Friday, March 22, 2024
HomeFactsHow To Get Rid Of Thick Nail Fungus

How To Get Rid Of Thick Nail Fungus

Living With A Nail Fungal Infection

How to Get Rid of Thickened Fungal Toenails

If you have a nail fungal infection, some things can help:

  • Keep your nails cut short and file down any thick areas.
  • Dont use the same nail trimmer and file on healthy nails and infected nails. If you have your nails professionally manicured, bring your own nail file and trimmer from home.
  • Wear waterproof gloves for wet work . Wear 100% cotton gloves for dry work.
  • Wear socks made of wicking material . This pulls moisture away from the skin. Change your socks when they are damp from sweat or if your feet get wet. Put on clean, dry socks every day. Put over-the-counter antifungal foot powder inside your socks to keep your feet dry.
  • Wear shoes with good support and a wide toe area. Dont wear pointed shoes that press your toes together.
  • Avoid walking barefoot in public areas, such as locker rooms.

Can I Wear Nail Polish If I Have Toenail Fungus

You may feel tempted to cover up a discolored toenail with nail polish. If you are using a topical antifungal, you probably should not use polish. Some providers may tell you not to wear it in any case. Polish traps in moisture from the nailbed . Because fungi thrive in moist environments, wearing nail polish may make a fungal infection worse. However, the nail continues to grow with or without polish.

Thick Toenails: Causes And Treatment

There are plenty of reasons as to why thick toenails form but there are many ways to combat them. Find out the causes and how to fix thick toenails.

Most nail techs have seen themthick toenails that resist easy clipping and may show signs of yellowing, the presence of fungus or other nail-related concerns.

By remaining aware of the problem and its possible causes, you have the ability to help these clients both at your station and between appointments with homecare suggestions. We spoke to medical experts to find out more about what causes thickened toenails and how to help people who have thick toenails when faced with the situation in your salon.

Read Also: How To Tell If Nail Fungus Is Going Away

Recommended Reading: How To Rid Nail Fungus

What Is The Outlook For Someone With Toenail Fungus

While toenail fungus is common, its usually not harmful. Symptoms mostly affect the look of your toenail.

Toenail fungus may spread to the skin between your toes or other areas of your body. When getting dressed, put your socks on first to reduce the chance of spread.

Treating toenail fungus takes a long time, and it doesnt always work. Even then, toenail fungus often returns. Discuss the pros and cons of treating toenail fungus with your provider to determine whats best for you.

Practicing good hygiene and foot care reduces the chance toenail fungus will come back. If you have diabetes, getting regular foot exams may help you address foot problems before they get serious.

Should I Get A Pedicure If I Have Toenail Fungus

Things You Can Do To Get Cheap Hotel Deals (With images ...

Things to consider:

  • You may not be able to receive the pedicure you deserve if you have nail fungus. Talk with your doctor or dermatologist about any concerns you may have before going ahead with a pedicure.
  • In addition, do what makes sense for your particular situation regarding how often you can get pedicures and where you can get them. If you have any concerns about a salon or nail technician, do not hesitate to find another location.
  • Seeing a doctor because of signs of infection after getting a pedicure elsewhere is always better safe than sorry. In addition, the proper precautions should be taken before and after your appointment to prevent further spreading of infections.

Also Check: Can Peroxide Kill Toenail Fungus

How To Get Rid Of Thick Fungus Toenails

Venous stasis, or venous stasis dermatitis, is a condition commonly misdiagnosed as cellulitis.

This condition causes swelling, discoloration, and can develop into skin ulcers. It is the result of poor circulation in the lower limbs and typically affects the lower legs and ankles.

Unlike cellulitis, this condition can affect both sides of the body and is not the result of bacterial infection. However, should you develop sores or ulcers as a result of venous stasis, your risk of a skin infection will increase.

How To Prevent Both Foot And Toenail Fungus

While toenail fungus and foot fungus arent the same condition, the following tips can help you prevent both, says Sundling:

  • Practice good hygiene, such as keeping your feet clean.
  • Alternate your shoes during the week. Your feet sweat all day long. Alternating your shoes allows them to dry out, so the fungus cant survive.
  • Wear moisture-wicking socks that help dry out shoes and kill fungus. You can find these at running stores and athletic stores. If your socks are exceptionally sweaty, changing them more than once per day can help.
  • Wear shoes in public places like locker rooms, pools, and gyms to limit exposure to fungus.

You May Like: What Causes Nails To Have Ridges

You May Like: How To Treat Toenail Fungus With Baking Soda

Findings From Lab Studies

A 2013 laboratory study found that tea tree oil is effective in treating the fungus Trichophyton rubrum. This particular fungus commonly affects the toenails and can cause athletes foot.

The study showed that tea tree oil was significantly more effective at inhibiting the growth of T. rubrum than a placebo.

However, the researchers experimented using lab-grown T. rubrum cultures and human nail clippings. It is not clear whether tea tree oil would have the same effects on infected nail tissue in humans.

