Fungal nail infection is a common nail disease and makes up about half of all nail abnormalities. The infection causes thickened and unsightly yellow or black nails that sometimes become painful.

The nail changes shape and becomes scaly and brittle before it separates from the toe and falls off, BUT the fungus is still present and the new nail will also become misshapen and discolored unless you start treatment ASAP.

The parasite lives on keratin (protein) and yeast mold.

This condition can affect the toenails or fingernails, but toenail infection is the most common due to exposure to heat and sweat.

Oral and topical medications often work well to clear the infection, but they need to be taken for several weeks.

This disease has many names, it could be called onychomycosis or dermatophytic onychomycosis or ringworm of the nail and tinea unguium, which means fungal infection of the nails. The prevalence of onychomycosis is around 6-8% in the adult population.

It is more common in people over 55 years of age and in younger people who share communal showers, such as swimmers or athletes. These fungal nail infections usually develop on the nails continuously when they are exposed to hot and humid environments, such as sweaty shoes or shared shower floors.

You must remember that a toenail fungus is not the same as athlete’s foot, which mainly affects the skin of the feet, but sometimes the two can coexist and can be caused by the same type of fungus .

It can be difficult to know where or how you got a fungal nail infection.

The most likely area would be somewhere warm and humid, it’s a good place where fungi are most likely to thrive. If you often wear heavy work boots that make your feet hot and sweaty, fungus can grow around your toenails and you are more likely to get a toenail infection.

Sometimes several people in a family get fungal nail infections at the same time. This happens because their immune system can’t fight the infection or because the infection is spread when they use the same pads.

So let’s remember to be safe and clean at home and keep our own towels to prevent the spread of disease or infection.

Here are some of the more common ways people can get toenail fungal infections:

This disease could spread from a fungal infection of the skin. For example, athlete’s foot is a fungal infection of the skin of the toes. This can spread to the toenails if the skin infection is not treated in time or if the same towel/cotton is used to dry the unaffected areas.

Fingernail infection can occur after a toenail infection has been established. The fungus can spread to a finger if you scratch your toes and toenails. If your hands are constantly in water, fungal nail infections are also more likely to occur. Above all, if you wash your hands frequently, or have them in water a lot.

If you have other health conditions, for example: diabetes, psoriasis, poor circulation, poor immune system (if you have AIDS or are undergoing chemotherapy), or poor general health. Smoking also increases the risk of developing a nail infection. To treat this problem, you can take pills, a natural topical application, or use antifungal nail polish to do the trick.

Antifungal tablets will often clear up a fungal nail infection.

Natural topical application will also clear any associated fungal skin infections such as athlete’s foot and is a quicker and more effective method than using nail polish.

Remember that the secret of healthy nails is in us. If we stay clean and stay healthy we can avoid any type of health problem.