Softening fungal nails is an essential part of toenail maintenance when your nails have developed a fungal infection. Toenail fungus symptoms can show up in diverse ways, and these symptoms can vary between both functional and aesthetic challenges. Understanding the ways that these symptoms can manifest is important for multiple reasons. Identifying toenail fungus early can make the treatment process easier. You can start receiving treatment before the fungus develops further. The earlier you receive treatment the better. Otherwise, the spores will grow quickly under your nail and become more difficult to eliminate fully. Increase your knowledge about the cause. You then will be able to better maintain the condition of your nails while receiving treatment.
Reasons for softening fungal nails
Softening fungal nails can definitely be one of the most important parts of maintaining nails that have become infected with fungus. While the changes a fungal infection causes in the nail will include frustrating and unpleasant aesthetic changes in appearance, other symptoms are possible as well. For example, toenail fungus can also disrupt the structure and functionality of the nail itself. Toenail fungus is most well known for doing this by disrupting the composition of the nail, making it hard and thick. When the nails are hard and thick from fungus, maintaining and grooming them as normal can be very difficult. Trimming and clipping the nails as you normally would be particularly hard when dealing with a fungus of this nature.
Importance of softening hard nails
Softening fungal nails is an important part of reclaiming nail hygiene when the nails have become too hard or thick to cut. Regular toenail hygiene is important for general health and wellbeing and includes regularly washing and trimming the toes. Washing your toenails will remove dirt, grime, and other things that do not belong underneath the nail. Nail hygiene also includes regularly trimming the nails to a reasonable length. Nails will become excessively long in absence of regular trimming, which can be very unsightly and uncomfortable.
Very long overgrown nails might push up against the edges of your shoes as you walk, which can be a source of both discomfort and pain. As the nails grow to excessive lengths, they will likely start to curl underneath your toe as well, which will cause even more issues. The skin of the toe will also likely become irritated with the length of your natural toenail growing longer and longer. Overgrown nails are also more prone to breakage since they are much easier to get caught on things, and the length of the nail weakens it when pressure is applied. If nails of this length break, the resulting sharp edges alongside the break could contribute to an ingrown toenail forming.
Instructions for a foot bath
Softening fungal nails is an important step of their maintenance to allow them to be trimmed regularly. Fortunately, softening your nails is easy, accessible, and simple to do at home. Almost no additional materials are required to soften your nails at home. All you need is a basin of water that can fit your feet and hot water. Soaking thickened fungal nails in plain warm water regularly will effectively soften your nails to some degree. As the nails soften in the water, they will absorb the water they are sitting in to make them easier to cut.
Fill a bathtub with enough warm water to submerge your feet. Next, place your feet inside of the water, and then simply rest and let them sit for 20-40 minutes. You can add Epsom salts to the bath to enhance the softening and add some benefits for your skin as well. To occupy time while waiting for your nails to soften, it’s recommended to read a book, watch a tv show, or light a candle. By doing this, the somewhat tedious process of waiting for your nails to soften can turn into a self-care ritual!
After softening fungal nails in warm water, the nails should be much easier to groom and trim. Try trimming your toenails right after you soak them in the water. If your nails are soft enough to cut, great! If they aren’t, try repeating the softening process the next day. By continuing to soften the nails across a few days, you increase the amount of water your nails will be able to absorb. However, softening the nails with water won’t be effective for everybody who struggles with hard, thick toenails.
Other treatment options to get rid of nail fungus
Softening fungal nails can only permanently be done with an FDA-approved treatment administered by a licensed podiatrist. To eventually stop needing to soak your feet regularly to trim them, you will need to eliminate the root cause of the change in the nail’s texture. The best treatment available is the PinPointe laser, which typically requires only one treatment to eliminate the fungus. After this treatment, a new healthy nail will grow behind the old damaged one. This new nail will be softer and easier to cut. You can learn more about how this laser works here. To schedule a consultation with a licensed podiatrist for the PinPointe laser, give us a call at 1-(800) 672-0625 or visit our website.
