Toenail fungus or onychomycosis as it is known by your foot and ankle doctor is a common condition that affects toenails. The fungus causes your nails to turn yellow or white in discoloration, thickened, grown up instead of out, and noted debris under the nail (subungual debris). This can cause pain to the nails as well as be aesthetically unpleasant. While toenails fungus can be difficult to treat, your foot and ankle physician has varying treatment options. At Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa, your foot doctor will examine your nails and provide options for treatment. Treatment options may include debridement if certain qualifications are met (where your foot doctor trims/thins the nail), topical antifungal treatment, oral antifungal treatment or possibly removal of the nail. Sometimes there are other reasons that the nails change and appear fungal, but they are not. Your foot specialist at Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa will be able to work with you to determine if this is the case so the right treatment plan is started.