Toenail fungus is a common problem among Americans. Approximately 36 million people have onychomycosis, which is the medical term for toenail fungus. However, only approximately 6.3 million of them have actually had their condition diagnosed by a doctor and thus only 2.5 million people are actually being treated.
That means that approximately 33 million people have this disease but aren’t being treated and about 90% of them may not even know that they have a problem.
The Simple Truth About Toenail Fungus
WebMD says that you’re more likely to get toenail fungus if you:
- Are over 60-years-old
- Have diabetes
- Have a weak immune system.
- Have a nail injury
- Wear shoes that make your feet sweat
- Are in a hot, humid place
Understanding the Various Types of Toenail Fungus
There are 5 types of toenail fungus:
- Distal lateral onychomycosis
- Proximal subungual onychomycosis
- Superficial onychomycosis
- Total dystrophic onychomycosis
- Endonyx onychomycosis
Onycholysis, which is the thicking, yellowing or separation of your toenail from its plate is a common sign of onychomycosis. While this can be traumatic, 73% of the time it’s cause by toenail fungus.
Causes of Toenail Fungus
Toenail fungus can be confused with other nail problems including:
- Traumatic damage
- Psoriasis
- Senile ischemia
- Nail bed tumors
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Atopic or contact dermatitis
- Lichen planus
- Yellow nail syndrome
Treatment for Toenail Fungus
There are many treatment options available, including:
- Lamisil: A commonly used medication that requires monitoring of your liver over the course of it 90 day treatment time.
- There are numerous topical therapies, including Penlac that’s taken for 6 to 12 months and Fungisil.
- Laser treatment whereby a laser is applied to your toenail for 10 minutes. While pain free, it’s not covered by insurance and it is expensive. Herein the PinPointe Foot Laser has recently been approved for treating toenail fungus.
Toenail fungus is a very difficult medical problem to treat. We hope that we’ve provided you with enough information to help answer your questions. However, you may still need to consult with your doctor.
