Diseases

What Does Toenail Fungus Look Like? Symptoms and Treatment (2023)

BY PUREHEALTH RESEARCH | March 2, 2023

Toenail fungus is nobody’s friend. What does toenail fungus look like? It has several early-stage symptoms. This is important to note because if you don’t treat it early, it can be a longer and more arduous process to get rid of it. Clearing your feet of toenail fungus is important because it’s not only incredibly contagious, but it can spread to other areas in your body and can cause more serious health issues.

What Does Toenail Fungus Look Like?

So, what does toenail fungus look like? Knowing what to look for helps you catch it early on so that you can take control of your health.

Toenail fungus is caused by the same strain of bacteria that causes ringworm, jock itch, and athlete’s foot. It’s a strain of fungus that thrives in moist, wet places—such as your shoes, communal showers, nail salons, and the areas around pools and spas. There are different types of toenail fungus.

If you frequent any of these places or you have to wear tight, non-breathable shoes for the majority of the day, you need to ask yourself, “What does nail fungus look like?”.

The fungus that causes this can grow both on top of or underneath your toenails. Your body contains large amounts of fungi already, and when combined with this infectious strain, it can multiply into toenail fungus. When toenail fungus isn’t treated, it can spread to other parts of your body. You can also spread it to other people in your home, so it’s important that if you are susceptible to toenail fungus, others in your life also know the answer to, “What does toenail fungus look like?”

Nail fungus presents in several ways, including the following symptoms:

• Discolored toenails, often with a yellowish or brownish hue
• Cracked, brittle, or broken nails
• Toenails that grow in at awkward angles
• Thick toenails that break easily
• Chalky or cloudy layers on the toenail
• Toenails that lift or are completely separated from the nailbed

If you ignore the symptoms of toenail fungus and it gets even worse, you might notice late-stage toenail fungus symptoms, such as:

• Redness around the edges of toenails
• Swollen toes
• Pus and/or foul-smelling discharge around the infected toe

Ingrown toenails can also cause toenail fungus. What does toenail fungus look like if it’s caused by an ingrown toenail? The symptoms are the same because the ingrown toenail causes breaks in the skin which allow the fungus to get in. So, if you’re prone to ingrown toenails, be extra careful! Make sure to not cut your nails too short and to give your feet time to breathe, as well as to choose appropriately fitting shoes.

How Do You Treat Toenail Fungus?

Treating toenail fungus doesn’t have to be a difficult process! There are several ways to ensure you’re practicing good foot hygiene and preventing toenail fungus. One of these is to use an easy Fungus Eliminator that you can add to your daily supplement routine to quickly and easily get rid of the fungus causing the resulting symptoms.

PureHealth Research is one of the leading companies providing a Fungus Eliminator. The team of researchers and professionals that created this supplement includes Dr. Holly Lucille, one of the most respected naturopathic doctors in the field. This Fungus Eliminator is easy to use and full of plenty of natural, healthy compounds that keep fungus at bay. These include:

• Oregano
• Basil
• Garlic
• Apple cider vinegar
• Wormwood
• Turmeric
• Olive leaf extract
• Caprylic acid
• Bioperine

Some of these might seem easy enough to get on your own, but others aren’t quite as readily available. Plus, when you put them all together, the total is greater than the sum of its parts! Thus, it’s smart to use a powerful fungus eliminator that gives you all the anti-fungal properties at once. This one is so easy to use that you’ll have no reason to not keep up with the daily routine! All you have to do is take two capsules a day with a meal and a glass of water.

What does the fungus eliminator do, exactly? It helps to fight ugly and embarrassing toenail fungus and protects you from future infections. It fights off fungal spores in your environment and boosts your overall body immunity. It also lowers discomfort and prevents frustrating symptoms from getting worse.

The reason that a digestive capsule works so well to prevent toenail fungus is that the majority of your immune system lies within your digestive tract. Therefore, adding these powerful, nutritive compounds right into your digestive system puts them into your bloodstream and delivers benefits to your whole body—not just your toenails.

Keep up with a two-a-day routine until you no longer see signs and symptoms of your toenail fungus, and then for about a month afterward. This ensures that all the infectious fungal spores are gone from your body and that you won’t have to start from scratch if they appear again.

What else can you do to prevent and keep toenail fungus at bay? Depending on the person, the severity of the infection, and an individual’s lifestyle, the best treatment will vary. However, the following lifestyle practices are good ways to prevent toenail fungus.

• Wear comfortable, appropriately fitting shoes.
• Choose shoes that breathe.
• Take your shoes off several times throughout the day so that they can air out.
• Don’t wear the same shoes twice in a row.
• Never share shoes or socks with other people.
• Bring your own tools to the nail salon for pedicures, and make sure that the salon you go to sanitizes its equipment properly.
• Always wear shower shoes in the gym shower and around the pool, spa, and sauna.

If things have become quite severe, you’ll most definitely want to visit your general practitioner or a podiatrist. They might want to prescribe you something stronger or take a sample of your toenail to determine exactly which strain of fungus caused the infection. In very severe cases, toenails might need to be removed. This is another good reason why it’s important to know the early-stage signs of toenail fungus and to have something on hand to deal with it before it gets worse.

If you have diabetes, auto-immune disorders, or other circulatory issues, fungal infections can cause more serious problems. So, make sure to take extra good care of your feet and let your doctor know at the first sign of a toenail fungal infection.

Key Takeaways

• What does toenail fungus look like? It shows up as discoloration, cracked and brittle nails, thick and misaligned nails, and sometimes red, swollen toes with discharge.
• Practice good foot hygiene to prevent toenail fungus.
• When nail fungus shows up, keep your feet away from others and use a fungus eliminator right away to keep the infection from spreading.
• Keep your toenails at an appropriate length to prevent ingrown toenails.

Final Thoughts on What Does Toenail Fungus Look Like

Toenail fungus can be very painful, and it’s also quite contagious. You need to know what toenail fungus looks like so that you can treat it as soon as it appears. If you do get an infection, though, don’t panic! Just use a fungus eliminator and keep your feet clean and dry. Of course, always see your doctor if things are getting worse or if you have underlying conditions.

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