What Causes Nail Fungus: These are the Reasons You May Have Nail Fungus
How You Get Nail Fungus? Learn About Nail Fungus Causes, and You Can Get Nail Fungus.
Nail Care
What is nail fungus?
All of us have heard the word „fungus “at least once in our lives. In essence, nail fungus is an infection of the finger- or toenails that negatively affects the nail structure, making it crack easily while being thick and discolored. Like other types of fungi, it evolves in warm and moist environments, causing yeast and other bacteria to overpopulate. Worthy of note, every human body already contains some sort of bacteria, fungi in particular.
Many factors can determine if these fungi will evolve at some point in your life. Toenails are most commonly affected by fungal infections than fingernails. That is because toenails are more often covered with shoes, which offer an appealing environment for fungi: moist and warm. This article will examine the most common causes for nail fungus and how you get nail fungi, prevent, or treat them.
Most common causes for nail fungus
After familiarizing yourself with the term, examining the nail fungus causes is easy. We have listed below the most common ways of how you get nail fungus.Contact with someone who has already been affected by a fungal infection
One of the most common places of nail fungus causes is the swimming pool. As it was mentioned above, damp floors and moist corners are considered breeding grounds for nail fungus causes. Having your feet exposed to such areas makes you prone to infection.
Manicure or pedicure with poorly disinfected tools
This is another one of the typical nail fungus causes. When scheduling your nail appointment in a salon, make sure you have asked if the nail files and clippers have been disinfected. It is of crucial importance for the staff to sanitize the tools often.
Otherwise, the fungal infection would not be the only one you must be afraid of. Do not hesitate to ask the staff about it. The simple question could cost your nails health. We would also recommend scheduling such appointments for the morning time, as pedicure tools and footbaths are usually cleaned in the evening.
Shared household as one of the causes for nail fungus
Sharing the same household as people who constantly suffer from nail fungus might increase the chances of getting it. Try to protect yourself by always wearing slippers. Avoid walking barefoot in the apartment with people who suffer from nail fungal infections. We would also suggest taking extra measures by cleaning the bathroom floor and a bathtub before taking it; since the temperature and the environments in those places are the root causes for nail fungus.
Sweaty socks and tight shoes are common nail fungus causes
Running might be good for your overall health, but it is still considered one of the core nail fungus causes. You probably have noticed that you sweat during your run. And if your socks stay wet locked in a tight sneaker for more extended periods of time, it might add to the rest of the causes for nail fungus. Our recommendation would be the following:
- Take off your sneakers right after the run and dry them completely
- Get two alternative pairs of running shoes to be cleaned and dried in between the runs.
Nail Polish as one of the causes for nail fungus
Nail polish is one of the most common nail fungus causes. The denser the nail polish is, the less light reaches the nail. Lack of daylight, in turn, causes a fungus-friendly environment for the nails. Therefore, it is crucial to give your toenails a break from any nail polish every now and then.- Men have a higher risk of getting nail fungal infections.
- Common causes for nail fungus are more common in men in comparison to women.
- Adults are at higher risk for fungal infection.
- Research has shown that causes for nail fungus are more common in adults than in kids.
Who gets fungal nail infections?
Apart from the typical causes for nail fungus, pretty much everyone bears the risk of getting the nail fungus. However, we have identified the risk groups prone to causes for nail fungi as follow:
- People with weakened immune systems (e.g., HIV disease)
- People who underwent the nail surgery
- Individuals whose nails have been injured
- Patients diagnosed with diabetes
- Individuals with poor blood circulation
- People who share the same household
Symptoms of nail fungus
If your nails have been affected by a fungal infection, you can easily recognize if their appearance deviates from the norm. As a rule, the symptoms of the nail fungus are the following:
- Change in color: yellow, brown, white
- Fragility: your nails will break more often and crack easily
- Pain: it might get painful if the nail infection has not been treated
- Fungus on the skin of your feet. In rare cases, nail fungus can move onto the skin of your feet if it is not treated accordingly. Most often, this condition is called “athlete`s foot.”
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