What Can Cause A Black Toenail?

Melanoma

Melanoma is a very aggressive form of cancer that can spread throughout various areas of the body. This form of skin cancer most commonly occurs because of overexposure to the sun. It comes in stages ranging from zero to four, with the most serious being stage four. When a patient has been diagnosed with stage four cancer, this means the melanoma has spread to certain lymph nodes and organs like the liver, brain, or lungs. It's rare for this cancer to cause a black toenail. However, this disease causes dark patches of irregular-looking skin to appear on different areas of the body, and it's possible for one of these dark patches to grow beneath the toenail. It's important, therefore, for individuals to be on the lookout for a black patch under their toenail. Since this cancer can spread to other areas of the body and cause a patient's health to deteriorate, they'll want to have the toenail checked immediately after detection. This form of cancer spreads very slowly, which means patients should be able to treat it while the symptoms are still manageable.

Get familiar with the next cause of black toenails now.