Fungal Infections

Symtoms

A fungal infection isn't a very pretty sight. The infection causes the nail to look thickened, yellow, and discolored. It is at times painful and the nail is brittle.

The white and yellow areas usually appear toward the far end of the nail. Infection can spread to the nail root, where the nail ends up looking deformed.

Possible Causes

Infection is caused by fungus. They are microscopic plant like organisms that are similar to the cuplprits causing athlete's foot.

Like most fungii, they thrive in dark, warm, moist places. They are also partial to Keratin (the protein in your nails) and feed off of it. They grow and multiply underneath the nail.

Treament

After examination, the doctor will determine if more tests are needed because fungal nails can often resemble cases of psoriasis. Because the infection is under the nail, topical treatments generally don't work. The treatment needs to start from underneath. Topical creams might be used to prevent the spreading of the infection only.

Oral medications, like a type of antibiotic are proven to be more effective to cure the infection. At times, it might be necessary to remove the nail and treat with topical medication in order to promote health in the new nail growth.

The doctor will also suggest that you treat your footwear as it has been infected by the fungal organisms. This will prevent any reinfection.