Think you’ve got nail fungus? Discover the top onychomycosis treatment options at your disposal and learn how you can keep the condition from ever coming back.
Did you know that nail fungus a.k.a (onychomycosis) occurs in approximately 15% of the population? Many people usually feel embarrassed to talk about it, which means that many suffer in silence.
While the condition is more common in individuals 60 years and older, while younger people are definitely not immune. Find out what causes the condition, what you can do to avoid or treat the condition.
Question 1: How do I get nail fungus or onychomycosis?
Answer: In mature people, the condition is usually due to reduced blood flow to the extremities, cracked nails due to dryness, and/or just more years of being exposed to fungi, particularly if one enjoys walking barefoot while gardening.
Other risk factors include:
- Excess sweat
- Exposure to damp communal areas like showers, gyms and swimming pools
- Previous cases of athlete’s foot
- Skin or nail injuries
- Skin conditions like psoriasis
- Health conditions like diabetes
- A compromised immune system
Question 2: Does the condition only occur in toenails?
Answer: No. While it’s more common in toenails because they are harder to clean under, nail fungus has also been known to infect people’s fingernails.
Question: What are the symptoms I should watch out for?
Answer: In most cases, fungal infections cause one or more nails to thicken and have brownish discoloration or a whitish or yellow-brown tint.
Other symptoms include:
- Brittleness and raggedness
- Distortion
- Debris build-up under the infected nail or nails
- An unpleasant smell
Question 3: How do I prevent nail fungus issues?
Answer: Aside from practising good hygiene (i.e., regular washing of your hands and feet), moisturising the nail plate with tea tree oil can help prevent the condition as Tea Tree is antimicrobial in nature. However if the fungus is already present 10 Volume Hydrogen Peroxide dropped underneath the affected nail, will help kill off the fungus, as fungus cannot live in an oxygen rich environment. Even though some success can be obtained with topical solutions, sometimes laser is required for the more stubborn conditions.
Helpful Tip: When you cut your nails, be sure to do so straight across and file the edges to smooth them out. Remember to disinfect your clippers after every use and dispose of used nail files that have been used on infected nails.
Other things you can do include:
- Changing your socks throughout the day or switching to sweat-absorbing ones
- Disinfecting and treating old footwear with antifungal powders or just throwing them out
- Switching to shoes made with breathable materials
- Never going barefoot in damp communal areas
- Cutting back on or stopping your use of nail polish and artificial nails
- Staying away from salons that don’t use sterilised manicure and pedicure tools
Question 4: What should I do if I have the condition?
Answer: If you discover the symptoms of nail fungus, your first step should always be to consult an expert, such as a medical doctor for a proper diagnosis. Self-medicating exposes you to the risk of either aggravating the condition or wasting money on the wrong medicines or treatments.
With that said, for mild cases where the fungus is not hidden inside and underneath the nails, topical solutions like antifungal creams are normally enough to fix the issue. For more serious cases, advanced MediSpa treatment like the Doctor Nail Fungus Treatment at Temple Skincare & Spa may be the better option.
The treatment we provide is clinically proven and FDA-cleared. It uses a laser that is specially designed to penetrate the nail plate and go straight to the nail bed. The procedure is reasonably comfortable and very quick. You may need 4 to 8 sessions, depending on the severity of the fungus. Our clients have had excellent results!
Question 5: I’m too embarrassed to get treated for nail fungus. What should I do?
Answer: Absolute discretion is applied at all times and don’t worry, we have seen this condition on many occasions. It is our absolute pleasure to provide a treatment will have you stepping out with confidence within a few months. It takes about 4 months for damaged nail tissue to grow out and to be replaced by a new healthy nail plate.
When it comes to nail fungus, it’s all about getting the right treatment as soon as possible.
Nail fungus is just like any other health condition. The sooner you have it checked and properly treated, the less resistant the condition will be.
Book a nail treatment at The Temple Skincare & Spa today.