Softening thick fungal nails is an essential step for the regular grooming of fungal toenails. Nail fungus is very contagious and can spread in public places. These areas are where people tend to walk barefoot. Fungus loves surfaces of places like public locker rooms, public pools, and nail salons. Fungal spores may infect your nail bed and start to form a colony of fungus under your nail. After a fungus has initially infected the nail bed, treating the condition can be difficult. As the infection gets worse in your nail bed, the nail will become damaged by fungal spores. This can cause many nail problems. Some effects range from the function of the nail to its aesthetic.
Why Softening thick fungal nails is important?
Softening thick fungal nails may not seem essential. Most people think that damage to the toe from fungus is typically only cosmetic. The fungus will cause the nails to discolor. It will usually start as a small spot or stripe that will then grow with the infection. I can start to cover more of the nail. As the infection continues to grow, the texture and structure of the nail will typically change. Debris buildup under the nail is one symptom of the damage. There are many other changes which may include cracking, brittleness, thickening, and hardening of the nail itself. These damages are typically only aesthetic and will not affect proper usage of the toes.
The texture of nails may be affected to have functional consequences as well. For example, when the nails start to become very brittle or hard, using nail clippers to trim the nails can become very difficult. The hardness that nail fungus can cause can make it very difficult to push the nail clippers hard enough to cut through the hardened nail. Thickening from a toenail fungus can also have consequences for the use of toenail clippers This constitutes a functional consequence of the infection for trimming the nails as well.
Importance of regular grooming of nails
Softening thick fungal nails is definitely a good habit to get into. This way you will be able to trim them regularly. Trimming your toenails regularly is very important for several reasons. For one, this simple practice keeps the nails looking neat and tidy. It will help the aesthetic of the nail to keep them as tidy as possible. If you are worried about how your toenail fungus may seem to other people, keeping them at a moderate length will help make the aesthetic changes the fungus causes less obvious. Excessively long can be associated with being dirty by themselves. Combined with the changes toenail fungus can cause, the “dirty look” will be compounded. If you trim your nails regularly, the nails will look like they are being regularly groomed. Which will reduce the number of people that can tell that you have a fungal condition in your nails.
Easy ways to soften fungal nails at home
Softening thick fungal nails is actually pretty simple to do at home. The easiest way to soften fungal nails only requires one thing: water! Soaking your feet in a bath of warm water softens the nails and makes them easier to cut. Softening thick fungal nails may not make them as easy to groom after the first attempt. If you have a severe toenail fungus infection, multiple sessions of soaking may be necessary before your nails are soft enough to cut. If your nails still don’t get soft enough, you can try a nail softening cream after the water bath as well.
What to do if at-home treatment is not enough?
Softening thick fungal toenails at home won’t always be enough. Sometimes, the nail is too thick and there is no amount of softening that will get it between the nail clippers. In such cases, you will need to meet with a nail doctor. Most nail doctors have a technique to file down the top of the nails to make them thin.
To permanently get rid of thick nails you will have to seek toenail fungus treatment. After eliminating the fungus from the nail bed, a new healthy nail should start to grow behind the old damaged one. This nail should be clear, thin, and soft enough to cut. The best option for this treatment is the PinPointe laser, which typically requires only one treatment to eliminate the fungus from the nail bed. To find which of our 150 podiatry clinics is near you to get the toenail fungus laser treatment, visit our page here.
