Toenail fungus is a commonly found fungal infection that impacts the toenails. In many cases, the toenail fungus can make the toe swell and discolor, making it thick. It begins on the tip of your toenail and spreads to the entire toe. The main causes of toenail fungus include ill-fitting shoes or exposing your toe in a moist environment for a long time. In this blog, we have discussed how to prevent and get rid of toenail fungus for a long time.
What is Toenail Fungus?
Toenail fungus is fairly common among working people, especially those who work long shifts.
Understanding Common Infections in Toenails
Common toenail infections can be caused by both fungus and bacteria. Bacterial infections are known as paronychia, while fungal infections are onychomycosis. These nail infections can make the nail thick, discolored, and can damage the nail further on.
How Common is a Toenail Fungus?
Onychomycosis, or toenail fungus, is fairly common among individuals, especially aged people. It is estimated by medical professionals that toenail fungus can infect 1 in every 10 people overall. Moreover, the toenail fungus can affect your fingernails as well as your toenail fungus.
Causes of Nail Fungus
Most of the toenail fungus is caused by fungi like yeasts, molds and dermatophytes. These are the most common variant of nail fungus that starts at the tip or the sideways of the nail and spreads towards the center of the affected nail.
Triggers That Cause Toenail Infections
Some common triggers that cause toenail infections include walking barefoot for longer in public areas, having a minor nail injury, and excessive sweat on the feet. In addition to that, if you keep your toenails too long, the chances of fungal growth increase massively. Different types of toenail fungus can live and grow underneath the toenail. Therefore, maintaining nail hygiene is also an important factor in controlling the triggers of toenail infections.
Are There Any Risk Factors Relating to Toenail Fungus?
The risk factors relating to toenail fungus include older age and diabetes. Moreover, if you have a weak immune system, you can be affected by this kind of nail fungus frequently. Therefore, a weakened immune system in individuals delays the recovery from fungal infections in the nail.
Toenail Fungus Symptoms and Characteristics
You can visibly observe the symptoms of toenail fungus. These infections are caused mainly due to the contamination of Dermatophytes, which spreads the fungal infection.
Primary Symptoms of Toenail Fungus
Main foot nail fungus symptoms include changes in the colour of the nails, chalky and cloudy spots on the nails. Moreover, your nails may be thickened when affected by the fungus. In many cases, the fungus makes your nails brittle, resulting in them breaking the nails.
Is Toenail Fungus Painful?
Visually, toenail fungus is not pleasant, but it does not necessarily cause pain. However, you may be self-conscious about the look of your feet. Moreover, your toenails may be swollen, which can make your fingernails look disfigured.
Is Toenail Fungus Contagious?
Many types of toenail fungus are contagious and can be transferred to another person with direct contact. You may also be infected with toenail fungus by walking barefoot on the infected surfaces.
The Best Nail Fungus Treatment Options
There are multiple toenail fungus treatment options available that you can consider to take to remove the disease of nail fungus.
Over-the-Counter Medication
Over-the-counter (OTC) products and medications are crucial in treating toenail fungus. Among most of the OTC drugs that are used for nail fungus treatment, Undecylenic Acid is a common ingredient that reduces the irritation on the affected area of the toenail. Moreover, Tolnaftate is also a common remedy for toenail fungus which can help you reduce the itching and athlete’s foot. However, you have to use the OTC drug for two weeks. You can get the medicine in powder, spray, and cream form. Moreover, there are some oral OTC nail fungus medications that you can take to prevent further worsening of the situation.
Prescription Medication
Besides the OTC medications, you can also consider visiting a podiatrist if you feel your symptoms are severe to a certain extent. Doctors will prescribe you medicines that will relieve you from the soreness in the toe and also help you get the color back in your toe.
Home Remedies
There are some home remedies that can help you cure nail fungus quickly. Snakeroot extracts can be effective against toenail fungus as it has an antifungal ability to reduce infection in the toenail. In addition to this, tea tree oil acts as an effective remedy for toenail fungus, which is widely accepted for its antiseptic properties. Many people use oregano oil because of its antifungal abilities. Oregano oil contains thymol, which helps in reducing the discomfort in the area of the toenail. Extracts of garlic can also be given to the affected area daily for 30 minutes, as it is said to have antifungal properties. However, you need to get confirmation from your doctor.
Long-term Prevention of Nail Fungus
The individual needs to have long-term prevention for toenail fungus to avoid consistent and recurring toenail fungus. It takes a ridiculously long time to heal if you leave it untreated for a longer period.
Hygienic Practices
One of the main practices to delete nail fungus is by wearing flip-flops all the time whenever you are roaming around. Your feet need to be dry, clean, and mobile otherwise, your infection may again deteriorate. You also need to clip your toenails as much as possible to avoid getting germs underneath the toenails. Make your feet comfortable by wearing shoes that allow air that pass through your feet.
Change of Lifestyle
Some basic changes in your lifestyle can make the cure for nail fungus quicker than you expect. For example, do not share your clipper or nail-cutter with other people. This way, you can minimize the chance of getting infected and infecting others significantly. Make sure that your toenails are not pressurized and your toenails can easily feel the air.
Changing Shoes and Socks Frequently
Changing to a more comfortable shoe can be a good option if your toes feel stiff against the wall of the shoes. Plus, you must not use the same shoes or socks that you used before once you are cured of nail fungus. You can use antifungal powders inside your shoes. Changing your socks frequently would also minimize the scope of further contamination. However, if you feel your feet are becoming too dry, try using moisturizers. Make sure that your feet are not sore or swollen. Keep an eye on whether your nails are showing signs of any kind of relapse or recovering normally.
Conclusion
Toenail fungus is one of the most common fungal infections that can affect your toes. However, some simple remedies and hygienic practices can help you reduce the infection level. Besides, there are pretty simple nail fungus cures that you can do in your home using easily available ingredients. However, for a long-term outcome, you might need to undertake the appropriate nail fungus medications. With a stable change in lifestyle and very minimal medication, the toenail fungus can be cured.
If you see any sign of toenail fungus in your toes, do not hesitate to contact a podiatrist for a quick inspection. Look for the symptoms by yourself, and if you find anything unsettling in your toes, set up an appointment with us.
At Union Podiatre, we are equipped to treat your toenail fungus. Just book an appointment with our podiatrist clinic near you in Laval, South Shore, Montreal, St. Hyacinthe, Brossard, and more.