Why Is My Little Pinky Toenail Growing So Weird?

Our toes come in all shapes and sizes especially our pinky toenails. Sometimes they are too short or they’re too long and cutting int your other toes. Perhaps, yours are growing in sideways, thick, brittle, yellow, or falling off.

But, did you know that you are not alone? Deformed toenails are a common problem. In fact, nearly 12% of the population suffers from toenail fungus which ultimately affects the appearance of our nails.

There are a plethora of nail deformities that can result from this. For example, they can grow upwards, downwards, inwards, and to the side. Sometimes these deformities can cause excruciating pain but surprisingly, most people would rather live with the pain than actually do anything about it.

Most people choose not to do anything about their nail deformities because most treatments take a long time to see results and more people will give up without even really trying.

Regardless of what is wrong with your toenail, the solutions remain the same. There are tons of pharmaceutical and natural cures you can use. You will find some that you like whether you lean towards medical-grade topical creams or at-home remedies.

The Most Common Problems With Pinky Toenails

There are a lot of possible issues that can affect your pinky toenail. Luckily, it is easy to differentiate between these issues, so it’s relatively easy to suggest a potential remedy for each.

Here is a current list of problems seen with pinky nails.

No pinky toenail or one that’s much shorter than the rest of your nails
Pinky toenails that are coming off or are starting to fall off for some reason
Ingrown toenails, where the nail will begin to dig into your skin and is painful to remove
Toenail trauma which normally results from injury and can permanently dent your toenail or change its color
Fungal infections which will make the appearance of the toenail yellow or discolored and is often brittle or soft (even smelly)
Ridged toenails which are where your toenail ahs a horizontal ridge running across it
Ski jump toenails which actually isn’t a medical condition but actually the shape of the nail

Top Reasons I Don’t Have a Pinky Toenail?

One of the most common problems with pinky toenails is that they are one of the following:

Completely gone or fallen off
Much shorter than the rest of your nails

The first reason why your pinky toenail is so small is that the pinky toe is so small and does not have much area to cover.

Another reason that is often overlooked is wearing properly fitting shoes. A study from the UK shows that 1/3 of men and 1/2 of women admit to buying shoes that did not fit properly. If you regularly wear tight-fitting shoes, such as high heels, then your toe and toenail might look deformed.

What Can I Do?

If your toenail is short and you wish that it was longer then you should avoid cutting it constantly. Keep it for as long as you can without sacrificing comfortability. The problem is that the longer it grows the higher the probability that it will get caught on a sock. Attempt this and see if you prefer it when your toenail grows out this way.

Sadly, the problem is that it’s your nail bed that is short and not the nail. A person’s nail bed will determine the length and appearance of your nail.

There’s nothing you can do to change the size of your nail bed so if you have a very short pinky toenail then there’s no way of encouraging it to grow.

Why Has My Toenail Fallen Off?

Maybe you have a toenail on your pinky toe but recently it has begun falling off. Perhaps it has fallen off altogether. This can actually be really painful especially if you are wearing shoes that don’t fit or are too tight. The last thing you would want is for your exposed nail bed rubbing against your sock or inside of your shoe.

You will have to wait for your toenail to grow back naturally. However, there are ways to minimize your pain from this condition.

What Can I Do?

One of your options to reduce pain would be to use a topical analgesic cream. This would be a good option for when you are going to bed. During the day when wearing shoes and socks, it will be painful so you will have to be sure to apply an anti-bacterial and analgesic cream and cover the area with a bandage.

Over time your toenail will grow back. There are hardly any ways to expedite this process, however, you can try to take vitamins like Biotin or others that are made specifically for nail growth.

Do I Have an Ingrown Nail?

Ingrown toenails are a common issue for podiatrists and you’ve probably heard of them. But, if you are like me then you probably have never seen one or had one before. If you have no previous experience with them then you are not familiar with the pain associated with them. After talking with family members who have had them, they informed me that they were extremely painful. Luckily, the pain from ingrown toenails is very distinguishable from other problems with pinky toes.

Here is a list of signs that are associated with this condition:

Tenderness, redness, and swelling along the side of the toe.
Infection of the tissue around the nail. As the nail continues to dig into the tissue, it creates cut which can become infected more easily.
Sharp pain on one or both sides of your nail.

The main issue with ingrown toenails is the pain that they cause to the afflicted. They don’t point downwards and inwards and irritate the skin. Instead, they go one step further by continuing to grow inwards which can result in cutting the skin. The worst-case scenario is that the ingrown toenails dig deep enough to cut into your bone.

This is why ingrown toenails are typically handled in podiatrists’ offices because of the pain that they cause. There are ways to fix an ingrown toenail without surgery but have medical advances made it an effective possibility?

What Can I Do?

Ingrown toenails have many interrelated (connected) causes. You may have to tackle each one of these causes, in turn, to ensure that you get rid of the problem. First, you have to ensure that your shoes aren’t causing your ingrown nails. Make sure that your shoes and socks fit correctly and that you are not trimming your nails too short. Once the problem begins, of course, these solutions may be no use.

You will then want to treat any pre-existing fungal infections. You may want to begin by using a natural anti-fungal treatment like Zane Hellas or tea tree oil. These will keep the area clean and kill off any fungal infections that you may have. Getting rid of fungus will prevent any complications that are going to make your ingrown toenails far more painful.

The last thing you will want to do is leave your fungus untreated. Once you have a fungal infection, it is extremely difficult to get rid of and spreads quickly to other toes and will contaminate your shower.

