Toenail Fungus Remedy

Fungal toenail infections are known by their scientific name onychomycosis.  Males are twice as likely to get infected toenails as females.  Other factors that increase your risk include age, diabetes and exposure to shared public spaces such as shower facilities gyms, hot tubs, pools and saunas.  Fungal infections occur much more often in the toenails than in the fingernails and are usually not spread from the foot to the hand.  Fungal infections are highly contagious and can be spread from nail to nail, foot to foot, and person to person.  They can cause discoloration of the nail, the shedding of the nail, and physical pain that can impair mobility.  Fungal infections can be treated with topical antifungal medication, or ingested medication.  The type of treatment depends on the type of fungus.  You should consult your doctor to get a complete diagnosis and proper course of treatment.  Be sure to ask about any side effects of the medication, and if you should be on the look out for symptoms of a reoccurring infection.  Below you can find brief descriptions of the four main types of fungal infections:Distal Subungual Onychomycosis (DSO).  This fungus invades the toe by entering either on the sides of the nails or where the nail meets the tip of the toe.  If you notice that the toenail has turned a yellow color and is separating from the nail bed beneath the nail, then you probably have a DSO infection.  This is the most common type of fungal infection.   White Superficial Onychomycosis (WSO).  If the surface of your toenail becomes covered in a crumbly white substance then you probably have a WSO infection.  The good news is that this is the easiest fungal infection to treat.  Simply scrape off white fungus and apply a topical antifungal medication. Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis (PSO).  This type of infection manifests itself as a white or yellowish spot close to the cuticle.  The fungus spreads as a plaque like substance on the underside of the nail.  In some cases, the nail is lifted off the toe’s surface.  This is the least common of the nail fungi and is treated with an oral medication.  Candida Albicans (also known as a yeast infection).  Toenail can turn a yellow or green color, although this particular type of fungus is more common in fingernails.  Topical antifungal medication is used to treat this infection.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 11:17 pm and is filed under toenail fungus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.