You slip into your sandals, and straightaway you notice that your nails do not look right. They look brittle, yellow with patches of white. You have a fungal nail infection, where the dermatophyte is eating the keratins of your nails, causing them to grow brittle and unsightly. Fungal nail infection is common, and it can happen due to poor hygiene, or a weak immune system. If you are a person who suffers from constant yellow toenails, then it might be worth assessing your habits. Changing some of you daily habits can help you avoid another round of fungal nail infections.
Footwear
Are your shoes wet or dry? The dermatophyte that lives on your nails love a damp home. They thrive in dark and dank conditions, it can also stay in the shoe as spores to reinfect you again. During sunny days, air dry your closed shoes outside. The UV rays from the sun can effectively kill the spores in the shoe. If that is not an option, always wear socks, and wash them it hot water and air dry after each use. If you shoes are wet? Don’t wear them, the moisture can weaken skin structure for other opportunistic infections such as warts.
Get a Health Check
If your yellow toe nails take forever to clear, or you have them so often you keep a tube of antifungal cream in your cupboard, you need a check up. Just a visit to the doctor to make sure that you are in tip top shape. While you are there, the doctor can also assess if your yellow toe nail is just a fungal infection. Sometimes the doctor can also check if you are deficient in some nutrients, therefore more susceptible to this problem. If you do have a clean bill of health, the fungal infection should not take long to clear. Just remember to continue applying the cream for two more weeks after your nails have cleared.
Don’t Step On It
Avoid stepping on wet floors in public places. Public pools and shower areas are popular spots to pick up a rouge dermatophyte or two. As they are resilient, they can survive without a human host as spores. Once they land on your toe nails, they become active again, as their food source is finally available. Get a cheap pair of slippers, use them in showers or public areas. Plus, if you have a person in the same house who is suffering from yellow toenail, you can advice the person to put on slippers to avoid giving everyone at home the same problem. By avoiding the same surface, you reduce your risk of getting a set of yellow toe nails.
Yellow toe nails are generally harmless, unless you have a compromised immune system, or you have diabetes. If you are concerned about your yellow toe nails, we can help you take a look at it. It is always better to have someone who knows feet confirm your suspicions, we can also discuss treatment options during your visit.