By sagnika sinha
Want to know How to know if toenail fungus is dying? Are you in severe pain, or is one of your toenail discoloration? Read the article to learn about the signs that will help you identify whether you have toenail infections.
I will also discuss the treatments that will help you treat the fungus and know that the toenail fungus is dying. It will also keep the hygiene and the health of the toenail in top condition!
These Are The Signs That Your Toenail Fungus Is Dying!
Toenail fungus can happen in several ways and is not always painful! It is, therefore, important to consider that if you notice anything out of the ordinary with the color of the toenails, odor, or placement, you must see your podiatrist.
Some early signs you can see with the increasing infection of toenail fungus! The white spots on the surface of the nail surface to brown, yellow or white, cracked nails, thickening of the nails, and others are some signs.
Another important aspect of toenail fungus that you should remember is that toenail fungus infection can sometimes be contagious. Therefore, sharing nail cutting or touching items common in contact can spread disease. You must only wear old shoes for a short time!
Try to air your feet across the day with possible breaks or gaps! Considering keeping your toes closed off or wearing socks all the time can increase the chances of you getting toenail fungus.
Types Of Toenail Fungus
Want to know, how to know if toenail fungus is dying? Keep reading. There are different types of toenail fungus. However, the official name of the condition is onychomycosis. It is also called tinea unguium and is one of the common fungal infections!
The probability of a toenail finger increases, especially if your toes are wet or moist most of the time. The microscopic fungi might enter a nail if you have received trauma on the nails or experienced a crack or small cut. Check out the toe infection pictures!
Through this cut, the infection will spread across your surrounding toenails and may have a chance of spreading to your fingernails. The skin around the toenails can easily get infected. There are three types of toenail fungus with diverse infecting agents.
- White superficial onychomycosis is the condition where the toenail fungus is only seen in the top layer of the nail. They look like white spots and are mostly caused by fungi acnemonium and fusarium called hyphomycetes. The condition spreads fast, but it is the easiest to treat.
- Subungual onychomycosis is what we call the case of an athlete’s foot. The infection is also known as distal subungal onychomycosis, caused by dermatophytes. The skin under the nail is directly affected by this condition. The condition starts from the base of the nail!
- Candida onychomycosis is another toenail fungus infection caused by a type of yeast called candida. This is one of the conditions that happens the least in nails, and the main reason for this infection is the wetness or moist areas. The infection negatively impacts the GI tract and mucus membranes.
Stages Of Toenail Fungus
There is no specific division of the stages of toenail fungus in every condition you get. However, I am segregating the symptoms and development of the conditions accordingly, discussing the three steps of toenail fungus.
1. Early Stage
The condition of toenail fungus can be seen developing in its early stages when yellow, white, or brown spots appear across the surface of the toenails. The spots also have significant changes in the texture of the nail, making it further rough.
It is quite easy to miss, especially if you are not feeling pain. This is the stage where the toenail fungus must be treated because it is the most effective and efficient time to cure the infection completely. Just look at some of the pictures of toenail fungus I am sharing!
2. Moderate Stage
At the stage where the toenail fungus starts to hurt, or the toenail starts to thicken, know that the infection is already developed. The fungus is now at an optimal stage to begin spreading to surrounding skin and other toenails.
During this stage, the infection can easily spread to other people if they share infected objects such as nail cutters or filers! If you keep the condition untreated for a long time, there is a high chance that the situation might worsen!
3. Later Stage
It is the final stage, and in this stage, it is already too late to recover, considering the toenail which has been infected has become thick or brittle. There is a high chance of the nail detaching from the nail bed after a certain period.
In severe conditions, the fungal infections in the toenail might spread across other toenails and skin making it difficult for you to treat it further.
Signs To Know: Toenail Fungus Is Dying!
Based on the symptoms you will start getting in your early stages if you start your medication, I will list the signs, thus understanding how to know if toenail fungus is dying! You will know that your toenails are healthy and are at a better stage, thus being cured.
- The color of your infected toenails will return to normal once the toenail fungus starts dying! You will clearly get the before and after pictures of toenail fungus here!
- The brittleness or thickness will decrease considerably. Hence, there will be less or no pain, and the chances of the nails falling off will also decrease.
- Healthy growth of the toenail can be observed where a clear delineation between infected and healthy toenail is observed! Thus, you can see that the toenail fungus is dying, and your toenails are cured.
Treatment For Toenail Fungus
To treat toenail fungus, there are many ways, both home remedies and medications. Let me tell you some of the home remedies, such as the use of tea tree oil which can be used to maintain the health of your cuticles.
Apart from home remedies, I suggest that if the condition is not severe, you can ask for over-the-counter ointments and anti-fungal creams. These are effective in curing the conditions of toenails fungus.
Further, prescribed topical treatments include medications such as Penlac, also known as ciclopirox, kerydin, known as tavaborole, and Jublia, known as efinaconazole. However, these medications are only effective in the early stages of getting toenail fungus.
Another significant treatment for toenail fungus is oral medication through prescription. Lamisil or terbinafine and Sporanox or Itraconazole can treat the condition, especially if the situation is severe.
Oral medication is more effective than topical. However, one of the drug’s side effects is liver function issues.
You need to monitor your level if you take this medication longer. If you have other health conditions, such as vasculitis or diabetes, there is a high chance that your needs can develop for the worse.
What Do We Know?
The symptoms and the signs I discussed will help you, especially if you question how to know if toenail fungus is dying! The treatments are diverse, and you can choose anyone based on your convenience.
Nails are an important part of our anatomy; for women, it is also a part of their vanity; hence, if the feet smell or the nails turn brittle or hurt, it is not something anyone will be comfortable with.
Comment below to let us know if you ever got the infection and how your experience was!
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