Fungus Nails Can Make a Person Self Conscious

This is a condition which can make the person very self conscious and is rather difficult to treat at the same time. This is because the fungus which is an organism called Dermatophytes starts living off the protein in the nail which is keratin. The nail starts looking patchy and discolored and this infection spreads to the rest of the nails. Sometimes the fungus affects the skin around the nails too. This condition is brought on by moist and warm conditions such as wet and sweaty socks and shoes. The fungus infection could also be brought about by in growing nails and incorrect ways of cutting the nails. Persons, who have a lower immunity because of poor circulation, are HIV positive and those who have diabetes are more prone to nail fungus.

During the early stages the nail is discolored and may have white patches on it or may have horizontal yellow streaks on it. Later the nail gets deformed and becomes thick and could crumble and split. There is a foul smell in the nail too.

A person should see the doctor when they notice signs of nail fungus such as brittle nails that slit easily, suddenly develop in growing toe nails, suffer with secondary infection with the in growing toe nail, have a lot of discomfort when wearing shoes and if they still neglect the condition may have to have the nail removed. Of course the nail will grow back, but why allow the condition to deteriorate to this extent in the first place.

What one needs is a diagnosis as early as possible. This can be done with diagnostic tests which will help a chiropodist to give the proper and effective treatment. Some of the treatments that the chiropodists advise are medications and a nail lacquer to treat such conditions. The nail would be cut in a suitable way and nail grinders may be used for this purpose and the in growing toe nails could be removed surgically. The chiropodist will advise the patient the proper way to trim the nail also. However it takes almost a year to cure nail fungus effectively.

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