Your feet carry you many miles over a lifetime, so it’s no wonder they might have issues from time to time. Toenail infections are a common affliction that arises due to various reasons.

Dr. Jason Serpe, Podiatrist at Riverside Healthcare, offers helpful information about toenail infections—including what causes them, prevention strategies, and treatment options.

What Causes Toenail Infections?

One primary cause of toenail infections is fungus, which thrives in a dark, warm, moist environment like that of a shoe. People who spend a lot of time wearing shoes are more susceptible to this type of infection. Another instigating factor is trauma to the toenail. If a person drops something on a toe, or stubs it, that “breaks the seal,” which makes it easier for fungus to get into the nail.

Ingrown toenails typically arise from pressure. “If you have a shoe that’s too tight, or a sock that’s too tight, or sometimes if you cut the corner of a nail a bit too closely, that will allow the nail to grow into the skin, stabbing into it and causing a problem as well,” explains Dr. Serpe. Athletes also tend to experience issues, particularly in sports where running and/or kicking is involved.

Individuals can attempt to prevent developing infections by making sure to wear well-fitting shoes, alternating shoes to allow the previous day’s set to dry out, and cutting nails straight across.

Treatment Options

A number of over-the-counter treatment options are available, however Dr. Serpe cautions that they don’t work as well as many people desire. The reason for this is because they really can’t penetrate the nail, and many fungi live underneath the nail bed.

“There are some prescription strength topical medications you can use as well. They work better because some are in a vehicle that can go into the nail a bit better. But, even those don’t always work as well as some of the other options,” he notes.

For example, an additional option is oral medications that patients would take for about 90 days. Yet, this treatment also requires thorough consideration as the medications can be harmful to the liver. And, it’s a bit of a drawn-out process as the nail has to grow out for the fungus to dissipate.

“It does nothing for the fungus you currently see in the nail, so it takes about eight months to grow the nail out. If you start in the fall, you’ll hopefully see changes in the summer,” shares Dr. Serpe. “Those medications don’t provide a hundred percent cure, either. It’s probably closer to about seventy percent. So, unfortunately there’s a chance you could do this and it still may not work as well as we’d like it to.”

In some cases, the best option is to actually remove the toenail. As it heals, flat skin grows in place of the nail bed.

When it comes to ingrown toenails, Dr. Serpe can perform a simple procedure in the office. This involves anesthetizing the toenail and then removing the ingrown portion of the nail. “We put on a chemical to prevent it from ever growing back.”

Overall, Dr. Serpe encourages individuals to pay attention to their feet and if they begin to develop symptoms, get in to see a podiatrist sooner rather than later. “The earlier we can catch a toenail infection, the better we are at treating it.”

For more information about podiatry at Riverside click here.