As you age, you might start noticing a change in your toenails, such as seeing your toenails turn yellow or become thicker. These changes are very common with older people, but you might be able to prevent these things from happening. To do this, you will need to understand why this happens, and you may need to make some changes in your life to help stop your toenails from thickening and turning yellow.

Understand the causes of thick, yellow toenails

There are several common causes of thick, yellow toenails, and one of these is due to the way nail cells pile up under your toenails. These cells are called onychocytes, and they will naturally pile up under your nails as you age. Secondly, trauma to your toes can lead to these issues. Another cause of thick nails is toe fungus, and nails can also change like this due to a restriction in circulation. While there are certain causes of thick nails that you might not be able to control, there are other causes that you do have some power over.

Protect your toes

One of the causes of thick toenails is trauma to the toes, and this is something you can control. If you can avoid trauma to your toes, you will decrease your chances of ending up with thick, yellow toenails. To do this, make sure you wear protective footwear all the time. This means that you should wear shoes whenever you could potentially drop something on your foot or stub your toes. If you work at a job that could harm you, make sure you buy shoes that offer a lot of protection.

Avoid wearing wet socks and shoes

You can also reduce your chances of developing thick toenails by using caution when your socks and shoes get wet. If your shoes are wet and the water leaks through to your toes, your toenails are more likely to develop fungus on them. Keeping your feet dry will help you avoid this.

Use anti-fungal sprays and ointments

Finally, you can protect your toes by spraying anti-fungal sprays in your shoes. These sprays will kill the bacteria that can lead to toe fungus. You can also purchase ointments you can apply to your toes to keep them clean and to help the nails stay softer.

If you already have yellow, thick nails and cannot even clip them yourself anymore, you should visit a podiatrist to get them clipped and to find out what you can do to fix this problem. 

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