What is a fungal nail infection?

A fungal nail infection will take place when the nail either on your finger or your toe is attacked by some fungus on the skin of the nail or under the nail bed. Fungi easily attack nails through small cuts and injuries or any opening between your nail and the nail bed. For a person who is in optimal health there may not be a reason to worry whenever an attack come along but it could easily lead to some serious complication if one has a condition like diabetes or a compromised immune system.

What causes a fungal nail infection?

Putting Hand Cream on Cuticles

Fungal nail infections are cause by yeast, molds or different fungi and they are simple the same ones that cause other problems like athlete’s foot. Fungi will thrive in warm moist places and they very easily spread from one person to another. You can very easily get a fungal infection when you walk barefoot in a public shower or pool or even by sharing personal items such as towels, nail clippers and etc. when you have athlete’s foot you can easily spread the fungus from your skin to your nails.

The people who are most vulnerable to fungal nail infections are:

• People who are older than 60 years of age
• Have diabetes or a compromised immune system
• Live or work in a hot, humid place
• Have a nail injury like a hangnail or an ingrown toenail
• Wear shoes that make their feet warm, sweaty and moist most of the time.

Symptoms of an infection

So what are the symptoms that indicate your nail may be infected? A nail with fungal infection is most likely going to

• Turn yellow or white
• Get thicker
• Crumble and split and may separate from the skin

It can also make it uncomfortable or even painful l to put on shoes, walk or stand for a long time. The fungus very easily spreads to other nails and even the rest of the skin if not treated in good time and will finally cause permanent damage to your nail or the nail bed.

How is a fungal nail infection diagnosed?

The diagnosis is done by your doctor who will examine your nail and of course ask you some leading questions on past health and very possibly run some testes to confirm the presence of fungi. Your best treatment will be found if the doctor would find the real cause of your infection.

How is it treated?

Woman Applying Nail Polish on Her Toe Nails

You have the final say whether to treat your infected nails or not, but bear in mind if no treatment is done it might get worse although sometimes they may be hard to treat and they are not very cheap either.

There are many treatment methods that you can choose from including anti-fungal creams, lotion or nail polish and there types that can also be bought over the counter or you get your doctor to prescribe some strong enough medication. Some of the medication could take you anywhere between a few weeks and up to one year depending on the severity of your condition.

One of the best treatments available is use of anti-fungal pills to cure your nail infection. The only downside is that they cost a lot more money and some could have some side effects and you will need to see your doctor as very often as you continue with treatment.

How can you prevent a fungal nail infection?

Fungal nail infections are known to always recur easily once you have gotten an infection. It is significant that one takes prevention measures in order to be safe.

Wash and dry your feet carefully before going to bed and apply an anti-fungal product.

Try to wear sandals or shoes that are open enough to let moisture to escape. Your shoes need to dry for at least 24 hours before they are put on again.

Wear cotton socks and change them as regularly as possible

Avoid sharing personal items like nail clippers, towels, socks or even nail files.

When you visit wet public areas always wear flip flops or sandals

If your suspect you have a fungal nail infection even if it is a mild one and you are concerned about the risks associated with oral anti-fungal medicine you can try to apply a topical one that you put directly on the affected part of your skin. The only down side is that topical medicines are not known to be so effective when dealing with fungal nail infections.

There are people who have tried and they highly recommend tea tree oil for the effective alternative treatment and prevention of athlete’s foot and mild fungal nail infections. It can typically be used on minor cuts burns, acne, mild fungal nail infections, vaginal yeast infections, and some respiratory problems.

Care needs to be taken to prevent a re-infection once the treatment is through and the problem has cleared up.

What is the last word?

Woman receiving manicure

You need to avoid injuring your nail. Most of the time injuries on your nail happen when you cut your finger nails too short and close to the skin. If you decide to get artificial nails or probably go for a manicure, always ensure you go to a salon where the tools and equipment get thoroughly sterilized before they are used on the next client.

There are some nail manicure and nail products that can very easily damage your nail or the cuticle and thus make your nail more susceptible to infections of many kinds. Therefore take all the precautionary measures because you know what failure to do that will mean to your health.

Protecting your nails from infection is much better and cheaper than looking for the best cure available. Apart from protecting yourself from injury, the other important thing is to take care of simple hygiene and you will be ok. Protect your nails and they will protect you.