Can My Toenail Fungus Symptoms Be Something Else?

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People dread the idea of becoming infected with toenail fungus. Like with any kind of bad news, once they become infected they hope that they are just imagining it and aren’t really infected. Unfortunately, if you see symptoms of toenail fungus this usually means that you really have become infected with toenail fungus.

There are many different symptoms of toenail fungus. These symptoms include, but are not limited to, thickened and brittle nails, spots on the nails, and unusual discolorations of the nails. If your nails are distorted in any way, this could also mean that you have become infected with toenail fungus. These symptoms vary from person to person, and they can be more noticeable for some people than to others. Sometimes toenail fungus will cause people pain, but this is not always the case. Either way, if you see a couple of these symptoms, there is a good chance that you do indeed have toenail fungus.

Of course, it is possible for your symptoms to be something else. In rare cases it is even possible for spots on your nails to actually be melanoma. It usually isn’t, but this is just one more reason why it is important for you to get your nails diagnosed as soon as possible.

This article was written with the help of our North York office at :
3695 Bathurst St
North York, ON M6A 2E6
Our Atlanta office also serves Thornhill, Scarborough, and York.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Toenail Fungus Infections and Treatment Options

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Nail fungus infections are very common. However, since they are widely considered to be embarrassing, people often don’t bring up their infection to others, even to doctors. As a result, many of their questions go unanswered. The following are some of the questions they have.

1) What will it look like if I get toenail fungus?

Verifying that you have toenail fungus just requires a close look at your nail area. Your nail will become thicker, change its color to a white, yellow, or brown, and might become more brittle. If this describes your nail, get a medical professional’s opinion as soon as possible.

2) Is toenail fungus common?

Nail fungus infections are actually very common. It is estimated that 15-20% of adults in the United States will be infected sooner or later. This number goes up even more in senior citizens.

3) Where did my nail fungus come from?

Most infections occur when a nail plate is damaged. They might also occur when a nail comes into contact with other nails that have already been infected, such as during a sports activity or walking around barefoot in a communal pool area or shower. People with diabetes and psoriasis have a greater chance of being infected.

4) How can I get my nail fungus treated?

You can seek out a variety of treatment options to treat your nail fungus. Your best option might be laser therapy. This kind of treatment doesn’t cause any down time or side effects so patients can go on with their normal lives after the treatment is over.

5) What will happen if I don’t treat my nail fungus?

The fungal infection will spread, causing the nail to become crumbly, which could eventually result in it falling off. There might also be a pain and your regular activities, even just walking, could become uncomfortable. To keep this from happening, you should speak to a medical professional right away.

Hazards of Nail Polish

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If you’re the kind of person who regularly paints your toenails, you may want to think twice before putting on another coat. Most nail polish contains formaldehyde, along with other chemicals that could cause a nail fungus infection. These chemicals have the potential to dry your toenails, leading to a toenail fungus infection. The majority of nail polish removers also contain chemicals such as acetone, which could also damage your toenails. As a result, you may prefer to help prevent toenail fungus by abandoning your usage of nail polish altogether, or at least on an everyday basis. You most likely won’t be infected if you decide to just paint your nails once or twice a year for a special occasion, but letting go of nail polish completely would be your best bet.

If you decide to keep wearing toenail fungus, try to stay away from nail salons. Salon equipment may already be infected with toenail fungus from people who have used it previously. As such, if you do decide to go to a nail salon, check to make sure that the nail salon you use is up to date on the latest health standards.

If you really can’t resist wearing nail polish, there is some good news. There are nail polishes on the market, such as daniPro nail polish, that do not contain harmful chemicals. If you must wear nail polish, purchase one of these antifungal nail polishes instead of the kind that you normally use.

Toenail fungus can be very difficult to treat. There are a variety of treatment options available on the market, each with varying levels of success and side effects. Toenail fungus treatment options include oral and topical medications, home remedies, and laser treatments. Be especially careful if you decide to use Lamisil, a medication that could cause liver damage. Laser fungus, on the other hand, is the quickest and most successful treatment option, and does not have any harmful side effects or downtime. Before deciding on a toenail fungus treatment option, consult with a doctor to make sure that the option you choose will be successful.

This article was written with the help of our Las Vegas office at :
3320 N. Buffalo Dr. Suite 203
Las Vegas, NV 89129
Our Las Vegas office also serves Spring Valley, Paradise, and Winchester.

Strengths of the PinPointe Laser

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The PinPointe Laser, used for treating toenail fungus, has recently become very popular. Toenail fungus can be an annoying and often times embarrassing problem that can affect you both emotionally and physically. It might not seem like a huge deal at first, but if it worsens it can impact everything from your clothing to the places you go. Toenail fungus can be a difficult infection to remove, but the PinPointe Laser treatment is actually very effective. There are a variety of reasons why it has proven to be so successful.

