What happens if you ignore your nail fungus? Since nail fungus symptoms do not include pain, it is easy to ignore the problem. Putting off the visit to the doctor is common among people with the infection. However, nail fungus may appear to be a cosmetic problem, it can also lead to potential health complications. 

How does nail fungus start?

Nail fungus can start off simple. Many people have had it for years without causing any inconvenience beyond an aesthetic change to the nails. This is why people tend not to take it seriously. However, in many cases, nail fungus can progress to become severe. Also, it can spread to other parts of the body and affect your life in many ways.

First and foremost, nail fungus is an aesthetic condition since it brings visible changes to your nail, including thickening, ridges, and a change in color to become yellow, or even brown or black. While this may seem trivial now, people find as time goes on that their nails become a source of embarrassment to them, which affects their confidence and self-esteem, and even their lifestyle, since they no longer want to expose their nails, even in sandals or by the pool.

Nail fungus is caused by fungal spores that are extremely infectious, and that means that if you leave your nail fungus untreated, you run the risk of infecting others around you. Furthermore, the fungi that cause nail fungus are not restricted exclusively to the nails and can infect the skin as well. This means that as the nail fungus progresses, it can spread to the skin in other parts of your body to cause fungal infections there, including the athlete’s foot and jock itch.

How common is toenail fungus?

Nail fungus affects 12% of the U.S population, although this may seem like a small percentage, take note that these are only the documented cases that have been seen by specialists. There are unprecedented numbers of individuals still out there who have chosen to ignore their nail fungus for one reason or another. Nail fungus has a number of causes and has a number of ways in which it affects individuals. Furthermore, it is a rather slow and progressive infection, meaning that it worsens slowly over time, and by the time it has reached its peak, it can be extremely difficult to treat.

It is important to understand that toenail fungus is highly contagious and can be caught whether it runs in your family or not. If you have been around someone with a nail fungus or are careless when it comes to your foot hygiene, you may be at risk of developing a fungal nail infection. Make sure to avoid direct contact with wet and warm areas, as this is where fungus thrives.

Infections to look out for

  • Foot pain: an infected nail by fungi can cause thickening of the nails, which can then cause the nails to grow abnormally, causing pain in your toes or feet
  • Fungus spreading: Nail fungus feeds off keratin and therefore can easily spread to other nails and even other parts of your feet, which is then called athlete’s foot. It might also reach your genitals. The fungus might spread when putting on pants or underwear and cause a jock itch. 
  • Infection: People with diabetes have a condition that makes them immunocompromised, which may cause the infection to spread and cause cellulitis, where the skin becomes swollen, redder, and softer. 
  • Nail Loss: Nail fungus might lead to onycholysis, which is a condition where the nail is detached from the nail bed and might require nail removal. Check out our blog post on nail removal here, which, depending on the condition, might require an avulsion where the nail is removed. Some do a matrixectomy to treat nail fungus. This is where the nail bed is removed, so the nail can no longer grow back 

If you have a toenail fungus, ignoring it might lead to further complications. It not only affects the appearance of the nail, but also your health! Be sure to seek help if the problem advances and home treatments are not working. There is a variety of treatment methods you can do both at home for minor conditions, or for more advanced infections. 

Do not ignore the infection

We often neglect our feet, and sometimes this can hurt our back more than we expect. Ignoring our feet can cost us toenail fungus. The health of your feet is ignored by not making the effort to dry them off completely after a shower. You may also be wearing non-breathable shoes. Combined with sweat from your feet, this makes a perfect environment for fungus to grow. Once they grow, they are difficult to get rid of.

Spreading of Infections

The fungus may spread to other parts of the body, commonly to the feet. This causes athlete’s foot. This causes red, cracked, irritated skin. It may seem like a minor inconvenience, but bacteria can enter through the cracks and cause cellulitis. Not only can the fungus spread to the foot, but it can also cause jock itch and ringworm on other parts of the body.

Severe Nail Fungus

What happens when you ignore a nail fungus infection? When fungal nail infections develop into a severe case, the nail may eventually fall off or may need to be surgically removed. Surgically removing the nail may cause pain after surgery as well as serious cosmetic issues.

The fungus does not go away on its own. It can only get worse if you don’t treat it. Once you see symptoms, consult your doctor immediately to have them treated.

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 one treatment. Other treatments, such as 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 Boca Raton, 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 at our Boca Raton, FL location. Visit our website for more information on our doctors at one of our over 150 locations.