How Are Thick Toenails Diagnosed
See a doctor if you notice a change in the appearance of your nails. Treating a fungal infection in its early stages will help prevent the condition from worsening.
Your doctor will look at your nails to diagnose the condition. The doctor may also take a swab underneath the nail or take a toenail clipping to diagnose the condition.
Will Bleach Kill Athletes Feet
Q: You have sometimes written about ways to treat athletes foot, but you havent mentioned the best one: bleach. On the rare occasion that I get a toe fissure or itchy sole, I just pour several glugs of bleach into the shower and slosh about in it for a minute before I turn on the water. One treatment is all it takes.
Proven Home Remedies For Stubborn Toenail Fungus
Its summer time to let your feet breathe! Stretching your toes out in the sand, walking barefoot in the grass, and slipping on your favorite sandals again feels so good. The downside? Warped, discolored nails for the 75 percent of us with stubborn toenail fungus. Here, three proven remedies that you can use at home to get your tootsies looking beach and sandal-ready.
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Apply Or Consume Garlic
A 2019 study indicates that garlic is an antifungal powerhouse, potentially making it a gem for treating toenail fungal infections. It is best to place crushed or chopped garlic on the affected area daily, Hayag says. It is important to take caution when following this remedy, as garlic has the potential to cause chemical burns to the skin. To avoid any burns, theres also the option of taking garlic supplements to see if that might help clear things up.
Use A Foot Spray To Disinfect Shoes From Athletes Foot
Before wearing your shoes, ensure that you spray both your feet and your shoes with a foot spray. The foot spray should be one that contains a disinfectant in it to ensure that it is beneficial in killing the foot fungus.
Some foot sprays are scented to ensure that your feet and shoes not only are bacterial and fungus free but also ensure that your feet and shoes smell nice.
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Potential Risks And Complications
If untreated, athletes foot can result in a bacterial infection if skin is broken. This can happen due to scratching or when blisters pop or ulcers become infected. Any type of infection can be very serious and requires prompt treatment.
Athletes foot is also very contagious. It can easily spread to your hands, especially if youre scratching at the affected area. This fungus can also infect the area under your nails, which can be more difficult to treat, or the groin area.
How You Get Athletes Foot
You can catch athleteâs foot from other people with the infection.
You can get it by:
- walking barefoot in places where someone else has athleteâs foot especially changing rooms and showers
- touching the affected skin of someone with athleteâs foot
Youâre more likely to get it if you have wet or sweaty feet, or if the skin on your feet is damaged.
Page last reviewed: 08 June 2021 Next review due: 08 June 2024
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Toenail Fungus Home Care
Sometimes itâs possible to treat your toenail fungus at home. You can try:
- Over the counter antifungal creams or ointments. File or cut off any white markings on your nails. Soak your nails in water and dry off before you put on the medicated cream.
- Special nail care. If you keep your nails trimmed, it can reduce the pressure and pain you feel. You can also thin your nail bed by filing it down. This can help antifungal creams get to the problem easier.
The Basics Of Nail Fungus Prevention
Fungal nails are unsightly, embarrassing, and occasionally smelly. They are also notoriously difficult to treat. A podiatrist in Sugar Land can use advanced treatments that arent available at drugstores to eradicate the fungal infection. Once its gone, your foot doctor will give you instructions to prevent the fungal infection from coming back .
Keeping Your Feet Clean
For people who are prone to developing recurrent fungal nail infections, showering once daily may not be enough to keep the feet clean enough. If you shower in the morning, bathe your feet again in the evening. You can use a loofah or clean washcloth to thoroughly work the soap around your feet and toes.
Keeping Your Feet Dry
Fungi love damp, warm environments like the insides of your shoes. Each time you take a shower or bathe your feet separately, dry your feet thoroughly with a clean towel. Be sure to dry between your toes. Your podiatrist might recommend applying a topical medication a few times per week after cleaning your feet. You can also apply foot powder to help your feet stay dry. If you tend to sweat heavily, you may need to change your socks during the day.
Using Public Locker Rooms
Fungal infections easily spread in gyms, public pools, and locker rooms. Always wear shower shoes around the edges of the pool and in the public showers. Let your shower shoes dry completely between uses.
Reducing Your Risk of Nail Injuries
Wearing Proper Footwear
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Top Home Remedies For Toenail Fungus
There are many home remedies available nowadays for getting rid of toenail fungus, which means you have many choices. When it comes to which ones you should try, it’s really a matter of experimenting to see which home remedies may or may not work for you.
