![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/fungal-toenail-300x207.jpg\")
Toenail fungus (onychomycosis) of the great toenail<\/p><\/div>\n
More people have it than you think.<\/strong> <\/span>\u00a0About 36 million Americans are estimated to have toenail fungus. \u00a0But only 6 million of those Americans are actually diagnosed by a doctor. \u00a0That leaves 30 million people who do not know they have onychomycosis, or they are self-treating their problem toenail with various over-the-counter remedies.<\/p>\n It is contagious.<\/strong> <\/span>\u00a0Although it is wise to avoid exposure to fungus from public showers and hotel carpets, infection mostly occur from people in the same household. \u00a0Toenail fungus can spread from infected shoes, socks, linens, carpeting, nail care utensils, and even nail polish brushes. \u00a0It can even come from one’s own athlete’s foot infection or spread from one nail to another.<\/p>\n Treatment options may be limited.<\/strong> <\/span>\u00a0Currently, the most successful treatment approved by the FDA is with a prescription oral medication. \u00a0Because of potential side effects caused by oral antifungal drugs, some patients may not be able to take them. \u00a0Other therapies may include prescription topical medications, laser treatment, or removal of the nail plate to treat the underlying infected nail bed.<\/p>\n Early treatment increases likelihood of cure. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span>When toenail fungus involves the entire nail or several toenails, getting rid of all the fungus becomes a challenge. \u00a0So, the first appearance of a toenail infection is the best time to treat it. \u00a0Toenail fungus also tends to be more resistant to cure in older patients and with people with diabetes.<\/p>\n Treatment time can last a year.<\/strong> <\/span>\u00a0Because toenails grow at a slow rate, it can take months to even see significant improvement. \u00a0Medication must be delivered to the site of the nail infection for 48 weeks. \u00a0The toenail would have to be trimmed regularly of disease nail tissue to reduce the amount of fungus the medication must fight against.<\/p>\n There is a high rate of recurrence.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0Even with complete cure of toenail fungus, it can come back. \u00a0This may be due to a person’s genetic tendency to get the infection, a weak immune system, or improper sanitation. \u00a0After treatment, one must disinfect shoes with antifungal spray or treat shoes with a commercial ultra violet light device.<\/p>\n It can put certain people at risk of foot complications.<\/strong> <\/span>\u00a0A thick, deformed fungal toenail can be painful and put excess pressure on the toe. \u00a0This can lead to a breakdown of the underlying skin which can become infected. \u00a0People with diabetes, poor circulation, or who have loss of feeling in the feet must see a podiatrist on a regular basis to avoid serious foot problems.<\/p>\n Don’t only treat the fungal toenail infection but also break the cycle of re-infection.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Don’t only treat the fungal toenail infection but also break the cycle of re-infection. \u00a0If you need a podiatrist in the Tuscaloosa area, I would be more than happy to help you successfully fight toenail fungus. \u00a0My office also provides quality foot care products that will help keep your feet fungus free. \u00a0Just call Rosemarie Caillier, DPM, PC at (205) 409-0175 to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the most difficult body infections to treat occurs right at our feet. \u00a0Toenail fungus, or onychomycosis, is an infection under the surface of the nail caused by a fungus. \u00a0Many people go undiagnosed or have failed many attempts to get rid of it. \u00a0As a podiatrist, I help patients on a daily basis […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[72,164,165,166,90],"class_list":["post-1016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fungal-toenails","tag-foot-care","tag-fungal-toenails","tag-onychomycosis","tag-toenails","tag-tuscaloosa-podiatrist"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1016"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1492,"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1016\/revisions\/1492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crimsonfootcare.com\/staging\/3867\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}