Nail fungus is an infection in either the fingernails or toenails, sometimes it can soften the nails or thicken them and can cause discolora...
Nail fungus is an infection in either the fingernails or toenails, sometimes it can soften the nails or thicken them and can cause discoloration of the nails as well, nail fungus is one of the most difficult conditions to treat, and they often cause severe damage to the nails or even nail loss. Nail fungus is a contagious condition, so be very weary of what you are sharing with other people.
Nail Fungus Infection
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| Nail Fungus Infection:- Causes, Prevention, Treatments |
Senior citizens are more prone to nail fungus, especially toe nail fungus, for a few reasons, the same reasons are for younger individuals, but the fact of there age, most likely they will have the issues. A lot of senior citizens have circulation problems, the percentage of senior citizens that are diabetics and the fact that their immunity level is much lower than a younger individual can cause nail fungus in the toes and nails.
It is much harder for a senior citizen to prevent nail fungus, simply because as much as you take care of your health, you are still going to have certain issues that you can not help, circulation is a hard one and immunity like I mentioned earlier, vitamins should help a little bit. Some ways to try to prevent the fungus from growing is to not walk barefoot in places where other people have been, clean your shower or tub on a regular basis, don’t keep sweaty shoes or sweaty socks on, fungus loves to grow and stay on places that are constantly wet or moist.
If a senior citizen follows a few steps like I mentioned, it could prevent them from getting nail fungus. There are ways to treat nail fungus if you are unsuccessful at preventing it, there are natural methods and prescription’s that your doctor can subscribe, just to name a few.
The best thing to do if you discover that you have some type of nail fungus is to treat it as soon as possible to prevent it to spread to other nails on you or someone else and possible loose your nails, especially for senior citizens since they are more effected by nail fungus.
How to Prevent Nail Fungus Infection?
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| Prevent Nail Fungus Infection |
It is always better to prevent than cure and in case of fungal infection of nails also it is true. It is always better to prevent fungal infection of nails, than curing it after infection, although there are highly effective antifungal antibiotics available, which effectively cause complete cure. Another disadvantage of curing fungal infection of nails is side effects of antifungal antibiotics, as they need to be taken long-term (8-12 weeks) and some of the side effects are potentially serious.
Some of the preventive measures of fungal infection of nails are discussed here:
- Maintain good personal hygiene. Keep your nails trimmed and keep your hands and feet dry. Dry you feet (especially in between toes) properly after bath.
- Use proper footwear (such as socks). Use cotton or woolen socks and keep your socks always dry. Change socks frequently, before they become damp and moistened. Take off your shoes occasionally during the day and after exercise to allow your feet to dry. You can also sometime use open-toed shoes, which help to keep your feet dry.
- You can use anti fungal powder to keep your feet dry and safe from infection. Sprinkle anti fungal powder inside your shoes.
- Do not injure skin around your nails while trimming them, as it may predispose fungal infection.
- Try using rubber gloves to protect you hands from overexposure to water and turn the rubber gloves inside out to dry from time to time.
- Do not go barefoot, especially in public places, especially in public pools, showers and locker rooms.
If you already have fungal infection in one or more nails, do not use nail polish or artificial nails to hide nail fungal infection as this can trap unwanted moisture and worsen the infection. As the nail fungus infection can spread from one nail to the other, always wash your hands properly after toughing infected nail.
Treat Nil Fungus with Tea Tree Oil
Infection of toe nails with fungus is a common health problem across the globe. Treatment of fungal infection of nail (including toenail) is not easy and need use of systemic anti-fungal antibiotics, which are potentially toxic with some serious side effects. The systemic anti-fungal antibiotics has to be used for long duration (may require treatment for 4-8 weeks) for complete cure of toe nail fungal infection. The administration of systemic anti-fungal antibiotics for long duration increases the risk of serious side effects.
Many individuals do not want to accept the risk of serious side effects of systemic anti-fungal antibiotics (although the risk is not high) and search for alternative solution to treat and cure infection of toe nails with fungus. For these types of individuals, the tea tree oil can be very helpful in treating adequately the infection of toe nails with fungus without the risk of serious side effects, which are associated with use of systemic anti-fungal antibiotics for cure of toenail fungal infection.
These days many doctors trained in Western Medicine (medical graduates) are also prescribing the use of tea tree oil for treatment and cure of toenail fungal infection to patients who do not want to take systemic anti-fungal antibiotics due to risk of side effects (or simply they do not want it) and some doctors are prescribing the tea tree oil for treatment of toenail fungal infection even before giving anti-fungal antibiotics. The number of doctors prescribing tea tree oil for treatment that can cure toenail fungal infection is only growing.
If you have fungal infection of your toe nails, do not worry if you are doubtful about the use of anti-fungal antibiotics, because there is a highly effective alternative cure for toenail fungal infection.
Treatment of Nail Fungus Infection
Fungus infects nails and more commonly toe nails (less frequently finger nails). Fungal infection of nails may be very difficult to treat properly for complete cure. Fungal infection of nails (both toe nails and finger nails) begins as a white or yellow spot under the tip of fingernail or toenail. The infected nail/nails may become discolored, thick and have crumbling edges, as the fungal infection spreads to the deeper into nail. The condition may become painful, which prompt most patients to seek medical attention. The infection may also recur after successful treatment, especially if you continue to get exposed to conditions favorable for fungus growth and infection such as warm, moist conditions.
There are several different forms of treatment of fungal infection of nails; including over-the-counter medications antifungal nail creams and ointments, although they are not very effective. Ideally the over-the-counter antifungal medications should be avoided, as they can not be relied upon, for a complete cure.
The antifungal antibiotics are very effective in curing and eliminating the fungal infection of nails, although they can do little to prevent re-infection. The most effective antifungal antibiotics for treatment of fungal infection of nails are terbinafine (available as Lamisil) and itraconazole (available as Sporanox). These antifungal antibiotics are taken orally and highly effective for complete cure.
The oral antifungal antibiotics are used when patient has certain medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus, history of cellulites, or if the infection is severe and unlikely to be cured by topical agents.
Other treatment options in fungal infection of nails include topical medications (if the fungal infection is mild to moderate severity), surgery (for extremely severe and painful conditions) etc.
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