More Toe Nail questions

Q. I recently noticed a few white spots on my toenails. One of my toenails has actually pealed up leaving me with half a nail. Could this be a Fungus?

A. The most common form of nail fungal disease is the superficial white type. It is likely that you may have a nail fungus.

To determine a diagnosis for the condition that you describe it is best to see a podiatrist and have a portion of the nail cultured. An appropriate treatment can then be determined once an accurate diagnosis is made.

Q. About a year-and-a-half ago I was wearing open-toed shoes when I accidentally kicked the corner of my bedroom door. This kick partially lifted my big toenail. Although painful at the time it healed very well.

The only problem I'm left with now is a partially separated toenail that is not reattaching to the nail plate. I would say it is about a quarter of the nail's total length and is coving 2/ 3rds of the width of the nail.

I have tried trimming my nails to get it to reattach but it is not working. What has to be done to get my nail back to looking normal again?

A. Abnormal nail appearance after an injury is not an uncommon problem. If the nail has not attached after it has been separated from the nail bed the bed may have been permanently damaged or the bed may have an underlying infection that prevents the nail from reattaching.

Properly diagnosing the cause of the problem is best handled by a podiatrist skilled in treating nail conditions.