Also, leaving an ingrown toenail untreated will continue to grow inwards causing more pain. If you leave it, it will eventually cut into the skin and possibly the bone of your pinky toe. To remedy this, you should look to treat this condition with a nail softening cream.

Do I Have a Fungal Infection?

One reason why your pinky toenail may look weird is due to a fungal infection. Fungal infections have distinct and easily-recognizable symptoms.

Signs of fungal infection:

Discoloration, your nails have become yellowed or white
Your toenails have become noticeably thicker than usual
Your toenails are weak and crumbling
There is a noticeable smell coming from your nails that smells like a dirty basement

If only your pinky toenail is deformed then it is unlikely you have a fungal infection. Fungal infections are infectious which means that your other nails would most likely have the infection as well. However, if your symptoms match the aforementioned above then you most likely have a fungal infection.

What Can I Do?

If you have a fungal infection on your pinky toe or any nail then you have quite a few options. It’s not fast or easy to treat toenail fungus but here are some of the following treatment options:

Over-the-counter (OTC) topical creams like clotrimazole cream
At-home remedies like apple cider vinegar
Natural remedies like tea tree oil or manuka oil
Foot soaks
Visit a podiatrist

A lot of people will fight their fungi-infected toenails with a topical cream such as tolnaftate or clotrimazole cream. But many are not patient and don’t stay consistent with the application of the cream. Treating your toenail fungus can take months and sometimes even weeks just to see some change in the nail. You may be able to cure your nail fungus in months but you always run the risk of catching it again.

For products that actually work and clear up fungus quickly check out this article here!

Once you treat your fungal infection, make sure to change your habits afterward to try to avoid catching it again (cleaning and washing your feet regularly or not walking around barefoot in public showers).

Does My Pinky Toe Look Weird Because of Injury (Nail Trauma)

Toenail trauma is essentially any physical damage done to your toenail such as dropping a weight on your toe to stubbing it on a coffee table. Regardless of the reason, the damage can be lasting and can cause your nail to grow different from the others.

This is more common with dropping heavy things on your toes causing significant damage to your nail and nail bed. For example, dropping a dumbbell on your toe can cause significant pain and completely change the growth of your nail.

Even years later, when the pain has long subsided, you would still see the after-effects of the carnage. You have a faint scar or dent on your nail.

The proper term for damaged cause from incidents mentioned above is called a subungual hematoma. This is a condition where blood is trapped beneath the toenail. After the incident, you may notice that your toenail may turn colors such as blue, purple, or black – similar to a bruise. If you cause a significant amount of damage then your toenail may never grow back. This would be caused due to the nail bed itself being too damaged.

What Can I Do?

The first thing you should do after the incident is to keep the area clean using bandages and anti-bacterial creams. This is a preventative measure to ensure there will not be further complications from toenail trauma. If the severity of the injury has led you to suspect a fracture or the injury does not improve then you should seek medical advice.

If your toenail trauma was sustained a long time ago and you are seeking to remove the dent or scar on your nail then you are out of luck. You can never get rid of it altogether.

Do I Have Ski Jump Toenails?

You might be asking… what the heck is a ski jump toenail? Well, you’re not alone. “Ski jump toenail” is not a medical term but rather a conversational term for a specific type of nail.

To better visualize this, take a look at your fingernails from the side and notice if they lay completely flat or do they have an upwards/outwards bump? If it resembles a ski jump (like the ones you would see at a ski resort) then you could have ski jump toenails.

These types of nails are actually a genetic trait. The reason they occur is that the nail bed underneath of the nail is too short. This is the area where the nail attaches itself to the skin underneath. It isn’t yet possible to lengthen the nail bed in the way that you would desire.

What Can I Do?

Unfortunately, since this particular issue happens due to the nail bed and not the nail there is little you can do. You can’t grow a longer nail bed but there are a few things you can do to make them look a lot better. You can try the following:

Shorten your nails as much as possible to limit the appearance of the curve of your “ski jump” nails
Use fake nails over the top of your ski jump nails
Add extra layers of nail polish to give it the appearance of a flat nail

While none of these will fix the root cause (short nail beds) it can help you feel more confident and better about your toes.

Do I Have Ridged Toenails?

Ridged toenails are straightforward and exactly what they sound like. Ridged toenails can have a few variations in appearance. For example, you might have a horizontal or vertical line running from one side of your nail to the other.

This line is typically raised enough that you can feel it if you run your finger over it. These lines can be a result of a myriad of different conditions, any one of which you would have to take care of.

Vertical ridges are the result of aging and there is nothing that can be done about them. These vertical lines might appear straight up along the nail which may or may not split at the end.

Horizontal ridges (Beau’s Lines) are the result of a few different conditions. They could be the result of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, infection, malnutrition, and zinc deficiency.

Ridged toenails are not painful and not very noticeable but you may have them and wondering… what are your solutions?

What Can I Do?

One of the first things you can do for ridged toenails is adding moisture to the nail. The best and most typical way to do this is through a nail softening cream.

Adding a nail softening cream will allow you to bend your nail into a better and preferable shape. You might also want to try to buff your nails in order to make the ridge less obvious.

It would also be beneficial and a smart decision to ensure that your ridged toenails are not a sign of something worse. Therefore, you should seek medical advice/help to diagnose any underlying problems while treating your nails.

Summary

In conclusion, toenails can have a lot of issues surrounding them and hopefully, this article better supports you in fixing the appearance of your nails.

If you have tried some of these solutions and they are not working, as a last resort, go to your podiatrist.