How to Get Rid of Toenail Fungus?

Fungus is a formation that occurs in different parts of the body and has various types. One of the places where fungus forms in the body is toenails. Toenail fungus leads to both a visually disturbing nail structure and creates different problems such as pain and odor. Therefore, it is beneficial to treat it as soon as possible.

Nail fungus is referred to as onychomycosis in medical literature. Such formations are found in fingernails as well as toenails. However, feet are constantly enclosed in socks and shoes. Due to the moist environment created by sweating in a closed area, the likelihood of fungus occurring is higher.

Fungal infections affect your psychological health as much as your physical health. You may feel the need to hide your foot due to color changes under your nail and deformities. On the other hand, you may be deprived of pleasures such as applying nail polish or wearing open shoes.

In the presence of toenail fungus, a thickening and color change occur on the nail surface. Although there is initially a small yellow and white spot, these spots later become larger. The spot darkens over time. In cases where fungal formation is present, the nail breaks more easily. There are also differences in shape.

Walking barefoot in pools and on beaches; wearing other people’s shoes and socks are among the causes of fungal formation. If you avoid such mistakes and act in accordance with hygiene rules, your chances of contracting the disease decrease.

Toenail fungus is a type of fungal infection. It needs to be treated medically. At the same time, it is possible to benefit from care applications to heal. Various herbal oils and natural products help prevent formation and reduce symptoms.

You should always take the necessary care to protect your feet from fungus and other diseases. Otherwise, you may have difficulty walking and experience severe pain with every step due to deteriorating foot health. On the other hand, routine obligations such as going to work or continuing school turn into torture due to your worsening foot health. If you apply the necessary care and hygiene procedures, your feet will always stay healthy.

What Causes Toenail Fungus?

When examining the causes of toenail fungus, you can see that the disorder usually occurs due to not following hygiene rules. It is possible to list the conditions that lead to fungus as follows:

• Organisms called fungus are among the causes of fungal formation.
• Such formations occur due to yeasts and molds.
• Fungal formation is more common in elderly individuals due to the drier and more brittle nail structure.
• As the immune system weakens with age, such formations occur more frequently.
• The feet of those with excessive sweating problems remain moist for longer. Keeping feet in a closed and moist area for a long time increases the risk.
• Some people have a predisposition to fungal formation. The likelihood of recurrence of the disease increases in those who frequently experience this problem.
• The risk of fungus increases if you walk barefoot in locker rooms, pools, and fitness centers.
• The likelihood of fungal formation increases in cases of nail impacts, foot wounds, or conditions such as psoriasis.
• One of the side effects of diabetes is foot fungus. Such problems are more common in diabetic patients.
• Toenail fungus can occur as a result of foot fungus spreading to the nail.
• Failure to provide necessary hygiene conditions in pedicure applications is one of the most important reasons.
• Not drying the feet after bathing leads to the occurrence of such formations.

Symptoms of Toenail Fungus

When the above situations occur, the likelihood of fungal formation increases. If the following symptoms are present, we can say that toenail fungus has formed:

• There is a thickening in the nail tissue compared to normal.
• The nail color turning brown is among the symptoms.
• The emergence of deformities is another symptom.
• If fungal formation is present, the nails start to break easily.
• A matte appearance emerges.
• If there is inflammation, an odor forms due to the resulting discharge.
• The nail may separate from the flesh.
• Some patients experience pain.

Whether foot nail fungus is contagious is among the topics of interest. If you have the symptoms listed above, you should take care to prevent the disease from spreading to others. This is because the condition is contagious. To prevent transmission, you should be careful not to wear other people’s shoes, socks, or slippers. When trying on shoes in shoe stores, you should use your own socks. It is also beneficial not to touch the inside of the shoes with your hands. The fungi on your feet can spread to your hands. Therefore, you should always wash your hands after foot care or after touching your feet.

