Fungal nail laser the best treatment for fungal toenails and onychomycosis?

Nail fungus is an issue that has become more common in the 20^th century, and it can be dangerous for your health in the long run. Nail problems like onychomycosis and nail fungus in general can end up severely damaging your toenails and that’s why you want to address the problem as quickly as possible. However, before we identify any onychomycosis treatment, it’s important to figure out what causes onychomycosis and fungal toenails and why such problems appear in the first place.

What is onychomycosis?

Onychomycosis is a common fungal infection that particularly targets your toenails. Generally, it affects the toenails, but the fingernails can also be affected sometimes. In addition, onychomycosis can also end up with complications like cellulitis for the lower leg. There are a variety of fungi that can lead to onychomycosis, like fusarium or dermatophytes.

A thing to note about onychomycosis is that it has certain risk factors that can worsen the situation. These include a bad immune function, peripheral vascular disease, exposure to someone that already has onychomycosis, but also various nail diseases, and athlete’s foot.

Nail fungus symptoms that you should know about

Usually, there are a few symptoms that appear before you have a nail fungus problem like onychomycosis. It’s very important to study your nails and see if they are discolored, thickened, ragged, crumbly, or brittle. Sometimes, nail fungus can end up making your nails distorted, and they might even be separated from the nail bed. Fungal issues can also make your nails or toes smelly, so that’s a thing to keep in mind.

Aside from that, you should consider talking with your doctor if you have difficulties walking due to your nails, if the area around your nails is bleeding, if you have diabetes and experience any of the symptoms above, or if you have any pain/swelling around the toenails. If that’s the case, then addressing such issues as quickly as possible becomes a major thing to focus on.

If you encounter these issues, you need to talk with a doctor right away. The problem is that if you just leave things untreated, the skin around and under your nails will be inflamed. It will be very painful to walk or move your fingers, which clearly becomes a problem in the long run. Aside from that, you can also end up with dermatophytids. These are skin lesions that are free of any fungus, but they do appear as an allergic reaction to that fungal problem.

What causes onychomycosis and fungal issues?

Mold, yeasts and dermatophytes can all lead to a fungal infection and problems like onychomycosis. Dermatophytes, in particular, are a major cause behind onychomycosis, especially if you live in western, temperate countries. Those people that live in the tropical and subtropical regions deal with humid, hot climates and that’s when candida tends to be the major problem behind fungal problems and onychomycosis in particular.

Aside from that, we should also note risk factors. As you get older and especially surpass 60 years old, you are more prone to fungal issues like onychomycosis. The reason here is that your blood circulation will not be as fast, and you will also have your nails grow slowly, not to mention they get thicker. The fact your immune system is not as effective as you get older also creates a perfect medium for onychomycosis as well.

But that’s not all; there are other risk factors, too. Wearing socks that hinder ventilation, having psoriasis, sweating a lot, going barefoot in damp places, having damaged nails, diabetes, or circulation problems can also be extremely problematic.

There are five different types of onychomycosis

• First, we have the distal subungual onychomycosis caused by the trichophyton rubrum. That invades the nail bed and it also goes under the nail plate.
• Candida onychomycosis is caused by candida, and it’s common among people who deal with a lot of humidity.
• Endonyx onychomycosis is generated by leukonychia.
• Proximal subungual onychomycosis happens when the fungus penetrates the nail plate via the proximal nail fold.
• Lastly we have the white superficial onychomycosis that tends to be caused by a fungal invasion.

Regardless of what kind of onychomycosis you might have, it’s imperative to ensure that you find the right treatment, and fungal nail laser can be the right option to consider in a situation like this!

How do you diagnose onychomycosis?

Diagnosis relies on 4 different approaches. You have the potassium hydroxide smear that can help identify onychomycosis cases and fungal infections with ease. A histology examination can help, and the same thing is valid when it comes to a polymerase chain reaction. Nail plate biopsy combined with some acid Schiff stain can be reliable as well.