Toenail fungus can be treated and eliminated...

Though it is very common and can be treated toenail fungus is usually ignored

Lots of us battle many small ailments and physical annoyances on a daily basis but very few are as frustrating or as hard to get rid of as toenail fungus, or onychomycosis. Let's face it; to most of us the look of a person's foot is not very appealing whether or not there are any flaws.

The human foot is not all that attractive which is why many people are very self conscious about their feet and how their toes and toe nails look. If a person has a mild or severe case of toenail fungus it can lead to lots of embarrassment and uncomfortable situations. Other than just that it is a fungus most individuals, even those with it, know very little about what it really is.

We will cover a lot of the most commonly asked questions about the fungus that can reside in your toenail region.

What is it

When we talk about onychomycosis, commonly called toenail fungus, what exactly are we speaking about? Toe nail fungus is a condition that will destroy nails if left to do so and discolors and disfigures them as well. A handful of fungus types can be the culprits. These microscopic fungi are actually related to the molds and mildew that you encounter in your day to day life, often in your bathroom. These fungi like to live in dark and wet environments such as showers and even your shoes. This toenail fungus eats the keratin that creates the hard tough surface of your toenails. If you are affected by toe fungus do not feel alone as it is thought that almost twenty percent of the world population and about four percent of the U.S. population has some type of toe nail fungus. With numbers like this you cannot feel alone in your battle.

Who gets toenail fungus

As a person gets older in age they run a better chance of ending up picking up toenail fungus. Though toe fungus is very common it is very unlikely that a person will see a doctor to take care of their problem. Why is that? Maybe people are too busy to seek medical help. Maybe they are too embarrassed to let anyone else know that they have toenail fungus. The things is that if you do not seek treatment it will still be there and may lead to a lot more uncomfortable situations than letting a doctor see and help.

So who can end up getting this foot fungus if not everyone get it? The most likely people to get toenail fungus are those that wear snug fitting shoes or tight panty hose and fail to perform good foot hygiene regularly. The key is to let your feel gain a lot of air and stay dry and clean. Women hat wear toe nail polish a lot can actually develop it since they are stopping their nails from breathing air. The more often that you are exposed to moist and warm areas with lots of feet the better chance you have of developing toe nail fungus. If you frequent locker rooms or public showers then you are more at risk. Lots of people that go to public showers like to wear shower shoes to help prevent the fungus from getting on them. There are risk factors other than showers and locker rooms like HIV infected people or diabetic folks in addition to some people with bad circulation of blood to their toes though not everyone that gets nail fungus has any of these traits.

Diagnosis

How does a person know if they have toenail fungus? If you study your toe nail and find that it as a brownish or yellowish hue then you may very well have toe nail fungus. A toe nail that has fungus may become thick and may develop a horrible smell. As the fungal infection gets worse the nail can get brittle and actually break apart. The best thing to do as soon as you think that you may have foot fungus is to seek a professional opinion or another form of treatment. Toe fungus does not improve with age.

What can a doctor do

When it comes to truly determining if a person has toenail fungus a doctor is the best bet to seek out. A doctor will be able to determine how you actually picked up the fungus such as a locker room, public shower, sweaty and hot profession or even a large amount of sports. You doctor will be able to teach you the proper foot hygiene so that you can prevent it from getting worse or showing up again after it is treated. The reason that a doctor is a good place to go is that not everything that looks like toenail fungus is really toe nail fungus. People often misdiagnose themselves as having foot fungus when they actually have psoriasis. When you have a physician look at your feet they will be able to take a sample of the toe fungus and send it to a lab for a microscopic examination of the organism. This is basically the same thing that will be done if you have fingernail fungus.

A person that has toenail fungus can expect to have it for a long time if left alone and untreated. So how in the world can you prevent yourself from getting toe nail fungus? Foot fungus likes warm and moist enclosed spaces so to prevent it wear comfortable shoes and allow your feet to breathe. Wear protective shoes like flip flops or sandals when walking around locker rooms or public showers. Keep your feet clean by washing them daily and using an anti-fungal foot powder. Do not wear the same socks everyday, wear clean and dry ones. Lastly keep your feet and toenails well groomed and trimmed.

Though toenail fungus is very common there is no reason that you cannot avoid getting it. All you have to do is put forth the small amount of extra effort to keep your feet healthy. Feet get overlooked often and that is what leads to foot fungus and toe fungus. Keep clean and you will keep healthy.

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