The researchers also administered the tea tree oil in a nanosuspension. A contains small particles of a drug suspended in water, which makes the drug easier to absorb. It is not clear whether widely available forms of tea tree oil would have the same effects on nail fungus.

Side Effects Of Toenail Fungus Medication

How to get rid and prevent toenail fungus?

One of the many benefits of using a homeopathic remedy is that there are little to no adverse side effects. Topical treatments often prescribed to treat toenail fungus can potentially burn or blister the skin. Oral medications for treating onychomycosis can cause liver or gastrointestinal damage. Be sure to read your medications list of potential side effects. Consult your pharmacist, physician, or specialist if you are concerned about side effects of prescription drugs.

Also Check: How Do You Treat Toenail Fungus With Apple Cider Vinegar

How You Got A Fungal Infection

Once your podiatrist tells you that you have onychomycosis, you may wonder how you contracted a nail infection in the first place. Onychomycosis is frequently caused by the same fungus that causes athletes foot. You can pick up onychomycosis if you:

  • Use other peoples towels
  • Stand on an infected bathmat
  • Walk barefoot in public showers, pools, or beach
  • Walk barefoot in the gym or other public spaces
  • Get athletes foot frequently
  • Have sweaty feet
  • Injure your nails

The best way to prevent a nail fungal infection is to keep your feet clean and dry, only use your clean towels, and wear shower shoes or sandals at the pool, beach, or gym. Also, be sure to trim your toenails straight across, rather than on a curve. Either avoid salon pedicures, only frequent salons that sterilize tools between customers, or bring your tools to reduce the risk of infection.

How Do You Get Rid Of Buildup Under Your Toenails

That thick white stuff under your toenails is a buildup of keratin caused by a fungal infection. In order to remedy the problem, you have to treat the cause, not the symptom.

Whereas the other types of fungal infections are relatively easy to treat with a topical antifungal, toenail fungus is much more difficult.

What makes nail fungus harder to treat is that its extremely difficult to get any type of topical medication to penetrate the nail. That, and the nail plate is very slow-growing, so treatment takes a lot longer.

You May Like: Can Toenail Fungus Affect Your Health

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar:

Apple cider vinegar is very famous for its amazing and powerful beauty effects as well as health effects. In terms of skin and nail issues, apple cider vinegar is actually one of the best remedies for fingernail fungus infection as well. This acidic home remedy can help to ward off bacteria and prevent other skin and nail areas from being infected by fungus. I suggest that you and other people who are suffering from the fingernail fungus or also some other infections should make use of this ingredient because it can act well for a great deal of purposes. You can make use of the organic apple cider vinegar lotion in 2 different ways:

Diluted:

Prepare equal amounts of water and apple cider vinegar and use the mixture to apply onto your nails for about 30 minutes. Practice makes perfect, so you need to apply this tip every day and do not forget do pat the infected area dry after each soak session.

Spray:

Take 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar and put them both into a spray bottle. Use this spray to apply under your each fingernail every night before going to sleep so that you will be able to heal and regain the natural beauty of your nails fast and effectively.

In fact, this is also one of the best and most effective home remedies for fingernail fungus that people should not skip but try making use to stop the current concern fast and safely without making use of any type of costly yet useless creams or medical interventions.

How Do You Get Nail Fungus

How to Get Rid of Toenail Fungus Fast and Naturally

Fungi thrive in warm, moist environments. Its no surprise that fungal infections most often occur in places on your body that tend to be warm and moist for extended periods of time. Places like between your warm toes, wrapped in insulating socks and shoes, or in your crotch area along the fold where your leg meets your body.

Places that often rarely see the light of day and cleansing UV rays.

Nail fungus, Athletes foot, Jock itch, and ringworm are all generally classified as tinea.

Nail fungus is a fungal infection in the nails, Athletes foot is tinea on your feet, jock itch happens in the crotch area and ringworm can occur anywhere on your body, but some of the most common places are on the scalp and under the breasts.

Why are we talking about Athletes foot, jock itch, and ringworm when you want to know about thick white stuff under your toenails?

Theres a very good reason! They are all the same classification of fungal infection and an infection on one part of your body can spread to another part.

All fungal infections are contagious.

Its thought that one of the most common causes of jock itch is due to athletes foot spreading from your feet to crotch simply by putting on underwear, where the fungus hitches a ride up and settles into an equally warm, moist environment where it takes hold.

Nail fungus is often contracted from the spread of athletes foot to the toenails.

Read Also: How To Cure Fungus Under Fingernail

Take It Slow And Steady

Thick fungal nails have a tendency to crumble, too. If you try to take off too much at once, the fragile nail might split and fracture in various ways you did not intend it to.

Clip only a small part of your nail at a time, starting at one corner and moving straight along the nail. Make sure these clips are relatively straight and uniform to try to avoid any jagged edges that could snag against socks.

Do not round your nails off at the corners, as this can increase the odds of ingrown toenails. Painful, inflamed, and potentially open skin is not something you want next to toenail fungus.

