggesting GP for safety but I have bled under the nail before and it looks like a black spot. Gradually moved up with the nail growth and was removable. But I got it checked by a derm!

I’ve had this, on both toes and the big nail on top really thick growing up. It randomly happens on both.
Ive not had the black spot but I suspect as it’s ok both its dried blood or mine were really dark where the gap was for a bit.

I had dreadful issues with ingrown toenails, one visit to the podiatrist and they were sorted ... wish I'd gone many years ago
Think it cost me £35

Hi OP, I'm a nail technician and educator and we are always taught the importance of any kind of dark marks or lines on nails (fingers or toes) needing to be assessed by a GP to rule out Melanoma. Chances are it's something else but it's definetley worth getting checked

@Gettingbysomehow gives a convincing argument! I hadn't clocked it was both toes tbh but can see how wearing tights 24/7 for a period might do something like this. Maybe send pics to your gp. I guess they'll either agree with @gettingby or refer you somewhere.