Toenail Care

Taking care of your feet and toenails is often not a priority for most people. Quite a few will consider the feet unimportant because hardly anyone sees them anyway. Yet feet and toenails are actually very important. Feet or toenail problems can easily restrict your mobility, making you wish you took care of your feet.

Toenail infections may not cause any noticeable problems at first, other than the discolouration that appears. People ignore these infections until it gets less pleasant. If you take care of a toenail infection from an early stage you will be able to prevent annoying problems in the future. An infection of the toenail is not just some unsightly thing, in reality it can cause other trouble as well if you leave the toenail untreated. Fungal infections of the toenail are infections that are located underneath the nail. But the infections can spread into the nail as well. If you don't take action right away you may experience pain or difficulty walking. Also infections can spread, toenail infections are no exception in this regard.

What happens in toenail infection is that a nasty group of fungi called dermophytes launch an attack on your toenail. They are after a substance called “keratin”, which is a protein type found in human nails. If the attack is successful you will see the toenail thickening, and discolouration occurs. Add to that a rather unpleasant smell and you can be sure that they have taken over your toenail. And no, they won't be happy with just an invasion of your toenail. The infection can spread to skin and fingernails, although they prefer your other toenails.

The toenail infection also opens the gates for other infections to join the party. This is why it is crucial to remove the unwanted guests from under your nail.

There are other causes of toenail discolouration due to insufficient toenail care. Black toenails are quite common. Runners are no stranger to this phenomenon. Due to the friction, during running or walking ,of your toenail against your shoe the nail can be bruised. Usually trimming the nail to a proper size (not too long, not too short) will prevent further bruising. In general it is important to main proper toenail length to prevent problems.

These are just some problems you may encounter when you don't have a good toenail care routine. Keep your feet and toenails clean, use toenail clippers to maintain their length, and keep an eye on your feet in case of any discolouration or thickening of the toenail.