Fungal Nail treatment.
What Are Fungal Nails?
Nail fungus is a very common condition, in fact, medical experts predict that onychomycosis infects 1 in 10 people in the UK. This common condition begins as a white or yellow spot under the tip of your fingernail or toenail but quickly progresses to discolouration, thickening, and crumbling at the edges if left untreated. In severe cases, nail fungus can affect several nails on one or both hands or feet.
Fungal nails can look:
Discoloured, yellow, white, brown or orange
Be thickened
Be Brittle
Risk factors for getting fungal nails include:
Athletes foot (fungal infection of the skin)
A close contact (e.g. partner) having the fungal infection
Peripheral vascular disease (poor circulation)
A nail fungus infection can happen to people of any age, but is more common in older adults. This is because as we age, our nails become drier and more brittle, making them more susceptible to cracking. Other factors that can contribute to nail fungal infections include reduced blood circulation to the feet and a weakened immune system. This is especially true if you have diabetes.
We offer the Five Minute Fungus test (Dermatophyte test strip), an in-house fungal nail infection test to confirm the diagnosis. It works by immune-chromatography, similar to that used in pregnancy. It has a 97% accuracy.
Are Nail Fungus and Athletes Foot the same?
Nail fungus is more formally known as onychomycosis and is similar in ways to athletes’ foot. Whereas athletes foot will affect the skin on the bottom of your feet and surrounding your toes, a fungal infection will usually be found in your nails.
Organisms known as fungi are present all around us, though we often cannot see them with the naked eye. These tiny beings can cause infections in our nails if they grow in large numbers in any one area. Although they typically live peacefully on our skin, overpopulation of these organisms can lead to severe problems, especially if there is damage to the cuticle or nail bed, allowing infection gain entry to the nail
What are the Symptoms & Risk Factors of Fungal Nails?
What are the symptoms of Fungal nails?
Discolouration of the nail, usually yellow, white, brown or orange
The nail could become thickened
The nail could become brittle
The nail could have an odour
The nail could become distorted
Risk factors for getting fungal nails include:
Athletes foot (fungal infection of the skin)
A close contact (e.g. partner) having the fungal infection
Peripheral vascular disease (poor circulation)
We offer the Five Minute Fungus test (Dermatophyte test strip), which is an in-house test for fungal nail infection to confirm the diagnosis. It works by immune-chromatography, similar to that used in pregnancy. It has a 97% accuracy.
Treatment Options For Fungal Nail Infections
At The Foot Hut, we offer multiple treatment options for a nail fungus infection. A fungal infection doesn't always need to come to surgical nail removal to be treated; take a look at some of the treatments we can offer below:
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We can help you remove the nail with a special cream; you would then need to apply an antifungal spray or cream to the nail bed until the nail has grown out.
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If thickened, we can thin the nails for you to make the nails more comfortable.
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We can fenestrate the nails, which means drilling tiny holes in the nail to allow you to apply an antifungal spray to the nail bed. Please note a nail takes 9-18 months to grow out, and you would need to continue using the antifungal spray during this period.
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Nail surgery with phenolisation, sometimes people just want to get rid of the offending nail and not have it regrow. We can remove the nail and cauterise the nail matrix with an acid called phenol. It takes several weeks to heal, but there is only a 3-10% chance of regrowth.
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Nail surgery without phenolisation, we can remove the nail back to the germinal nail cells, and then you apply antifungal skin preparations to the nail bed until the nail grows out.
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If the discolouration of the nail isn't bothering you and the nail doesn't become too thick, you may not want to do anything. We would suggest monitoring for athlete's foot (fungal infection of the skin) as this can cause splits in the skin where bacterial infection could get in.
For fungal infection of the nail that reaches the nail matrix or is generalised across most nails, we would suggest contacting your doctor to discuss oral antifungal medication. This will usually require a positive test for fungal nails before treatment, which we can undertake for you in the form of the five-minute fungus test. This oral medication can, in rare cases, cause hepatoxicity (liver damage), so your doctor will discuss this carefully with you and require blood tests to monitor your liver function.
Please note with any management of fungal nails; we will check your feet for athlete's foot (fungal infection of the skin). We advise treating your feet, skin and shoes with an antifungal preparation regularly throughout the treatment of your nails and carefully monitoring and treating the skin as recurrence of fungal skin and nail infections is high without regular maintenance.
How to prevent fungal nails?
If you're not careful, the fungus can easily find its way onto your nails. It's important to pay attention to your nails and take measures to prevent the growth of fungus. Infected nails can be a real pain to get rid of, so it's a good idea to know how to avoid them in the first place.
So what should you do to avoid fungal nail infections?
Be careful around fungal hotspots.
Gyms, public changing rooms and swimming pools can all be the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria to your feet. We suggest wearing flip-flops to prevent your feet from coming into contact with harmful bacteria in public spaces.
Practice good nail care basics.
Keep your nails trimmed to the correct length to help prevent the spread of infection. Do not cut them too short or curved as this can lead to other problems such as ingrown toenails.
Wash your feet regularly.
You should also ensure you regularly clean your nails and feet, especially if you often have sweaty or damp feet. To do this properly, you should bathe your feet in lukewarm water and wash using soap and a gentle brush for your nails.
Keep your feet dry.
A wet, humid or sweaty environment is the perfect environment for fungus to bread. If your feet are often getting damp or sweaty, you should change your socks and ensure you clean your feet regularly. Moisture-wicking socks can be great when dealing with sweaty feet and trying to prevent nail fungus.
Avoid injury to your feet & skin.
Injuring your nail bed or the skin surrounding your nails can create an opening for nail fungus to breed. You should also ensure that you wear well-fitting shoes to prevent excess rubbing or pinching of your feet and toes.