Onychomycosis is the medical name for fungal nail infection. It causes the nail to become thickened and discoloured, turning white, black, yellow, or green. As the infection progresses the nail may become brittle, with pieces of nail breaking off. It can affect all or part of the nail and can affect one or more nails. Fungal nail infections are four times more common in toenails than fingernails and also become more common as you get older. In some cases, the infection can cause pain and discomfort if it is not treated, although this is rare.
Athlete’s foot is a fungal skin infection usually affecting the skin between the toes. About a third of people with athlete’s foot will develop a fungal nail infection.
Fungi grow and thrive easily in warm, damp environments, so infection is more likely to occur after wearing trainers for long periods or if you often have hot, sweaty feet.
You’re more likely to develop a fingernail infection if your job involves a lot of hand washing or your hands are in water for long periods of time. This is because the skin at the base of your nail can become damaged and is more likely to become infected.
Other factors that can increase the risk of nail infections include:
Treatment may not be necessary for mild infections, however, if the infection is not treated, it may spread to other nails.
These are available over-the-counter in your local totalhealth pharmacy. They are painted onto the infected nail, usually once a week. Treatment must continue until the infected nail has completely grown out. This can take up to six months for fingernails or twelve months for toenails. Antifungal paints will not kill fungal skin infections such as athlete’s foot and these must be treated separately using antifungal creams and powders.
Canespro is an over-the-counter product that contains 40% urea. It is applied to the infected nail daily for 2 – 3 weeks. The infected nail is softened and removed until no more infected parts of the nail are remaining. Once the infected nail is removed, the nail bed is treated with an antifungal cream.
These can be prescribed by your doctor usually if the infection is severe or topical treatments have failed to work. Treatment can take several months and must be continued until the infection is completely cleared. Stopping the medication too early can mean the infection can return.