So what are some top home remedies for toenail fungus people use to address their fungal infection? See below for some of the more popular home remedies for treating toenail fungus.
Wash With Antifungal Cleanser
Antifungal washes, such as Nizoral, can help dry, scaly moccasin type foot fungus, Rodney says. Gently lather it onto the entire feet, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse off with water, she adds. As it is a wash, the medication can penetrate through all the dry, scaly skin and easily get to the fungus.
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How To Treat Toenail Fungus
You can use simple home remedies to get rid of toenail fungus, or a podiatrist can take care of toenail fungus, particularly if it is caught early.
Topical or oral treatments can also work on toenail fungus, as well as the removal of the infected nail. A temporary removal can work to treat the area, but a permanent removal so that the bad nail wont grow back can also be performed.
Chronic Scaly Athletes Foot
Multiple fungi can cause moccasin-type athletes foot, resulting in dry, scaling skin on the sole of the foot. The scale is very fine and silvery, and the skin underneath is usually pink and tender.
Your hands may also be infected, and the usual pattern of infection is two feet and one hand, or one foot and two hands. Less commonly, this infection can spread to other areas of the body.
Chronic scaly athletes foot is associated with fungal nail infections, which may lead to recurrent skin infections.
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What Does Foot Fungus Look Like
Foot fungus causes slightly dry skin that is often noticeable. In more severe cases, you may see red and peeling dry skin on the soles. Spaces between the toes may also have moisture and peeling, usually producing a foul smell.
Knowing these symptoms is important so that you can apply the correct home remedies. There are three common types of foot fungus:
- Fungus on the soles of the feet
- Fungus on the toes
- The blistering type
The blisters may appear large, with redness and infection. Rashes on the bottom of one or both feet may also be present.
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How To Treat Fungal Nail Effectively
Owing to the high recurrence rate of fungal nail infections, pharmacy professionals should be able to advise patients on effective treatment and preventative and appropriate self-care strategies to avoid re-infection.
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Fungal nail infection is a mycotic infection caused by fungal invasion of the nail structure and is one of the most common nail disorders, representing half of nail abnormalities in adults. Its prevalence in Europe is around 4.3% over all age groups and 15.5% of all nail dystrophies in children. OM is more commonly diagnosed in men and older people, affecting 2050% of people aged over 60 years. An increased incidence among older people may be attributed to multiple factors, including reduced peripheral circulation, diabetes, inactivity, relative immunosuppression, and reduced nail growth and quality. Toenails are affected more commonly than fingernails.
This article will cover the causes, types and treatment of OM, practical information to help guide patient consultations and when to refer to podiatry.
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Take It Easy At First
Athletes foot can come on suddenly and be accompanied by oozing blisters and intermittent burning, says Frederick Hass, MD, a family medicine physician in San Rafael, California. When youre going through this acute stage, baby your foot. Keep it uncovered and at constant rest. Although the inflammation itself is not dangerous, it can lead to a bacterial infection if youre not careful.
In case you didnt know, athletes foot is a type of fungal infection between toes that typically exists and spreads in damp and warm environment.
Tinea pedis is the name of the fungus that expands on the toenails, on top of the foot, between toes and even between fingers. Scaly and white patches, redness and rashes are signs of the presence of this fungus.
In addition, the typical athletes foot symptoms are stinging sensation, itching and burning.
This fungus is often found in public locker rooms and showers, swimming pools and health and wellness centers and it has the ability to spread very quickly.
Getting in touch with socks and shoes where this fungus dwells, wet floor or fitness equipment can lead to the emergence of athletes foot.
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How to Prevent Athletes Foot?
People can protect themselves from this harmful fungus by using flip-flops when they are present in public showers or public pools and by making sure that their feet are completely dry after taking a bath or swimming. The area between the toes is crucial.
What Is Toenail Fungus
Toenail fungus is usually an infection of the toenail caused by opportunistic fungi, explains Oliva. It may cause your nail to turn a yellow or white hue, thicken, or crumble at the outer edges.
While toenail fungus can occur in people of all ages, board-certified dermatologist Marie Hayag, MD, says that its most common in older folks. As the nail ages, it is prone to becoming brittle and dry, which can result in cracks in the nails that make it susceptible to fungal infections, she explains, noting that all of the aforementioned causes can be even more of a concern as a result.
Meet the Expert
- , MD, is a board-certified dermatologist practicing in Manhattan. She is an assistant clinical professor at Mount Sinai Hospital and also teaches in the Dermatology Departments surgery clinic.
