Onychomycosis (The Facts)
If you’ve got them embarrassing looking yellow nails that are a sign of onychomycosis or nail fungus infection it makes sense to get the facts about the disease. I know this from experience.
Had I known more about the disease at the outset of my infection it wouldn’t have taken me 7 long years to get rid of my infection. So my aim in this article is to equip you with the knowledge to make better decisions than I did with the result that you eliminate your nail fungus infection quickly.
Armed with the information I set out below you should be able to do just that.
1. If you have a nail fungus infection you are not alone. In the US it is estimated that around 35 million people suffer the condition. That’s almost 10% of the population. If you are in an older age category that percentage rate is even higher.
2. Most infections manifest as Distal Lateral Subungal Onychomycosis – which is the technical way of describing conditions where the fungus enters via the tip of the nail (ie the distal edge), spreading towards the cuticle in a position located underneath the nail.
3. Most nail fungus infections will not clear up spontaneously. The fungus is relentlessly progressive and requires treatment. A key reason for this is that it lies in a subungal position, underneath the nail, where the conditions are highly conducive to fungal growth.
4. Don’t get fooled if you think your fungal infection has stopped spreading. It’s common for the fungus to go through dormant periods – especially during the summer months where your toes and nails experience more sunlight and are more exposed.
5. The most obvious sign of infection is a yellow discoloration of the nail. You may also notice an increased brittleness, flakiness and lots of texture. It’s generally not painful in early stages but if left to progress it can cause the nail to distort and thicken making it uncomfortable to wear tight shoes.
6. Although oral treatments are available, most sufferers start to treat the infection using a topical treatment. This is because the latter is safer and not associated with any serious side effects.
7. The most important factor in determining how successful you are at treating nail fungus infection is your ability to stick to a repeated application routine over several months. It may even take years to completely resolve the infection.
8. It’s important to be prepared mentally for this long treatment time that is generally required. If you expect to see daily signs of improvement you’ll be disappointed which may result in you stopping the treatment. Manage your expectations and only track progress on a monthly basis.
9. Buy specific nail instruments – a nail clipper and a coarse nail file – that you only use on your infected nails. Before each application trim the nails back as far as possible and run your nail file over the surface of your nail to try and expose it as much as possible to treatment.
10. Try and avoid wearing nail polish if you’ve got infected nails. This is because they help create the kind of damp, dark and protected environments in which fungal organisms thrive. The polish effectively stops the nails from perspiring and becoming completely dry. By the same token, it make sense to avoid wearing synthetic socks and shoes. Stick to cotton and natural materials.
If you want to dig into this subject more deeply, I’d suggest reading the nail fungus resources at Fungusfacts.
Tags: nail fungus, Onychomycosis