Diagnosing a nail fungus infection can be difficult. After suspecting you have a nail fungus infection, the next step is to call a podiatrist for further information about your condition and what steps to take for advanced infections. In order to diagnose whether your nail infection might be a fungus infection, the podiatrist will test debris found underneath the nail and examined it. There are many infections that show symptoms on nails. It is not always a nail fungus. Although, most of the time it does tend to be nail fungus. 

Tests they might do are 

  • KOH Smear (or potassium hydroxide smear)- faster
  • Fungal culture test- takes weeks

Once results come in, the podiatrist will diagnose the condition.

A few similar conditions to onychomycosis are

  • Psoriasis
  • Lichen Planus
  • Contact dermatitis 
  • Trauma 
  • Nail bed tumor
  • Eczema 
  • Yellow nail syndrome

Diabetic patients who are also immunocompromised should definitely consult a podiatrist if they have a fungal infection. Treatment to cure the infection takes a long time due to numerous amount of factors which include nail growth period. Cure rates also depend on the type of treatment you end up choosing. You can look at the many treatment options for nail fungus here

If you have any more questions about nail fungus, check out our FAQ page.

Laser Treatment for Nail Fungus

As you can see, tips for healthy feet without nail fungus can be easy to find. If you have caught nail fungus, it can be easily treated using the FDA-approved PinPointe laser. It typically only takes on treatment. Other treatments like topical solutions and oral medication are not as effective. Topical solutions have a very low cure rate. This is because the solution does not penetrate all the way through the nail bed.  This is because it can lead to liver toxicity. You would need to have consistent blood tests throughout the course of taking the medication. 

Our nail doctor in Port St. Lucie, FL recommends this treatment for toenail fungus. The PinPointe Laser treatment has the highest cure rate in the market. It has no side effects and no recovery period. As a result, you can go about your daily activities right after the treatment. Also, there’s no pain.

If you have any signs of nail fungus, call us at (800) 672-0625 our Port St. Lucie, FL location. Visit our website for more information on our doctors at one of our over 150 locations.