Fungal Nails
Fungal Nails
Fungal infections on your feet are common. Fungus survives in warm, moist and dark environments and your feet naturally provide a perfect place for the fungus to thrive. Fungal nail infection, or onychomycosis, is common. Infections range from mild to severe and can affect one or several nails on both feet. Fungal nail infections have many different symptoms. The nail can become thickened and discoloured, turning white, cream, yellow, brown, or black and the quality of the nail is sometimes affected, becoming brittle and crumbly. Chunks of your nail may break off, and sometimes the nail becomes soft and falls off completely. Because symptoms can be similar to other nail problems, it’s important to correctly diagnose whether or not you have a fungal nail infection before beginning any treatments.
Because symptoms can be similar to other nail problems, it’s important to correctly diagnose whether or not you have a fungal nail infection before beginning any treatments. At KL FOOTCARE, we can undertake a test just to be sure. The test is called the Diafactory fungal testing (AKA the FiveMinuteFungus test). This test operates in a similar manner to a covid 19 lateral flow test. It takes only a few minutes and has an accuracy percentage rate of 95%. This is priced at £40. If the results come back negative, your toenail condition may be caused by a trauma to the nail or nail bed. Whether or not fungal nail is confirmed, we will advise the best treatment plan for you.
Treatment options for fungal nails can vary depending on the severity and its location. We use a couple of different methods, depending on the severity of the fungal nail and its location.
Conservative management
Some people do not worry about fungal nails, but they can be a nuisance. In some instances, the nail can become thicker and uncomfortable. As Podiatrists, we can reduce the thickness of the nail to relieve any discomfort and make the nail look aesthetically more pleasing.
Toenail Fenestration
We are pleased to offer the Clearanail treatment (https://www.clearanail.com) This process involves drilling a number of tiny holes into the nail, allowing a topical anti-fungal treatment to penetrate the nail bed easier and help kill the fungal infection.
Topical treatments
Treatments applied on the nail work less well than those taken by mouth. They are most effective if the infection is treated at an early stage. The treatments used most often are amorolfine nail lacquer and tioconazole nail solution. Your Podiatrist can advise if this is the best solution for you and order this for you.
Oral Treatments
Terbinafine and itraconazole are two fungal nail treatment methods that are both available in tablet form, meaning they can be delivered systemically to the nail matrix through oral ingestion. However, this method of treatment comes with some risks and should always be discussed with your podiatrist and GP before being undertaken. NICE (NHS) guidelines advise that a minimum of 3 nail matrices should have an infection present before oral treatment should be considered.
Toenail Removal - Permanent
One of the most direct treatment options is removing the nail entirely and destroying the nail matrix; there will be no nail for the fungus to infect. Destroying the nail matrix also stops the nail from growing back, preventing the risk of further infections
Toenail Removal - Temporarily
Temporary removal of the nail allows a treatment to be applied directly to the nail bed to treat the infection directly.