Causes and Treatments for Fungus Toenails

If your toenails look dark and unsightly, you could have toenail fungus. Fortunately, it’s easy to catch toenail fungus, especially if you spend a lot of time around public pools, gyms, or locker rooms. The good news is, there are several effective treatments to get rid of toenail fungus.

The podiatrists at Associated Foot & Ankle Centers of Northern Virginia offer a wide range of footcare services, including fungal toenail treatments. They have offices in Lake Ridge and Stafford, VA, to help you.

More about toenail fungus

The fungus that invades your toenails thrives in warm, moist environments like public pools, showers, locker rooms, and gym facilities. The fungi invade your nail bed between your skin and your toenail. You will know that you have toenail fungus because your toenail will have a white or yellow spot underneath it. The spot then becomes larger as the fungi grow deeper underneath your nail. If you have developed fungus, you may display the following signs and symptoms:

• A thickening of the nail accompanied by brittle, crumbly, and ragged edges
• Toenail distortion or a dull yellow color
• Darkening of your toenail
• The toenail separating from the nail bed
• Increasing pain or a foul odor

You can try a few simple home remedies like applying over-the-counter antifungal cream, or trimming and thinning your toenails to decrease pressure on your toenails. For stubborn toenail fungus that just won’t go away, your podiatrist can help. The podiatrists here at Associated Foot & Ankle Centers of Northern Virginia may recommend:

• Prescription-strength oral or topical antifungal medication to eliminate fungus growth and allow you to grow a healthy new toenail
• Prescription-strength medicated nail cream to eliminate the fungus
• Surgically removing the infected nail so that a healthy new nail can grow
• Laser or light therapy to kill the fungus and keep it from growing back

Give us a call

You deserve to have beautiful feet and toes without having to worry about nail fungus. To find out more about toenail fungus treatment and other footcare services, call the podiatrists at Associated Foot & Ankle Centers of Northern Virginia. We have offices in Lake Ridge and Stafford, VA, to help you and your feet, so call today!