Toe nail fungus (Onychomycosis) is a condition in which a fungus grows on your toes because your toes are moist for long periods. Once you have this chronic condition, it is very difficult to get rid of. Therefore, prevention is the best measure.
Fungus needs a dark and damp environment to grow and thrive. You shoes tend to be the perfect place for this to occur. The trick is to change your socks when they get damp with sweat. Wear cotton socks, which will help to draw the moisture away from feet. Toe fungus is extremely hard to get rid of once your get it, because on some people their feet are always wet with sweat.
Symptoms
Symptoms of this toenail fungus include a thickening of the toenail, along with a brownish or yellowish color to the toenail itself. People with this toenail fungus also have a good amount of dirt accumulation under the nail. The afflicted nails could also be brittle and break very easy. There is also a smell present, but the afflicted person will not smell it because they are used to the smell. Infected toes will also have an itch that cannot be scratched.
This fungal infection can spread to other toes if left untreated. You could even lose a toenail and this is what it is of the utmost importance to get this fungal infection treated before it spreads.
A toe nail infection is very common among active people such as runners, and people involved in any type of sports. It is also very common to any one who wears damp shoes for any length of time. I cannot stress this enough change the socks often as possible to prevent this fungal infection. Toe nail fungus is not something you ever want.
This infection is commonly picked up in locker rooms where an infected person has walked. This is how other fungal infections are caught and they are all hard to get rid of. Simply making sure your feet are very dry before you put dry socks and your shoes on after visiting a public shower room is enough to keep this fungus away most of the time.
If you think, you may have a toenail fungus infection you need to see a foot doctor who will take a sample of your toenail and send it to the laboratory. If the results come back positive for a fungal infection you doctor will prescribe, a medicine will was specially formulated to treat the fungal infection of your toenail.
Your doctor will then prescribe a medicine, which has amorolfine or ciclopirox and you simply paint your toenails with this medicine. The medicine soaks down into the nail and treats the toe nail fungus. It is extremely important to use this medicine on a daily basis to treat this fungal infection. If you treat a fungal infection, randomly it will return and that is why you need to treat it on a day-to-day basis.
Myths
Some people feel that wearing the nylon socks will help their feet breathe better this is not true. Skip the nylon socks as they trap in moisture and do not absorb it like cotton socks do. If you insist on wearing nylon socks or compression hose, it is perfectly acceptable to wear ankle cotton socks, which will help to prevent this toe nail fungus from setting up residence.
Some people think that buying over the counter medicines will clear up this infection and this is simply not true either. The very nature of this fungus as to its growth patterns makes it hard for over the counter medicines to get to the heart of the infection. When medicines cannot get to the fungal infection, it cannot clear it up.
Prevention of toe nail fungus
Wear cotton socks, as it pulls away the moisture away from your feet. Dry your feet completely before you put on socks. Change socks when they are damp. If you do happen to get an infection, then use all the medication that your doctor has prescribed to prevent re-infection. It may also be a good idea to buy another pair of shoes if you are in the habit of not wearing socks, and wear cotton socks with your new shoes.
