What is it?
Onychomycosis is a chronic fungal infection of the nails.
The condition generally starts off as a white spot underneath the toenail before going deeper, causing the nail to thicken and can become painful.
Because toes are often warm and damp, fungus grows well there. If the infection is left untreated, it could spread to other toenails, skin, or even your fingernails.
What are the symptoms?
- White or yellow nail discoloration
- Thickening of the nail
- Crumbling of the nail at the edges
- Splitting from the base of the nail
Why did I get it?
Fungal toenails can be caused by a variety of factors including:
- Fungus likes warm, humid environments
- The fungi live on the nail plate and repeated minor trauma (cuts or splits) permits the fungal organism to invade the nail plate and become established
- Tight footwear can cause crowding of the toes, promoting fungal infection
- Communal showers, where untreated fungal organisms can spread rapidly
- Diseases that influence local and systemic immunity can predispose to fungal nails, including diabetes, HIV, and peripheral ischemia
How is it diagnosed?
In most cases, a physical exam alone is enough to identify a fungal toenail. However in some cases a nail sample can be taken from your podiatrist to be sent away for laboratory testing.
How can I treat it?
The quickest path to treating fungal toenails is to pay a visit to your Podiatrist for them to help you develop a treatment plan.
Below are some treatment strategies which may be implemented by your Podiatrist:
- Topical antifungal treatments
- Have your nails cut and thinned down by a podiatrist will allow better absortion of topical treatments
- Laser therapy
Ready to take back control and permanently resolve your Fungal Toenail?
Book your appointment with one of our podiatrists now!
