Toenail infections are in most cases associated with athlete’s foot and are caused by a fungus called Tinea unguium. Your toenails can be infected in either of the following two ways:
- Fungal infection under the nail
- When the skin on the sides is infected as a result of an ingrown toenail
It is important to get the right treatment as soon as you notice that your toenails are infected.
How to Identify Toenail Infections
There are various ways of identifying whether your toenails are infected, these include:
- When you experience pain on applying pressure on both sides of the toenail, the infection is most likely due to an ingrown nail and not fungus. In most cases, you will not feel pain when you apply pressure on a toenail that is infected by fungus.
- Identify any unusual signs like pain, redness, itching or scaly skin. For fungal infection: the toenail thickens, turns yellow and becomes brittle. An ingrown nail may show signs of surrounding skin swelling, redness, pus and pain.
- If you recently visited a place like swimming, adventure, health club, etc. where you had to remove your shoes or sustained some injuries on your feet: that could be an indicator of infection on your toenails.
How to Treat Toenail Infection
- Recall when the redness, swelling or pain started. It is important since some of these symptoms can accelerate into severe infections if not treated early. Note if the infection has been interfering with your daily life and seek medical attention immediately.
- Book an appointment with a doctor. Let the doctor know the symptoms that you have identified over time and any observations you made for example pain only when pressure is applied on the toes. Also, be sure to tell the doctor anything that may have triggered the infection like an injury. The doctor then examines the toenail.
- It is important that you agree to a laboratory testing: this means the doctor will extract some tissue from the toenail. From the results, you will know whether the infection is due to a fungus or ingrown toenail.
- The doctor then suggests the ingrown toenail treatment or fungus treatment to be used based on the laboratory findings. Laser fungus treatment is a good option which we can provide for you at affordable price depending on the number of toenails infected and the extent of infection.
It is important to take note of any unusual signs and symptoms on your toenails and when you start to experience them. Infections which are caused by fungi, ingrown toenails or any injury can lead to toenails being removed if left untreated for a long time. Although there are many remedies for fungal infections, laser treatment for toenail fungus is still the best cure for this problem. If you suspect that you have toenail fungus, call us at (713) 570-6157 for a free consultation.