Treatment Methods

Before starting treatment for nail fungus, a correct diagnosis is essential. First, a doctor determines whether the fungus is caused by another disease and identifies the type of infection; in some cases, treatment may not be necessary. The treatment method varies depending on the structure of the fungus and the problems it causes. According to the doctor’s recommendation, oral antifungal medications, topical creams, or medicated nail polish (usually for one year) may be used. Recently, short-wave laser treatment, which does not require anesthesia or pain medication, has also been preferred.

Doctors apply surgical intervention in cases of severe infection. Additionally, using menthol cream provides healing effects. Tea tree oil and thyme oil, diluted with coconut oil, are among the natural treatment options. However, it should be remembered that natural products can be harmful in some cases; especially people with weak immune systems, pregnant women, or the elderly should definitely consult a doctor before use. Additionally, applications with baking soda and vinegar water should be done under the doctor’s supervision.

What Should You Do to Prevent It?

To protect against foot nail fungus, it’s important to dry your feet after washing and pay attention to hygiene. You should wash your feet frequently, especially during summer months. Also, you should wash your feet immediately after walking barefoot on surfaces. Taking care of your feet is as important as keeping your hands and feet clean. You can reduce the risk of fungus by paying attention to foot care. Filing and smoothing your nails is beneficial in preventing such formations.

If you have a foot sweating problem, you should change your socks frequently. It’s also beneficial to choose socks and shoes that don’t cause sweating. There are also various brands of socks that don’t cause sweating. The frequency of changing socks should be at least once a day. You should remove the socks you wore outside when you come home. You should not reuse a sock or shoe that has caused an infection. It’s not correct to use nail polish to cover color changes in your nails.

Cutting foot nails regularly and properly helps prevent fungus. Having regular pedicures at a place you are sure is clean is also beneficial at this point. The disease easily spreads due to pedicurists not paying attention to hygiene and the tools used during pedicures not being clean.

Using slippers in gyms and swimming pools is also among the details you should pay attention to in order to avoid getting the disease. If someone at home has a fungal problem, it’s important not to wear their slippers, shoes, and socks.

You can use various dietary supplements to protect against foot nail fungus. Thanks to supplements like biotin, your nails will have a stronger structure. At the same time, there will be a decrease in brittleness. It’s important to treat this condition as soon as possible to prevent the appearance from getting worse. Also, it’s beneficial to start treatment as soon as possible to avoid completely losing the nail.

You can get help from Nailyuba for foot nail fungus treatment and care. This way, it’s possible to easily get rid of your current problems. At the same time, your feet will have a more beautiful appearance.

Take Care to Prevent

You can perform some care practices against foot nail fungus. While there is no fungal formation yet, you have the chance to reduce the risk with proper care. You should wash your feet twice a day, in the morning and evening. When washing your feet, you should use soap and warm water. Warm water has a softening effect. After washing, you should dry every area, including between the toes. You can increase softness even more by applying vaseline or cream.

Cutting foot nails too short increases the risk of infection. The cutting shape should be straight. This way, there won’t be any ingrown nails. You can prevent crack formation by removing scratches on the nail surface with restorative cream and nail polish. Nails should be cut every two or three weeks. After cutting, you can round off sharp areas by filing.

The nail clippers used during cutting should be personal. Otherwise, fungus can spread to you from people who have used the nail clippers. Pedicure frequency should be once every two weeks. Choosing the right footwear is important for preventing fungal growth. You should select quality shoes that fit your foot structure. Avoid shoes that are tight or cause sweating. In summer months, you can prevent problems like sweating and odor by wearing sandals.

You have the opportunity to use various cosmetic products to protect your foot health. Quality care products available on the market offer benefits such as moisturizing, preventing sweating, and odor control. To prevent foot nail fungus formation, you can take advantage of our Nailyuba services.

Get regular pedicures and use our care services; this way, you won’t experience this problem. If fungal growth occurs, you can immediately visit our nail salon to start the treatment process. With proper care practices, you can quickly overcome the problem you’re experiencing.