Nail Fungus Bliss

Toenail fungus is simply an infection that affects the toenails. It comes from warm and moist places such as sweaty socks and shoes, public shower rooms and swimming pools. Toenail fungus is contagious which explains why so many people are affected by this condition everyday. Toenail fungus can be treated in a variety of ways such as oral medication, topical treatments or home remedies. More extreme cases will require drastic treatments such as cosmetic surgery of the toenail. As with most diseases, the best cure is prevention. This can easily be done by practicing good hygiene and eating a balanced diet.

Toenail Fungus Overview

Toenail fungus also known as Onychomycosis can affect any of your toe nails. It mostly affects the big toe and the small toe in many persons. Statistics reveal that about half of the Americans are in some way affected by this fungus before reaching the age of seventy.

Where does it breed?
The warm and the moist places are the breeding ground for this fungus. For example, socks and the shoes are mostly favorable for this type of fungus. Hence they are found in them. This fungus belongs to Dermatophytes group. It feeds on Keratin that is found in the toenails.

This fungus spreads from one person to another when they are in public places such as swimming pools, locker rooms, showers, and other areas that are wet. Hence, people who are visiting these areas have to take precautions to prevent it from affecting them. People who are affected by diabetes and HIV are at greater risk of getting infected from this toenail fungus.

Some of the symptoms that indicate that you might have toenail fungus are swelling and thickening of nail. Sometimes your nail might crumble and may also be yellowish in color. These are also the indications of having toenail fungus.

People who wear tight shoes and socks that wet their foot due to sweat are liable to get the toenail fungus. Once you get the toenail fungus, it can easily spread to the other parts of your body and to the other foot.

Shoes and sandals that are designed to protect you when going to the showers or swimming pool are available in the market. You can use these products to avoid getting affected by the toenail fungus.

If you know a person is affected by toenail fungus, you should avoid sharing shoes, socks and towels with such person. This helps you to prevent fungus from affecting you. Orthotic devices are available in the market that can be used to reduce the strain on your foot muscles and thus help avoiding the toenail fungus.

Some other ways to prevent toenail fungus is to avoid nail polish. The nail polish that you use might trap the fungus within the nail and it might start to grow there. Medicated nail polish is available in the market, which can be used to treat the infections in your nail.

For serious conditions you have to approach a doctor who might even recommend surgery to remove the nail. People who use the pedicure tools should not forget to disinfect them before using them.

Oral medication like Itraconazole or Termibafine is prescribed for patients who have been seriously affected by the nail fungus and if it is difficult to cure by medicated nail polish. The treatment taken orally might be usually for about 12 weeks. As with other oral drugs the possibility of getting some side effects is also there. Hence it is advisable to consult your doctor and take these medications. If you get any side effects do consult your doctor immediately.