Getting rid of fungus toenails--an article from A Great Massage in Colorado

(This article is part of the Foot Health Series at A Great Massage. See below for more articles about feet and foot health.)

The first sign of this condition is a whitening of part of the nail. The nail area then increases in diameter until the entire nail is lighter than normal. Next, the nail begins to thicken and discolor. If allowed to go untreated, the nail can enlarge to 1/4" or more in thickness. Because of the thick nail, shoe pressure from above can cause a blood blister or abcess to form beneath the nail. The nail also has a tendency to lose its attachment to the nail bed, allowing moisture and debris to accumulate under the nail. This is an ideal environment for any self-respecting bacteria to set up housekeeping.

The cause of fungus toenails is not known for certain, but heredity, hygeine, and nail injury could all play a part in precipitating this problem.

Treatment varies, depending on the degree of nail involvement that has occured when the patient seeks advice. In the very early development of the fungus, topical ointments and medications taken internally may help. Later on, treatment choices are limited to either regular visits to your Podiatrist or permanent removal of the nail. Permanent removal is usually the best choice, since the condition has a tendency to spread to the other nails. Removal is an office procedure, usually with very little discomfort to the patient.

Here's a question I received from a visitor to this page:

would like to kknow if a person has fungus in their feet and they use the same bathtub to bathe, the other person that does not have it , by laying on the tub can he get fungus on his body.???

Hi B,

Y'know I really can't say for sure, but it is possible. I have heard of athletes "foot" happening on parts of the body where people, who had athlete's foot, put their feet. My best advice, if he or you have a fungus of some type, would be to see a doctor and get it checked out, because usually fungus can be helped a lot by creams, gels, and sprays, and your doctor should be able to help you get the right one for whatever fungus exists.

Hope this helps!