Nail fungus, formally known as onychomycosis, is an ailment caused by fungi that infests the nail. It can affect toe and fingernails a like and is a common ailment among adults. The risk of getting infested with nail fungus if there allready exist a injury to the nail or nailbed. A hot humid environment has also been shown to increase the risk of nail fungi, e.g. the type of environment that easily develops in a jogging shoe.
In tropical and subtropical parts of the world nail fungus is usually caused by non-dermatophytic moulds and candida while it in temperate climates usually are caused by dermaphytes. Dermatophytes can spread in a lot of different ways and through both direct and indirect contact with infected skin and nail particles. They can for instance spread through locker room floors, towels, bed linens, clothing, combs and brushes, and furniture. Shoe rental. for bowling, poses a risk unless the shoes are sterilized.
You don’t have to come into direct contact with infected skin, hair or nails to get infected with dermatophytes since they can survive outside their host and spread through locker room floors, towels, brushes, rented shoes and skates, and so on. In an ideal environment, some species can be viable for up to 15 months outside a host.
Thick yellowing nail with a cluody appearance is usually infected by nail fungus. Sometimes nail fungus can cause nails to become rough and crumbly, the nails sometimes seperate from the nail bed. Nail fungus is only painful in severe cases and is almost always painless. In a healthy person with a fully functioning immune system the fungi normally have to stay in dead tissue, e.g. the upper part of our skin and the nails, the immune system will prevent the fungi from spreading any deeper.
Different variants of nail fungus treatment there are a lot of alternatives to combat nail fungus and that include home remedies, over the counter meds and precription meds. You should know that it takes a long time for nails to regenerate and you might have to wait weeks or even months before you see any results.
In European folk medicine, thyme oil has been used as toenail fungus treatment while a powder or paste made from citrus seeds has been the method of choice in certain parts of the world where citrus trees occur naturally. These days is it common to use Australian tea tree oil on nail fungus as well as a number of other skin and nail problems.
