Common problems

Nail fungus

Nail fungus consists of an infectious mushroom. It generally yellows, thickens, and deforms the nail. It’s an infection that manifests itself slowly and damages the nail progressively.

All nails that have yellowed or thickened are not necessarily caused by nail fungus. A thick or yellow nail may be caused by an injury that affects its growth, deforms it, or thickens it. Nail fungus must not be confused with other nail diseases, such as psoriasis, lichen planus, melanoma, or cardio-pulmonary diseases.

Treatments of nail fungus

It’s preferable to treat the nail as soon as the infection is noticed. The basic treatment consists of a mechanical debridement of the infected site. In certain cases, medication that is only available upon prescription might be necessary. In other more severe cases, the podiatrist might have to conduct an excision of the part of the nail or the tissue that is infected.

Untreated or mistreated nail fungus may cause ulcers or under-nail abscesses that may lead to more serious complications, such as bacterial infection.

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