Onychomycosis

Introduction

Many peopledevelop afungal nail infection at some point in their life. It's not usually serious, but can be unpleasantand difficult to treat.

The infection develops slowly and causes the nail to become discoloured, thickened and distorted.

Toenails are more frequently affected than the fingernails.

The medical name for a fungal nail infection is onychomycosis.

This page covers:

Symptoms of a fungal nail infection

A fungal nail infection may not cause any obvious symptoms at first.

As it progresses, the infection can cause:

discolouration of the nail it may turnwhite, black, yellow or green
thickening and distortion of the nail it may become an unusual shape or texture and bedifficult to trim
pain or discomfort particularly when using or placing pressure on the affected toe or finger
brittle or crumbly nails pieces may break off and come away completely

Sometimes the skin nearby may also become infected and be itchy and cracked or red and swollen.

Causes of fungal nail infections

Most fungal nail infections occur as a result ofthe fungi that cause Tinea pedis infecting the nails.

These fungi often live harmlessly on your skin, but they can sometimes multiply and lead to infections. The fungi prefer warm, dark and moist places like the feet.

You're more likely to get a fungal nail infection if you:

don't keep your feet clean and dry
wear shoes that cause your feet to get hot and sweaty
walk around barefoot in places where fungal infections can spread easily, such as communal showers, locker rooms and gyms
have damagedyour nails
have a weakened immune system
have certain other health conditions, such as diabetes , psoriasis or peripheral arterial disease

Fungal nail infections can be spread to other people, so you should take steps to avoid this (see below)if you have an infection.

Treatments for fungal nail infections

Treatment isn't always needed fora mild fungal nailinfection because it's unlikely to cause any further problems and you may feel it's not worth treating.

Whether you decide to have treatment or not, you shouldstill practise good foot hygiene (see below) to stop the infection getting worse orspreading to others.

Speak to your GP or pharmacist if you'rebothered by the appearance of the affected nail, or it's causing problems such as pain and discomfort. They'll probably recommend:

antifungal tablets tablets taken once or twice a day for several months
antifungal nail paints special paints applied directly to the nail over several months
nail softening kits where a paste is used to soften infected parts of the nail, before they're removed with a scraping device

A procedure to remove thenail completely may be recommendedin severe cases. Laser treatment, where a high-energy laser is used to destroy the fungus, is also an option. But this isonly available privatelyand can be expensive.

If you regularly visit a salon, make sure any equipment used is properly sterilised between uses.