Why Our Toenails Thicken As We Age

Many of our podiatry patients remark on how thick their toenails become as they enter middle age. Their toenails become notably tougher to trim, which makes the possibility of cuts to the skin around the nails a real possibility. Thickened toenails also splinter easily.

Toenails thicken due to aging, but other factors may also be at play.

Unfortunately, thickening toenails are a by-product of aging, in most cases. As we age, our toenails â and fingernails â slow their growth rate, and the nails thicken because the nail cells, called onychocytes, sort of pile up. Fingernails appear to thicken less, probably because we tend to them more often with filing and buffing, which thins them.

But in addition to this natural thickening of the nails, other factors may be at play also. Among them are trauma, fungal infections, and impaired circulation. Feet are under constant stress from falling objects, stubbing injuries, poor foowear, closed-in footwear, and athletic activities. All of these conditions can alter the cells from which the nails grow, and if one tends to stub or injure the same toe, the nail plate can easily become thickened or disfigured.

Don’t Miss: How Do You Treat Black Toenail Fungus

Thick White Stuff Under Toenails

That thick white stuff is a buildup of keratin and is most often a result of nail fungus.

However, its important to note that although nail fungus is a far more common cause, if you have psoriasis, it may not be fungus, but your psoriasis spreading to your nails.

If you have psoriasis, the only way to really know whether your affected toenails are a result of a fungal infection or psoriasis spreading to your nails is to see a dermatologist.

What Are Treatments For Toenail Fungus

HOW TO FIX A THICK DAMAGED TOENAIL IN 5 MINUTES!!!

Do you need to treat your nail fungus? Maybe it doesn’t hurt, and the yellow, thick nails don’t bother you.

But nail fungus doesn’t go away by itself. And if you don’t treat it, there’s a chance it could get worse. It could spread to other nails or through your body. It could cause pain when you walk.

There are a number of ways to take care of it, including:

Nonprescription options. You can buy antifungal creams, gels, and nail polish at the store and online without a prescription. You might want to try one of them first if the infection doesn’t look bad. Some people also swear by home remedies like menthol rub, tea tree oil, mouthwash, or snakeroot extract — but studies show mixed results.

Prescription polish and creams. Your foot doctor will likely trim your nail and file away its dead layers. They may also take a piece of your nail and send it to the lab to make sure itâs really a fungus and to find out what type it is.

The doctor might suggest an antifungal drug that you paint on your nails. This may work on its own, or they may suggest you take it with antifungal pills.

Prescription medications. One of several antifungal pills may help. They work, but it may take many months to do the job. They also come with side effects like nausea, vomiting, and headaches. They may cause liver damage too, so your doctor will watch you closely while you take them. Be sure to tell them about any other meds youâre taking — some antifungal pills might not work well with them.

Also Check: How Much Does Laser Surgery For Toenail Fungus Cost

Signs Of Thick Toenails From Fungus

If you are like me, then you might have disregarded the signs of toenail fungus until it was too late. For me, it didnt cause pain at first so I ignored the issue until it was a bigger problem.

These are the most common signs of thickened toenails caused by fungus:

  • Discoloration
  • Brittle nails
  • Pain surrounding nails and nail beds
  • Curved nails

Dangers Of Traditional Treatment Options

Fungal nail infection is treatable with oral anti-fungal drugs, topical medications, surgery, or laser treatments. The problem with these modern treatments, however, is that they can sometimes cause complications. Depending on the chosen treatment, some of the possible side effects that may occur include skin rashes, blisters, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal issues, headaches, respiratory problems, abnormal nail growth, or liver damage.

Due to the many risks associated with modern treatments for fungal nail infection, many people are now opting for alternative remedies that are relatively safer. As an added bonus, its also possible to treat fungal nail infection using just a few basic ingredients one already has available at home.

Also Check: How To Stop Bitting Nails

Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Skin Fungus Naturally

The Initial Causes How To Get Rid Of Thick Fungus Toenails Quick Home Remedies

If you suspect that your nails are infected with fungus, it is best to consult your doctor and get a diagnosis. Your doctor will ask you about the symptoms and conduct a thorough examination of your nails. A biopsy is required to determine the cause of the infection. Various types of fungus are found in the skin, including the toenails. Among the most common forms of nail fungus are yellow and black, with white patches surrounded by dark brown or white spots.

The infection is caused by fungus. It can spread to the skin and other parts of the body. It is very common to find a nail fungus on the foot in elderly people, and it is often not treated until the condition gets worse. The disease can even be spread to the skin. The afflicted person should see a doctor immediately if they notice any changes in the color of his or her nails.

Nail fungus can occur in the toenails. The infection occurs due to a variety of factors, including excessive moisture, soaking your hands in water, and a lack of hygiene. If the afflicted person is prone to infection, the fungus will grow in the toenails and may spread to other parts of the body. Consequently, it is essential to prevent the nail fungus from spreading to the skin

> > > This Unusual Morning Habit Helps Me Keep My Fungus In Check .

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular