Why do I need a toenail biopsy?

Your toenail is crumbly, brown, or thick? You did not notice over the summer, under your nail polish, or you have been putting off treatment of it. Now is the time to get this toenail treated. Toenails take 9-12 months to grow out, so starting treatment now can get the toenail ready for 2015 summer fun. Most commonly, nails can develop changes when they are infected with fungus, subjected to micro trauma, or if the person has psoriasis. It is important to visit a podiatrist so that a sample of nail can be sent to the lab to determine if fungus is present. The foot doctor will take a portion of nail (usually quite far back) and send it for testing. This will help to identify the cause of the abnormal nail and find a treatment that will work best. Dr. Bender, 708-763-0580