Fungal Infections

Overview

People are generally embarrassed because they feel it reflects poor hygiene. The general opinion is that you catch fungus from shower floors, locker rooms, swimming pools, and the unhygienic people who use them, but that isn't always the case. Fungi are everywhere -- in the air, the dust, and the soil.

Hygienic measures such as spraying socks and footgear may help a little bit. However, avoiding tight, non-breathing shoes, or steering clear of athletic floors may very well be more trouble than they're worth. Wearing white socks also does not help.

Daily washing of the feet and drying between the toes can help to prevent nail fungus.

One thing is sure, though: once fungus gets a foothold, so to speak, it hangs around indefinitely and often recurs even after successful treatment. However, it is not contagious!

It's always a good idea to have a podiatrist check out your feet if you suspect fungal infection because there are some other conditions you may have instead of fungal nails:

1. Lines and ridges -- These are common and may be considered normal.
2. Whitish or yellowish nails -- due to onycholysis. This means separation of the nail from the nail bed. The color you see is air.
3. Red or black nails -- due to a hematoma, or blood under the nail, usually from trauma (like wacking yourself on the thumb with a hammer).
4. Green nails -- caused by pseudomonas bacteria, which live silently under many nails. This bacteria grows under a nail that has partially separated from the nail bed, thereby producing a green pigment.
5. Pitted nails -- May be associated with psoriasis or other skin problems that affect the nail matrix, the area under the skin just behind the nail. This is the area from which the nail grows.
6. Swelling and redness of the skin around the nail -- called paronychia. This condition occurs when yeast infects a damaged cuticle.

Creams and other topical medications are usually not effective against nail fungus. This is because nails are too hard for external applications to penetrate. However, a new medicated nail lacquer ciclopirox (Penlac) Topical Solution 8% has been approved to treat finger or toenail fungus that does not involve the white portion of the nail (lunula) in persons with normal immune systems.