No toenail in feet

DEAR BRAD: If it is the 5th toenail, they can be so small sometimes that it almost appears that they are not there. Also since the shoes press on the 5th toenails on some patients and some shoes then the pressure sometimes causes the nail to atrophy. That said, there are some conditions that may present at birth without a toenail development although these may be small signs of other problems. These are usually picked at birth with the routine history and physical.

If you are a female you can apply hypoallergenic nail polish directly to the skin for cosmetics. There is no reasonable treatment for congenital absence of a toenail. It involves taking some nail tissue from another toe/finger and being implanted in the toe. Has a poor cosmetic success rate and now you may have a problem with the donor site. If it's painful-something can be done. If it's cosmetic--I wouldn't take the chance.

Hope this answers your question.