Why Do Toenails Smell When You Cut Them?

Bacterial infections usually leak pus and, sometimes, blood. Fungal infections produce discolored toenails that are thick, brittle, and smell bad.

Is it normal for toenails to smell?

Getting a fungal infection on your toenails can cause the nails to turn yellow and brittle, and the bugs that cause the infection often emit a foul odor as they feed on your body. The same microorganisms that cause athlete's foot also are the cause of fungal toenail infection.

Why do nails smell when you cut them?

Just-snipped nails can sometimes have a pungent odor right after trimming. For that, you can thank stinky sulfur compounds that exist inside the keratin proteins of the nails. Give your nail a trim, and you might smell an odor coming from the freshly-cut end, Dr. Chacon says.