Are fungal nail infections common?
Who’s at risk?
How can I tell if I have one of these infections?
Are fungal nail infections contagious?
If I have athlete’s foot, am I more likely to develop a nail infection?
Are nail infections dangerous?
Can these infections be treated with home remedies?
Why are fungal nail infections so hard to cure?
Are fungal nail infections common?
Yes. By some estimates, as many as 36 million Americans have fingernails or toenails (usually toenails) that have become discolored and disfigured due to a fungal infection of one kind or another.
Who’s at risk?
Everybody is. The risk increases with age, however, perhaps because older nails are more susceptible to the infections.
How can I tell if I have one of these infections?
A nail that is discolored is an early sign. But you can’t know for sure until you see a doctor and have a sample of your nail examined in a laboratory. Nails can become thick and discolored for reasons other than a fungal infection.
Are fungal nail infections contagious?
Yes. An infection can spread from nail to nail—and from person to person. That’s one reason it’s important to get treated at the first sign of a fungal infection.
If I have athlete’s foot, am I more likely to develop a nail infection?
Yes. Nail infections are frequently caused by the same fungus responsible for athlete’s foot.
Are nail infections dangerous?
If not treated properly, top physicians agree that nail fungus can lead to complications including paronychia, granuloma, cellulitis, subungual hematoma and gangrene.
Can these infections be treated with home remedies?
No. People have tried all sorts of homemade concoctions to get rid of nail infections, but none of them work.
Why are fungal nail infections so hard to cure?
One reason is because nails are thick. That hard barrier makes it difficult to treat the skin under the nails, which is where the fungi live. That’s why topical treatments have a high failure rate—and why treatments that use laser light, which can penetrate even the thickest nail, work so much better.