What is webbed toes?
Webbed toes is a condition that people are born with when two or more toes are partially or fully connected by a flexible skin bridge or bony fusion. Webbed toes are seen in 1 in 2000 births and most commonly occur between the 2nd and 3rd toe. Tibial syndactyly is between the 1st and 2nd toe, Central syndactyly is between the 2nd and 3rd toe, and fibular syndactyly is between the 4th and 5th toe.
What is the cause of webbed toes?
The exact cause is unknown but is thought to be genetic (autosomal dominant). During the development process there is incomplete or absent cell death (apoptosis) of the skin in between the toes. There has been an associate with webbed toes with people that have a history of familial syndactyly, Down’s syndrome, and Klippel-Feil syndrome.
Do you need to treat webbed toes?
Webbed toes is rarely painful and is mostly cosmetic.
How to treat webbed toes?
To fix webbed toes the only option is surgical. There are multiple different type of flaps that can be used to separate the toes and sometimes a skin graft is needed if there is not enough skin.