- Francisco Oliva, DPM, is a Miami-based podiatrist who has been in private practice for 25+ years.
Nevertheless, because developing a toenail fungus can occur at all ages, we reveal the best ways to treat toenail fungus at home, below.
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What Is The White Stuff Under My Toenails
Nail psoriasis sometimes causes too much keratin to grow under the nail. This overgrowth is called subungual hyperkeratosis. People with hyperkeratosis may notice a white, chalky substance under the nail. When this occurs in the toenails, the pressure of shoes pushing down on the nails might cause pain.
A Pharmacist Can Help With Athletes Foot
Athleteâs foot is unlikely to get better on its own, but you can buy antifungal medicines for it from a pharmacy. They usually take a few weeks to work.
Athleteâs foot treatments are available as:
- creams
- sprays
- powders
Theyâre not all suitable for everyone for example, some are only for adults. Always check the packet or ask a pharmacist.
You might need to try a few treatments to find one that works best for you.
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Home Treatments For Toenail Fungus Don’t Always Work
How long does it take to know if your home treatment remedy option has worked? It depends on the remedy and the severity of the fungal problem. While it usually takes 2 to 3 months for a toenail fungus infection to go away, it can take up to a year to completely heal. Most people will try at least 1 of the above home antifungal treatments before choosing to seek foot care from a professional.
How To Heal Your Toenail Fungus At Home
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HOW TO HEAL YOUR TOENAIL FUNGUS AT HOME
If you have mild toenail fungus, theres a very good chance that a home remedy can help you get rid of it. Though you can definitely try these with moderate to severe toenail fungus, too, as long as youre healthy, it is recommended that you see a specialist if its a bad case of fungus.
As always, if your immune system is compromised or you have diabetes, its always best to see a podiatrist so you dont risk making things worse or needing surgery.
Without further ado, here are several home remedies you can try to heal your toenail fungus.
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How Fungi Infect The Nail
Onchomycosis, or toenail fungal infection, is an invasion by a microscopic organism that thrives in warm, damp environments. Fungal spores are in the air, and they will grow if they land on a receptive surface like your toenail. They feed off the nail tissues, burrowing into the skin under the nail. Over time the nail thickens and may lift off the nail bed as fungal debris accumulates. Once your nail is raised off the nail bed, it won’t reattach, and a new nail won’t grow from that part of the nail bed. However, your nail will continue to grow from the root at the base.
Treatment Options For Fungal Nail
Treatment options, some of which can be prescribed by your GP and the others found at your local pharmacy, include:
Antifungal nail creams or paints
These are applied directly to the nail over several months and are most effective when used at the early stages of the infection. They aren’t generally considered to be as effective as tablets because it can be difficult for the product to reach the deep layers of the nail. Some people choose them over tablets because side effects are less common. These are available over the counter.
Nail-softening kits
A paste is applied to soften the infected area. This is then covered with a plaster for 24 hours. The next day, the paste is washed off and the softened nail gently scraped away.
This process has to be repeated every day for two to three weeks. When no more of the infected nail can be removed, an antifungal paint is applied to prevent re-infection as the nail grows over the next few months. These kits are available from your pharmacist.
Antifungal tablets
These are only available on prescription and need to be taken for several months, before the infection has completely cleared up. Some tablets are unsuitable for people taking certain medicines, and some people may experience side effects. Always see your doctor or pharmacist for advice about medicines.
Laser treatment
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How To Diagnose & How To Heal Dry Cracked Feet
Diagnosis of cracked skin is made by taking careful history so that the doctor might get a clue about the possible causative factors, detailed examination, and relevant investigations.
History:
The doctor may ask the following questions:
- When did the symptoms first appear?
- For how long have are these symptoms present?
- Does the area feel warm or itchy?
- Does the lesion bleed, or does pus come out?
- Have you recently changed your skincare products?
- Are these worsening with time?
- Are these symptoms severe enough to disturb your daily life activities or sleep?
- Are there any factors that exacerbate these symptoms, and what factors alleviate your symptoms?
- Do you have any allergies?
- Does anyone else in your family is suffering from such a condition?
- Do you have any other diseases?
Examination
Investigations:
A doctor may take a skin sample of the affected area to reach a definitive diagnosis and advise a treatment plan accordingly.
What is the treatment of dry and cracked feet?
The best treatment for dry and cracked feet is to moisturize the feet regularly with lotions, creams, or alcohol-free oil and avoid factors that cause dryness or loss of skin moisture.
Cracked skin, if without any associated skin disorder, can easily be treated at home: