A healthy nail plate should be thin and pink, with a white tip as it grows off the end of the nail bed. Thickened toenails can become, discoloured and start to curve for various reasons.
Thickened toenails will become painful without treatment. This is because the toenail takes up more space in the front of the shoe, causing pressure.
Treatment from a podiatrist to reduce the nail thickness can prevent tissue breakdown or wounds forming underneath the nail plate.
It is also important to note that any discolouration under the nail plate, that does not grow out with the nail should be assessed and monitored by either your podiatrist or GP, as benign and malignant melanomas have been found to form under the toenails.