Fungal Infections
Fungal infections affect millions of people across the world. The most common types of fungus infections are athlete’s foot and toenail fungus. Athlete’s foot is typically treated with a topical cream and resolves fairly quickly, but fungal nails take a lot lomger to treat.
Below are the common signs or symptoms of toenail fungus:
- Nail thickening
- Darkening of nails
- Pain at the tip of your nails
- Distorted shape of nails
- Foul odor
In other cases, the nails infected can separate from the nail bed – a condition referred to as onycholysis. Although the condition is painless, it is good to seek treatment.
Types of toenail fungus
- White islands: This is a very common fungal infection that affects the nails. It spreads through the toenail and forms cloudy-like “white islands” on the toenail.
- Yeast infection: Yeast Candida Albicans is also a known cause of yeast infection. It is a rare infection and mostly affects children that have a genetic immunity disorder. The infection usually affects the mouth, scalp, nails, and torso.
- Proximal toe infection: It is a common infection for people who suffer from conditions that affect their immune system. The infection can occur through the nail bed.
- Distal toenail infection: Toenail infection largely happens when the tips of the toenail are lifted from the nail bed. This easily allows the fungus to enter and start spreading.
Causes of toenail fungus
There are generally three types of fungus that affect toenails. They include mold, yeast, and dermatophyte.
A toenail infected by yeast is normally white in color while a mold infection has a dull brown color. A dermatophyte infection on the other hand has a yellow appearance.
All the above causes have their own treatment options.
Are there home remedies for fungus infection?
If you have a toenail fungus infection that’s not severe and you are not suffering from a condition such as HIV/AIDS or diabetes, then you can try a few home remedy solutions before contacting a doctor. But you should immediately contact a doctor in case the infection persists and starts to cause discomfort.
Risks of ignoring a toenail fungus
Most people tend to ignore toenail infections simply because they don’t feel pain or any form of discomfort.
This is risky because the fungal infection can easily spread and cause a much bigger problem. Here are some of the risk that you can face:
- The fungus can spread and cause a condition called athletes foot. It can also spread to the genitals and cause jock itch
- Thick and crooked toenails can result in pain while wearing shoes
- Failure to treat the nails can lead to loss of nails
- Widespread of the fungus can also lead to cellulitis, a condition that can cause problems for people with compromised immunity
When should you see a podiatrist?
In case you have an underlying medical condition, especially one that compromises the immune system, then using home remedy treatments isn’t recommended.
The best thing to do is to see a podiatrist as soon as you experience any signs of a fungal infection.
Doing so will help minimize the risk. A podiatrist will carry out a thorough examination and provide the best treatment for the condition.
Located in Bergen County NJ (Paramus, River Edge, Maywood, ….) and want to treat your foot fungus? Contact Dr. Alex Tievsky today for help in determining what the best course of treatment is to get you started on the process of freeing yourself from warts.