The first reason is that it is very easy to use. Other treatments, such as soaking the feet or applying ointments over and over again, are a big hassle. Since we often need every minute of our day already, we don’t have the time to treat our nails every day. The PinPointe Laser solves this problem by usually taking just a single visit to an office.

Another great thing about the PinPointe Laser is that it is completely painless. The doctor will use a path that will target the whole surface of the nail to kill the fungus. Once that has been done, there is no hospital stay and the treatment doesn’t require any sort of harmful prescriptions.

Finally, the laser will work beneath the nail so the fungus will actually be killed. Most of the other types of treatments don’t target the nail bed so the fungus continues to live on. The PinPointe Laser will kill the fungus by penetrating the nail. To make things even better, there won’t be any damage done to the skin or nail.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our doctors in Canoga Park at phone: 800-672-0625

Toenail Fungus and Senior Citizens

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Toenail fungus, which also goes by the name onychomycosis, can be diagnosed in people of any age. However, it is most often diagnosed in senior citizens. While it is possible for middle aged adults, young adults, and even children to be infected, senior citizens are the most at risk. In fact, most senior citizens will have at least one infected nail in their lifetime. This could be problematic, since treating toenail fungus around this age could be more difficult.

Early toenail fungus symptoms range from white or yellow spots on the nail, to a thickening of the nail itself. As the toenail fungus spreads, these symptoms could get worse, and eventually lead to toe pain and other problems. Since toenail fungus infections are caused by dermatophytic fungi, and since senior citizens generally have a weakened immune system, the fungi could also spread from toenail to toenail. As you might imagine, the more infected toenails you have, the harder it is to treat toenail fungus. This is especially true in senior citizens.

In addition to the difficulty in treating the elderly, a toenail fungus infection could result in greater ramifications for these senior citizens. Aging often comes with the cost of medical issues such as diabetes and circulatory problems. Toenail fungus could cause these problems to worsen. People with toenail fungus who also have diabetes, for example, can actually have their nail completely fall off, which in turn could lead to a worse infection later on.

If you have toenail fungus, whether you are young or old, make sure you treat your toenails as soon as you first notice any kind of toenail fungus symptoms. There are a variety of treatment options available, including laser treatment, oral medications, and topical medications. Oral and topical medications may have some damaging side effects such as liver damage, so check with your doctor before deciding to go with either of these toenail fungus treatment options.

Why You Should Wear Wool Socks

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Many individuals suffer from frequent or chronic sweaty feet. As a result, they may experience wet socks and odor emitting from both their feet and from their shoes. The socks you are wearing could contribute to such issues or simply not help with decreasing the problem. Of all the socks and different materials there is one that helps with sweaty or extremely moist feet, which is merino wool socks.

Quality merino wool socks are lightweight and have a liner inside, which helps keep the feet dry. Furthermore these socks are known to have exceptional insulation materials, this means that these socks will keep your feet cool and dry in the summertime and warm in winter season. This is especially important for individuals with overheated/sweaty feet.

Additional benefits to merino wool socks include being able to absorb moisture, quick drying benefits, are naturally anti-bacterial due to its chemical formula, and lastly help eliminate odor. These socks have a fiber that blocks out microbes thus not being able to feed onto the sweat. It also helps sweat to evaporate. Even more interesting, the merino wool is able to absorb 35% of its own weight!

Although there are several other materials of socks that are good for absorbing moisture, they are not capable of providing all the additional benefits of the merino wool socks nor do they absorb as much moisture. Other materials may also absorb the moisture but not have the fibers for it to evaporate, therefore leaving the socks damp. If you suffer from frequent moisture or sweat consider quality merino wool socks, and consider brands such as WigWam or SmartWool.

For more information, please contact our office at
3184 W. Broad St. Suite C
Columbus, OH 43204
(800) 672-0625

Health Risks of Not Treating Nail Fungus

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There are a large percentage of people who suffer from nail fungus who give up fairly quickly when they do not see the result they want or improvement. Moreover they make an executive decision to simply leave their nails as is, ignore the problem, and do not realize that they are not only allowing the nails to worsen, but they are also putting their own health at risk in the process.

Nail fungus, although external, often affects individuals internally over time. When a nail first appears, it begins to form fungal spores, which happens almost immediately. Once the spores are alive they begin to multiply to other parts of the nail, begin forming on the adjacent nails, and form on the surrounding skin as well thus, giving the fungi a place of potential residence of their choice. This often results in the nails becoming discolored, thinning/thickening, and causing pain.

Furthermore, twenty-five percent of nail fungus cases prove that the fungi travel to other parts of the body such as fingernails, hands, legs, and even your back! The fungus is alive and has potential to form in any part of the body when going untreated. Leaving the fungus untreated often results in creating gaps and cavities that allow bacteria to enter and cause an infection. This is especially important for patients who already have weak immune systems or diabetics.