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Is two toenails uncommon? Should I be concerned?

By December 21, 2008 - 3:41pm
 
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I have a toe nail that appears to have two toenails growing...literally one on top of the other. Should I be concerned about this? It doesn't hurt at all but it just odd.

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

It happened to me once and all my fingernails instead of one had another layer of nails and when I went to the doctor they said that it's a fungal infection.. After a few days, The top nails were slowly peeling off and my nail has been healthier since :)

June 25, 2017 - 12:41pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

It happened the same to me now, but my mom said it's common, some people have this happening because either something heavy fell on it. But for me, it's just popping of from the back without any reason. At first, I was a little scared, but asked my mom, and she said it was common, cause it happened to her too, but according to her, something fell on it. But for me, it popped without any reason.

May 30, 2017 - 10:18am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

A year and a half ago I dropped a 45 pound plate at the gym straight onto my big toe. I shattered the bone, needed stitches because I busted the toe open, and obviously I lost my toenail. The shape of my toe hasn't been the same since, and I needed a nail bordering procedure done after the nail started coming back ingrown. Anyway, the nail started growing back thick and weird and eventually there was a giant ridge in the nail separating thin, normal nail and the thick and gross part. The thick part has started breaking away, but it is stubbornly hanging on. Tonight I was able to lift it enough to see nail underneath! It's totally weird. I guess I started growing two nails after my busted nail was removed, but the top one eventually stopped and is just stuck to the bottom nail now. I'm hoping it'll fall off eventually or grow out enough to trim it away, and that maybe it won't happen again.

November 26, 2016 - 9:23pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I currently have this problem, but the nails aren't falling off or anything like that. When I got to cut my toe nail it hurts really bad. I have 2 nails growing on top of each other and it's really thick. I don't know what to do.

November 7, 2016 - 8:08pm
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Anonymous,

Contact your primary care physician, who may suggest you come into the office to be examined. You may be referred to a dermatologist. Better to be safe and have this checked out, especially because you are having pain when you cut the toenail.

Please keep us updated,
Maryann

November 8, 2016 - 10:00am

I have thick toe nails and found out there is another nail underneath. They suggested Vicks vapor rub on toes nightly and the top one came off very nicely. It grew normal for a long time but then hitting it repeatedly over time caused it to happen again. So here I go again. Same treatment. Vicks vapor rub and socks at night until it clears up again. Good luck. Please look it up.

June 10, 2016 - 9:26am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous only)

Thanks so much.This really helped me.

July 10, 2017 - 3:44pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

This has been a big help! My right foot pinky toe has a bit of an overlap of my toenail! My mom is always telling me I have to cut it off and that it's an infection. I tell her every time that I got it when I was little. I hit my toe on the refrigerator and my toenail broke. I think it's my toenail trying to grow back!! I'm also embarrassed to get a pedicure because every time I go the ladies always try to pick off the toenail but it doesn't come off. They always ask me and I get skeptical to get my toes done or to do them at home! Thanks again anyway

February 7, 2016 - 3:13pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I just had this thing happen i think a month ago? I saw my toenail lifting up and im like wtf?????? So going by my way of "let it be and itll go away", i left it there until it turned a nasty shade of opaque yellowish white. I tried to cut it to where I figured it ended but i still could lift it up. (warning disgusting content ahead). So i used my teeth to rip the whole toenail out. Strange thing was, it didnt hurt, but there was a bit of blood. Only later did i find out that i had another toenail growing under the top one.

October 12, 2015 - 6:29am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I have this problem and what I have done was cut the nail from the cuticle if it is sticking up from the new nail that is growing in. I also used pointy curved tweezers to lift under the nail and cut. Sooner or later the tweezer hit skin and that's when I stopped. I waited a couple weeks and every once in a while I put a bandaid to make sure nothing got inside the nail. After a couple weeks I looked at my nail again and a little more grew so I cut what I could off. I repeated this process until the top nail is gone. Hopefully this works for you. :)

August 27, 2015 - 11:39pm
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