Socks and close-toed shoes create a warm, damp environment, which is perfect for the growth of fungus and sometimes yeast. As a result, overgrowth of fungus frequently leads to fungal toenail infection (onychomycosis), affecting an estimated 20% of people, at some point during their life.
What are the symptoms of toenail fungus?
Usually, fungal nail infection is characterized by:
- Discoloration or yellowing of the nail, which sometimes spreads to the nail bed.
- Thickening of the nail.
- White spots.
- Brittleness.
- Distortion of the toenail, which may lift off of the nail bed.
In rare cases, toenail fungus may become painful or produce a foul odor. Fungal nail infections do sometimes occur in fingernails but are far more common in toenails.
What causes toenail fungus?
Toenail fungus is caused by the overgrowth of multiple types of fungus due to an overly moist environment around the toes, as well as other risk factors such as poor circulation. The most common fungus that leads to infection when it grows on the external surface of the nail bed and toenails in excess is dermatophyte. Dermatophyte eats away at the infected nail, which leads to the cracking and crumbling that characterizes an infected nail.
However, fungal toenail infection can have internal causes as well as external causes, making the infection difficult to fully eliminate. Recent research has shown that candida albicans overgrowth can contribute to fungal toenail infection from the inside. Candida albicans is a bacteria that as many as 75% of people have inside their bodies, but in excessive amounts, it can lead to a variety of infections, including toenail fungus.
What factors increase the risk of toenail fungus?
Certain groups of people are at higher risk for fungal nail infection than others. According to Healthline, factors for toenail fungus include:
- Having diabetes.
- Having a disease that causes poor circulation.
- Being over the age of 65.
- Regularly wearing artificial nails.
- Swimming in public swimming pools.
- Having a nail injury,
- Having a skin injury around the nail.
- Having moist fingers or toes for an extended time.
- Having a weakened immune system.
- Wearing closed-toe shoes, such as tennis shoes or boots.
Men are more likely to develop fungal nail infections than women, and adults are more likely to be affected than children.
Is it possible to prevent toenail fungus?
Preventing toenail fungus from developing or reducing your risk of being affected by fungal nail infection is possible, according to the Mayo Clinic.
To prevent fungal nail infection and related conditions:
- Regularly wash your hands and feet. Always wash your hands after touching or treating an infected nail. Moisturize your fingernails and toenails after washing them.
- When trimming your nails, trim straight across, then smooth the edges with a nail file and file down any thickened areas of the nail.
- Disinfect your nail clippers after each use.
- Change your socks throughout the day or wear sweat-absorbing socks to prevent excessive moisture from building up around your toes.
- Choose shoes made of materials that breathe.
- Discard old shoes. Alternatively, you can treat them with disinfectants or antifungal powders.
- Do not walk barefoot around public pool areas, locker rooms, or gym showers.
- Be sure that any nail salons you go to sterilize their tools between customers.
- Give your nails a rest from nail polish and artificial nails.
What is the prognosis of fungal nail infection?
Toenail fungus is notoriously difficult to eradicate, with both common over-the-counter treatments and prescription medications frequently failing to cure infected nails.
Fungal nail infection is considered cured when a new, uninfected nail has grown in. However, this does not mean that the infection cannot return. Because toenail fungus often isn’t painful, people mistakenly believe that it is an inconvenience they can live with by covering it up with close-toed shoes. In reality, toenail fungus can have severe complications, including:
- A resurgence of the infection.
- Permanently losing the infected nail, or having to have the infected nail removed entirely.
- Permanent discoloration of the affected nail.
- The spread of the infection to other nails or other areas of the body.
- The development of a bacterial skin infection, which is called cellulitis.
How to treat toenail fungus — A full treatment system targeting external and internal causes of onychomycosis
If you have a fungal toenail infection, it is likely that over-the-counter and even prescription medications have not been effective, or have taken multiple courses just to start providing relief. Additionally, the majority of over-the-counter treatments involve applying messy creams for months before seeing any results, which is impractical for most people. Oral prescription medications are prone to causing unpleasant or even dangerous side effects such as stomach unrest or jaundice, while DIY treatments are rarely effective.
Crystal Flush’s 2-step treatment system, containing a clinically proven FDA-Approved active ingredient, is the only toe fungus treatment available that targets both external and internal causes of toe fungus, leading to the restoration of healthy toenails in as little as thirty days.
Step 1, the antifungal serum, contains one of the most potent FDA-approved antifungal agents available. With two applications per day, the serum penetrates the nail bed to destroy the fungal infection at its root.
Step 2, Crystal Flush Balance, uses an all-natural blend of 13 ingredients to balance the ecosystem in your gut and get candida overgrowth under control, thus preventing toenail fungal infection from the inside. “Crystal Flush is a multi-step regimen consisting of both natural and science-backed ingredients. It targets the complete root causes of fungus – both the internal and external factors. But the key is to start treatment today before it spreads and gets much, much worse,” says Dr. Mandira Mehra, a double board-certified physician who recommends Crystal Flush to her patients, “I’ve read the science and witnessed the impressive success stories. Crystal Flush is safe, effective, and I’m confident you’ll love the results.”