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Nailed It! The Truth Behind Nail Fungus

Having long, beautifully manicured nails is one way to get closer to being the 4th Kardashian sister. But, if you have yellow, brittle nails, you’re going to resemble a wicked witch more than anything. Nail fungus is a common condition... If you have ever noticed that mushrooms sprout in the grass after a big, summer rainstorm you may see that they, as a fungus, thrive in warm, moist environments. Similarly, nail fungus also thrives in these same conditions. Typically, we see athletes such as runners or swimmers with this condition because their feet are constantly either trapped in a warm, moist shoes, or they are spending their time in a wet environment.

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  Staying one step ahead of toenail fungus

Toenail fungus isn't a pressing health problem. Yet a fungal infection can ruin the appearance of your nails and cause pain as it lifts the nail away from the nail bed. And fungal infections are notoriously difficult to get rid of. "You may want to consider fungal toenail a condition to be managed rather than cured," says Dr. James P. Ioli, chief of the podiatry service at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

 Words of wisdom about toenail fungus

By no means is anyone a slob who has toenail fungus, but anyone who has it faces an uphill battle to get rid of it. It’s a battle because fungus is everywhere in our environment. You can contract it walking barefoot at the pool, in a locker room or a shower stall. It can be in the carpet at a hotel room or on the floor in an airport as you walk through inspection. You can get it when you get a nail salon pedicure if the environment, supplies and instruments are not sanitized. It can even be lurking in your home or in your shoes.

Articles of Interest

Unveiling the Truth: What You Need to Know About Nail Fungus

A fungal nail infection, or onychomycosis, occurs when fungi overgrow in, under, or on the nail, causing nails to become discolored, thick and/or brittle. Misinformation about these infections can be as resilient and frustrating as the condition itself. As experts in nail health, we debunk the myths below to help you access accurate information about your nails.

Ask Well: Leaving Nail Fungus Untreated

Fungal infections of the nail can be difficult to treat. As a previous Ask Well column noted, plenty of remedies exist, but none are certain. And the one considered most effective, the drug Lamisil, is associated with rare cases of liver damage. So it is no surprise that some people would consider covering up their feet and turning a blind eye to the problem.

Explainer: why do we get fungal nail infections and how can we treat them?

About 10% of us (including 20% of people over 60 and 50% of people over 70) suffer from fungal nail infections. So why do we get them, and does it matter?

Fighting fungal nail infections: simple steps for healthier toenails

Fungal nail infections may seem embarrassing, but they’re actually very common. Also known by the scientific name onychomycosis, fungal nails affect around 10% of people worldwide, climbing to 50% in older adults. These infections most often affect the toes, causing nails to thicken, crumble and become discoloured. The effect isn’t just cosmetic, though. Fungal nails can cause paronychia – pain and inflammation of the skin around the nail – making everyday activities more challenging.

How Do I Get Rid of Toenail Fungus?

As unsightly as it is, the infection is usually manageable — but only with the right treatment. Here’s how to kick it. Although some drugstores devote entire aisles to over-the-counter fungus salves, Dr. Elewski said that the best a nonprescription treatment or home remedy can do is improve your nail appearance. If you want to actually kill the fungus, “a prescription antifungal is the only option,” said Dr. Antonella Tosti, a dermatologist who treats nail disorders at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. There are topical prescriptions, including creams, ointments or serum-like solutions; and oral antifungals, meaning pills.

Is Your Salon Causing Toenail Fungus?

Are nail salons responsible for the epidemic of toenail fungus we now see in our society? Or, is it possible that this is entirely false?

It's Costing A Lot Of Money To Make Those Toenails Fungus-Free

The bills can rack up fast when trying to cure toenail fungus, and it's not always easy to know which drug to use. Costs can range from over $2,000 for treating one nail to just $10 for a pill that treats all 10 toes but could have bad side effects. Then there are the costly lab tests to confirm that the curling yellow rot chewing through a toenail is in fact mold.

Meet a Toenail Fungus Expert

We spoke to a podiatrist about what motivates her to work with feet.

Onychomycosis Unresponsive to Antifungals: Etiology and Treatment with a New Direct Technique

Although the number of cases with dermatophyte and candida infections is limited in our study, citric acid plus mechanical cleaning of the nail bed seemed to be successful in treating onychomycosis independent of the causative agent.

Onychomycosis: Quality of Studies

The scale that we use to evaluate the quality of onychomycosis studies has high interrater reliability. According to this scale, many published studies (18 out of 45) pertaining to treatments for onychomycosis do not meet the criteria required to be considered “high quality.”

Onychomycosis: Rapid Evidence Review

Onychomycosis is a chronic fungal infection of the fingernail or toenail bed leading to brittle, discolored, and thickened nails. Onychomycosis is not just a cosmetic problem. Untreated onychomycosis can cause pain, discomfort, and physical impairment, negatively impacting quality of life. Onychomycosis should be suspected in patients with discolored nails, nail plate thickening, nail separation, and foul-smelling nails. Accurate diagnosis is important before initiating treatment because therapy is lengthy and can cause adverse effects.

Summer Toenail Woes

Some people hide their toes for a reason. Thick, opaque, discolored, ugly thatch-like nails are the bane of a carefree summer. The most common cause of unsightly toenails is a chronic fungal infection. They thicken and can curve under.

Toenail Fungus's Nonexistent Sex Life Is More Interesting Than You Think

Toenail fungus is not sexy, and the microbes that cause the infection appear to agree: A new study finds that these fungi have given up on sex — instead, they reproduce by cloning themselves.

Resources

7 Ways To Know If There's Fungus In Your Nails

If your nails are looking a little off, in terms of color or texture, it may be related to health condition. No matter how much care you may take of your nails — toes and hands — occasionally you can get fungus under nails that can definitely be harder to detect.

Fungal Nail (Onychomycosis) Infections Research Review

The two most commonly used oral agents are terbinafine and itraconazole, with terbinafine (an allylamine antifungal) being the drug of choice for dermatophyte onychomycosis .

Live Science

Nail fungus, also medically known as onychomycosis, is a chronic fungal infection of the fingernails and/or toenails by dermatophytes, also known as ringworm, yeasts and molds, leading to gradual destruction of the nail plate. It is more likely to affect toenails, particularly the first toenail, than fingernails, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

StatPearls

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nail unit. When dermatophytes cause onychomycosis, this condition is called tinea unguium. The term onychomycosis encompasses the dermatophytes, yeasts, and saprophytic mold infections. An abnormal nail not caused by a fungal infection is a dystrophic nail. Onychomycosis can infect both fingernails and toenails, but onychomycosis of the toenail is much more prevalent.