Toenail Disorders Due to Chemotherapy:

I am training to walk the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Walk Dallas of 2009. During my training I have met a lot of great women. Some are walking as survivors, and others are walking because someone close to them is suffering from the disease, or have lost someone they love.

As you can probably imagine there is a lot of talking during these long training walks. I happen to be a podiatrist, so I commonly have people asking me questions about their feet, proper shoe gear, how to prevent injuries, and most commonly their toenails! Most will say they have either lost toenails or they have turned colors due to the chemotherapy.

Alot of the survivors agree that when undergoing chemo, most of the time they are not warned on what to expect their toenails to begin to look like. No one tells them that their toenails will most likely fall off, turn colors, get thick, have skin attached to them and possibly smell.

When undergoing Chemotherapy the drugs that are commonly used; (Adriamycin, Taxol, 5-Fluorouracil) cause damage and attack the tissue that keeps the toenail in place. This is called onycholysis. It is common for the nail to loose its attachment to the entire nail bed or sometimes only half of the nail bed. Either way when a nail looses its attachment it allows dermatophytes( the bugs that cause fungus) to get under the toenail, also known as onychomycosis.

Tips to Keeping your Toenails Looking There Very Best:

1. Clip toenails straight across and keep them short, this prevents splitting and breakage of the toenail.

2. Keep toenails clean and moisturized. If getting a pedicure make sure all instruments have been sterilized.

3.Cut away any loose cuticles, do not pick or pull at them. This can cause bleeding which can easily lead to an infection.

4. Try to avoid injuries to your toes and toenails, they will bruise easily. Wear wider shoes that have plenty of room in the toe box. Wider shoes will also allow for more circulation to the toes and toenails.

If your nails become infected, inflamed or painful you may need to see a doctor. There are some over the counter treatments that may be fine for your type of infection or you may need a doctor to prescribe a medication to help combat the problem. There are some very advanced treatments that are now available including topical treatments, oral pills and laser treatments.