Nail Care: Get To Know Common Causes of Fungal Nail Infection

Your nails can get infected too. Our body serves as a host to thousands of microorganisms. Some of them are good for us and some of them are bad for us. When the number of bad microorganisms is much more than the good ones, that’s when the outcome is not too good for us.

Fungal nail infections can happen to many people and it has affected numerous people all over the world. Some of us will experience a fungal nail infection at some point. Usually, it is the toenails that are affected more than the fingernails.

Nail Fungus is more common with people that are already in their mid-fifties. But younger people should not interpret this statistics as having invincibility to this type of infection.

Younger people can get fungal nail infections and it is usually swimmers, athletes or those who share communal showers that are more at risk.

How does one get a fungal nail infection?

It is common for fungal nail infection to start from a fungal skin infection. One of the most common fungal skin infections is what we call as athlete’s foot.

Athlete’s foot is an infection of the toes. If left untreated the infection can spread to the toenails thus fungal nail infection happens. You may unknowingly spread the fungal infection to your fingernails if you scratch your toes or your toenails.

Fungal infection can be really itchy but it is best to stop yourself from scratching to prevent further spreading.

If you wash your hands too often or if they are always soaked in water, you are also increasing your risk of developing fingernail fungal infections.

Those who work in the kitchen or are involved with cleaning tasks are more at risk of this type of infection. With hands getting soaked in water constantly, the skin at the base of the fingernails can get damaged and provide an entryway for fungi.

Nails that have been damaged recently have a higher risk of getting infected.

The use of nail tools that have touched someone’s nails that are infected can also lead to your nails getting infected. Make sure that your nail salon disinfects their nail tools properly. Using your own set of nail tools is highly advisable and it is best to not share them with anyone else.

Certain health conditions like psoriasis, diabetes and a poor immune system can also increase the likelihood of fungal infection occurrence. Being in poor health in general increases your risk of developing nail infections.

Bad habits such as smoking also make you more vulnerable to this type of infection. If you live in humid or hot climates, your chances of getting nail infections are also higher. However, in some cases fungal nail infection just happens for no apparent reason.

One should keep in mind that fungi are naturally occurring in the environment. Now that you know the common causes of fungal nail infection, you would have a better idea on how to prevent it.

We will be going on more details on how you can avoid fungal nail infection in our next posts in the future. Keep asking your friends to like our Facebook page and we’ll keep posting more health and beauty tips!