Do you have thick, discolored or deformed nails? Is the surrounding skin inflamed and painful? Do your nails smell bad? If you said "yes" to these questions, perhaps you have onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the nails that affects 25 to 40 percent of people over the age of 60.
Onychomycosis is caused by fungi or small plant-like organisms that invade the nail or the skin underneath the nail. Two types of fungi are responsible for the disease: dermatophytes that are seen in 90 percent of cases, and yeasts.
"In temperate areas of the world, most nail infections are caused by dermatophytes. In the tropics, yeasts are the most common cause. In both cases, the fungi digest keratin, which is the major protein in nails, hair, and skin. The nails respond by overproducing keratin, which causes them to thicken and separate from the underlying skin," according to PDRhealth.com.
It's commonly believed that the fungus comes from shower floors, locker rooms, and swimming pools but the truth is you don't have to be in those places to get a nail infection. Experts say fungi are everywhere - in the dust, soil, and air, and they love to live in moist and warm places such as the area around the toes. They enter the skin through tiny cuts or when there is a space between your nail and nail bed.
"Infection with nail fungus is more common in toenails than in fingernails because toenails are often confined in a dark, warm, moist environment inside your shoes - where fungi can thrive. Another reason may be the diminished blood circulation to the toes as compared with the fingers," said the MayoClinic.com.
Men commonly develop fungal infections of the fingernails while women usually have fungal infections of the toenails. However, the disease generally affects more men than women. Old people appear to be more susceptible since their nails grow more slowly and thicken with aging, making them easy targets of the infection. The fungi can spread from person to person, especially those who share shoes, nail clippers, and nail files. Wikipedia reports that over 100 infections were traced to foot baths in nail salons.
"Nail and hair salons can spread fungal infections. Because the fungi that cause nail infections can be spread by contaminated instruments such as scissors, nail files, and razors, it is important to frequent only those nail and hair salons that have the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene. Instruments should be properly sterilized between uses on different clients. Good hand washing habits are as important as in a doctor's office," PDRhealth added.
Other risk factors are smoking, tight footwear (socks and shoes) than hinder ventilation and don't absorb perspiration, vigorous physical activity that makes you perspire heavily, a family history of the disease, diabetes, a weakened immune system, and a minor skin or nail injury.
Creams and topical lotions often don't work since they can't penetrate the nails. Oral antifungal agents, on the other hand, are very expensive and have a lot of side effects. To be on the safe side, switch to Somasin AFS, a natural way to put an end to embarrassing nail infections. Somasin uses a unique dual system to stop fungi in as little as 7 days. Check out http://www.somasin.com for details.
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