Toe Nail Infection: Find Relief for Fungal, Yellow, Ingrown Nails at FootSmart
There are many different types of toe nail infections, and this page is dedicated to discussing two of the most common toe nail infections:
All information comes straight from The Podiatry Institute, so you know you’re getting good advice when it comes to treating and preventing your toe nail infection.
Fungal Toe Nail Infection
A fungal toe nail infection infiltrates your nail bed and often affects the surrounding tissue as well, causing your toe nails to appear thick, yellow, pit-marked or crumbly. Oftentimes a fungal toe nail infection leads to a collection of debris under the nail (which can cause a foul odor) or the splitting of the nail.
Since a fungal toe nail infection is hard to treat, it’s important to take steps to make sure you don’t get a fungal toe nail infection. The best defense against a fungal toe nail infection starts with well-fitting shoes. There should be a space, about the width of a thumb, from the end of the shoe to the tip of the longest toe, to prevent the toe from any damage that could make it susceptible to a fungal toe nail infection. Also, try to avoid walking around in public areas with no shoes on, since that can also put you at risk for catching a fungal toe nail infection.
If you already have a fungal toe nail infection, however, here are some tips for treatment:
- Apply liquid and cream treatments topically to help treat the fungal toe nail infection.
- Take an oral medication prescribed by your doctor to help treat a fungal toe nail infection.
It’s also important to practice proper foot hygiene to help prevent a fungal toe nail infection from spreading to other toes. That’s because fungi thrive in moist environments like sweaty shoes, socks or hosiery. Here are some guidelines you should follow to help prevent your fungal toe nail infection from spreading:
- Wear clean socks to help prevent the spreading of a fungal toe nail infection.
- Rotate shoes on a regular basis to help make sure a fungal toe nail infection does not spread.
- Thoroughly dry feet between the toes to prevent a fungal toe nail infection from spreading.
FootSmart also sells the Fungal Nail Revitalizerto help with a fungal toe nail infection.This mildly abrasive cream gently reduces discoloration and smoothes out rough, scaly nails.
Yellow Nails
If you have yellow nails not necessarily caused by a fungal toe nail infection, FootSmart has several products that can help, including:
Mycocide NS: This clinically tested anti-microbial solution, has a patented delivery system that penetrates to the nail matrix to kill the germs responsible for a toe nail infection. Applying the treatment twice daily will bring noticeable improvement in two weeks, and dramatic results in three months (for fingernails) and six months (for toe nails).
Click hereto see other products available to treat yellow or discolored nails.
Ingrown Toe Nail Infection
Ingrown toe nails often occur when toe nails are improperly trimmed, leaving the nail plate too far from its proper edge. This tender skin can then become inflamed, leading to an ingrown toe nail infection.
Most likely, you will first detect an ingrown toe nail directly after cutting your toe nails. If the toe nail looks like it has been cut back too far, exposing the pink tissue around the edge, you may have an ingrown toe nail. This condition can lead to an ingrown toe nail infection: Over time, you may develop a feeling of discomfort and tenderness, and the tissue around the edge may become red and swollen. As the ingrown toe nail continues to grow into the surrounding tissue, the pain from the ingrown toe nail infection will become more pronounced.
The simplest way to eliminate an ingrown toe nail and help make sure you don’t get an ingrown toe nail infection is to take extra care when cutting your toe nails: Keep your toe nails short, slightly longer than the tips of your toes, and trim them carefully, straight across, with specially designed toe nail clippers.
Here are some other recommendations on how to help treat and prevent an ingrown toe nail infection:
- Never dig down into the corners of the nail when trimming your nails if you want to avoid an ingrown toe nail infection.
- Wear appropriate fitting shoes with plenty of room in the toe box to help prevent an ingrown toe nail infection. Shoes with a wide toe box also prevent further pain if you already have an ingrown toe nail infection.
- Soak affected feet to keep them clean, or just apply a mild antiseptic, to help prevent an ingrown toe nail infection.
Click herefor a wide selection of products to treat and prevent an ingrown toe nail infection, including special toe nail scissors, toe nail files, Tender Nail solution and more.
Information on foot, leg and lower body health conditions like a toe nail infection provided by The Podiatry Institute, dedicated to advancing the standard of care in podiatric medicine and its effects on musculoskeletal health.