Friday, August 6, 2010

Do Athletes Suffer More From Nail Fungus?

Toenail fungi, the same bugs that cause athlete's foot, squeeze under toenails and hide. Foot sweat combines with the toe jam and toenail fungus to form a damp festering jelly which is an unstoppable force. This is a toenail-fungus patient memoir.

In fact, athlete's foot is one of the most common toenail fungus infections. Often, toenail fungus follows athlete's foot. Almost anyone who wears tight-fitting shoes or tight hosiery is more likely to develop toenail fungus, especially if they also practice poor foot hygiene. Use different towels to dry off the infected skin area. For athlete's foot and toenail fungus, keep your feet and shoes aired and dry. This will reduce your risk for getting athlete's foot, toenail fungus, bacteria or warts, but it isn't foolproof.

Foot surgery should always be a last resort for fungus toenails, but if needed, it is absolutely done right in the podiatrist's office. For further information or to schedule an appointment to evaluate and treat toenail fungus, consult with your dermatologist.

The medicines used to treat athlete's foot are normally totally ineffective against fungus toenails infections. The drug is used in the United States to treat toenail fungus, and several kinds of thrush as well as cryptococcal meningitis. Treat athlete foot regularly as it can progressively lead to a condition of toenail fungus.

To treat toenail fungus apply tea tree oil to all areas of the toenail and toe that are affected by the fungus. Due to the well known fact that it is difficult to treat or eradicate toenail fungus, it is a good idea to try to prevent it. Fungal infections can affect the fingernails as well as the toenails, but toenail fungus is more difficult to treat because toenails grow more slowly.

Fortunately for all of us now, toenail fungus is a relatively easy to treat condition. Most of the medication for nail fungus on the market is excellent for home use, and nail fungus can be treated in the privacy of your own home! To view the many excellent products to treat fungus and fungal toenails, please view our range of product information on this website!


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Nail Fungus - Symptoms and Treatments for Nail Fungal Infection

Having a nail fungal infection is really annoying. Where did it come from? Well, you probably wear your shoes too much or you were walking barefoot in a public swimming pool or are being negligent in using communal comfort rooms. Maybe you haven’t heard of nail fungi and didn’t care until you found them occupying 10 per cent of your feet. It nailed it! Now read this for your awareness:

Nail fungi, onychomycosis (on-i-ko-mi-ko-sis) or tinea unguium in scientific terms, commonly infects the feet because these minuscule fiends love dark and humid spots of the human body. Since our feet spend most of their waking time enfolded in leathers or rubbers and inefficient socks, the fungi often breed in the toenails where there is enough warmth and moisture.

Beware! This kind of fungus is naturally anaerobic. It means that they indulge in environment with less supply of oxygen. It belongs to the dermatophytes family, which also causes athlete’s foot, ringworm, psoriasis, and jock itch among others. Some of the sources of these fungi are yeasts and molds. They thrive in soggy areas and can penetrate our nails through contact with an infected nail or improper hygiene.

At first, the fungus is just a white or yellowish spot under the nail. It then chomps through the keratin compound of the nails and spreads. Soon, you will feel pain while your nail gets brittle and thick with the ugly discoloration. In some cases, the infected area bleeds and develops a gooey discharge.

If you are not diabetic, you’re lucky. People with diabetes could hardly treat nail fungi when infected due to weak immune system and blood circulation conditions. A mild infection leads to greater damage on the course. This is the case also for persons with leukemia.

Normally, nail fungal infection is cured by proper hygiene and medication. Topical and oral treatments are taken in or applied as prescribed by doctors. Antifungal brands can be had over-the-counter such as Lamisil, Tinactin, Penlac, and the like. The medication may take three months or more until a new nail sprouts. However, this does not guarantee your nails to be fungi-free forever. They sometimes recur if triggered.

To prevent nail fungus, you must follow the basic rules in hand and foot hygiene. Keeping your nails dry and clean saves you in the long run. And choose the right socks to wear! Synthetic socks perform better in terms of dryness than cotton-made. Plus, don’t stock your feet too long inside your shoes. Give them short breaks during daytime to keep it ventilated. Foot powder is highly recommended, too. The fingernails rarely acquire nail fungi but to be sure, avoid overexposing it to water or chemicals. If you have to, always
dry them thoroughly.

Nail polish and artificial nails may be cute but don’t fancy them too much. Use them only occasionally. As a rule, be careful with the instruments of your favorite salon. Make sure they are sterilized because Fungi are highly contagious.

Your nails deserve the right kind of pampering. Take good care of it before it’s too late.


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6 To 9 Million Americans Has Toenail Fungus!

Six to nine million Americans are affected with toenail fungus and athletes tend to be affected at a higher rate.

Toenails can become thick due to: genetics, fungus infections, some systemic diseases, poor circulation, natural aging process, or injury. The toenail fungus creeps underneath the nails and causes ugly discoloration and crumbling. It's the same fungus that causes athlete's foot, jock itch and toenail fungus, but it generally affects the scalp, body, feet, or nails. One of these complications is when the fungus toenail is allowed to become abnormally thick. If your toenail fungus is so bad that your nails are 1/4" thick and curling, you will need to have them surgically removed.

Keeping toenails clean and trim is important because fungus can make a home under the toenail. While there's no sure way to prevent growth of toenail fungus, be sure to keep your feet dry and clean. It also may be necessary to discontinue using toenail polish as it can trap moisture under the polish and encourage the growth of fungus. As the fungus grows, it will continue to spread until the entire toenail becomes thick and yellow with crumbling edges.

Fungus Home Treatments
Infection with nail fungus occurs more often in toenails than in fingernails because toenails are often confined inside dark moist socks and shoes. It is best to treat toenail fungus or nail fungus from the inside out. Garlic powder can also be used to combat toenail fungus. Tea tree oil has recently received much attention for its ability to combat toenail fungus. Sporanox is the first advance in the treatment of toenail fungus. More often than not, a month of daily effort is needed to rid yourself of the toenail fungus.

But like most topical agents, the toenail fungus ointment alone has never proven effective against persistent nail fungus. The best form of treatment is prevention and preventing the fungus from spreading to other toenails may be the best treatment option. A medical professional can prescribe powerful drugs for treating toenail fungus the most common of which is: LamisilTM (terbinafine hydrochloride tablets).


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