Nail Fungus Infection

Fungal spores can attach to and live in the bed of keratin cells that make up your nails. The resulting infection is known as onychomycosis (tinea) and can last indefinitely.

Symptoms: Thickened, dull fingernails or toenails with discolored or chipped edges.

It is possible to get this type of infection by walking barefoot in public areas and getting athlete's foot or whitlow.

The associated fungal infection of the hand or foot may be mild and cause no inflammation, or it may be acute, causing blisters and painful swelling. When nails are involved, they may thicken, split, and fall out, or the nail may be completely destroyed. There is also usually a buildup of keratin under the tip of the infected nail that is not attached to the finger.

Your doctor's diagnostic tests may include scraping off the keratin buildup under the nail tip and examining it to identify the fungus. If fungus is detected, other nail diseases will be ruled out.

Treatment

There is no good treatment for fungal nail infections. Solutions, creams or ointments can control the fungal infection of the surrounding skin, but they do not penetrate the nail. Systemic medications are used for this purpose. It will take 6-12 months of continuous medication use to completely remove the fungus from the nail.