Webbed toes
Also called: Syndactyly of the toes · Zygodactyly · Partial syndactyly
Two toes joined by skin, most often the second and third, in about 1 in 2,000 to 2,500 babies. The toes usually work normally and many people leave them as they are.
How common
Do you have this?
How it works
In the embryo, hands and feet start as flat paddles. Around the sixth to eighth week, the cells between the future digits die off in a planned way and the fingers and toes separate5. If that process does not finish between two toes, they stay joined2. In the mildest form only the skin is joined, and each toe has its own full set of bones underneath. That is simple syndactyly, or webbed toes. In rarer forms the bones are joined too, or the web reaches the tips1.
Webbing between the second and third toes is by far the most common pattern2. It is often on both feet, and it often runs in families in a dominant pattern with variable expression, so a parent may show only a hint of it4.
Most cases are isolated, meaning the child is otherwise typical5. Complex syndactyly, where the bones are joined, can be part of a wider syndrome such as Apert syndrome1.
Joined toes rarely cause problems beyond looks. Because toes do not need to move separately in the way fingers do, surgery is usually unnecessary2. Some people have the web released for cosmetic reasons. That can need a skin graft and leaves some scarring, so many doctors advise against it in typical cases2.
How common it is
Estimates put it at about 1 in 2,000 to 2,500 live births2. Mild webbing often goes unnoticed, and some studies report higher figures4. It is about twice as common in boys and more common in white people, and it often runs in families5.
Is it a problem?
No. Webbed toes rarely cause any problem beyond looks, and most people leave them alone2. They are not a sign of a wider syndrome when the toes are otherwise normal and the child is developing typically.
Mention it to a doctor if:
- the fingers are also joined,
- other body parts look unusual,
- the toe webbing is very wide or unusual in pattern.
Combined findings like that are examined more closely1.
History and culture
The actor Ashton Kutcher has two webbed toes and showed them on a British talk show in 20083. Webbed toes appear in stories as a mark of sea people and mermaids. In reality they give no advantage in the water.
Sources and further material
- Wikipedia Syndactyly
- Wikipedia Webbed toes
- archive.boston.com Ashton Kutcher's freaky feet Reports that Kutcher showed his webbed toes on a British talk show hosted by Jonathan Ross.
- NCBI Syndactyly: phenotypes, genetics and current classification Review of syndactyly types. Says mild zygodactyly often goes unnoticed and that prevalence estimates vary.
- NCBI Syndactyly StatPearls chapter, last updated September 2022. Covers development, who is affected, and inheritance.
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Related oddities
Clinodactyly
A finger that curves sideways toward its neighbours, most often the little finger leaning toward the ring finger. Between 1% and 20% of people have it, and on its own it is harmless.
Morton's toe
A second toe that looks longer than the big toe because the first metatarsal bone in the foot is short. It is common, and it is the foot shape seen on classical Greek statues.
Supernumerary nipples
An extra nipple, usually small and flat, on a line running from the armpit to the groin. Between 1 in 500 and 1 in 18 people have one, and it is often mistaken for a mole.