A Guide To Foot Fungus And What You Can Do About It

By Author: The Harley Medical Foot and Nail Clinic
Total Articles: 36
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For many people who are suffering from foot fungus, which is also known as athlete’s foot is not a good idea to wear open toed shoes or sandals because they hesitate in showing the crumbly, brittle and also, the skin color changed to green, yellow and black. Mostly, the toenail fungal infection is a hereditary disease. The people who suffer mostly have had their parents or grandparents suffering from same disease. Foot fungus is seen more in men than women. According to researchers, aging is one big factor to make people suffer from foot fungus. They also told that possibly the reasons of aging being an important factor in making people suffer from the disease are lesser blood circulation, exposure to fungi for longer time and slowly growing nails thicken with age which makes them more susceptible to infections.


With the advent of technology, medical science has grown enough to cure these types of fungal infections. Now, there is no need to hide your feet in public. Many fungal nail infection treatment and ...
... medications are available that can help you curing fungal nail infections. This foot fungus is also acquired by people who come in contact with infected person or damp areas like swimming pools, locker room and so on.


Causes


The skin has Dermatophytes, a type of fungus that can grow on finger, nail and hair. But these cannot penetrate into the skin so does not create problem. However other fungus like Trycophyton rubrum feeds on keratin, the protein rich part of toe nails. It is responsible for providing hardness to the toenail. The fungus can enter the body through a cut, blister or injury site.


Sharing things like nail cutters, scissors, socks, shoes, nail files, shower and carpet may also result in the foot fungal disease. One of the major reasons for infection is sweat. When socks and shoes are used for long hours, sweat accumulates resulting in sweat, which generates suitable conditions for fungus to grow. Wearing socks stops the ventilation and don’t absorb the perspiration resulting in fungal disease.


Symptoms


The symptoms of foot fungus are easy to determine. Symptoms include yellowish nails, brittle and broken nails, buildups of dead skin and nail fragments under the nail, white spots and crumbly brown nails. Usually, it does not give pain. Persistent scratching may lead to damaging up of skin. Itching should be avoided. Some individuals may also experience blisters.


Treatment


As internet remedies are on boom. Many people give online suggestions like tea tree oil, Vicks vapor rub, Apple cider vinegar, foot baths in vinegar, Listerine or corn meal and water. Researchers say that antifungal nail creams and ointments are not very effective. Some studies show that oral toenail fungus treatment such as lamisil and sporanox are the most effective medications to be taken.
Medication is usually prescribed from duration of six to twelve weeks as the condition of infection persists. But sometimes side effects of the fungal nail treatment may result in rashes and liver damage. Often weekly liver test are required during treatment.


There are no quick fixes available. One should be beware of ads showing oral medications and topical creams that are quick relief giving because they may be misleading. One of promising treatments is Laser therapy. Its effectiveness is approximately 65% to 75%. It may seem expensive but is most effective option. The average treatment may take 10 minutes to an hour with up to four sessions required.


Maintaining Healthy Feet


Maintaining healthy feet may seem a difficult task for people who have recently cured from foot fungal infection but is not impossible. One must not use the socks or shoes which have been previously used or have been the cause of fungal infection. This will reduce the chances of infection. We wash our clothes daily but we cannot wash our shoes daily. Thus, people who are spending a lot of money on laser treatment, again using the same shoes seem wasting money and time.


One should maintain proper foot hygiene. There are sanitizers available in market which ensures germ free foot and prevent bad odor from shoes. 


Finding a reputed Foot Clinic is not difficult if you are careful. Foot Clinic London offers a number of chiropody, nail surgery, fungal nail treatment, infection treatment, laser treatments and much more.