Any part of the body can be affected by some disorder and even the nails can develop certain disorders. One of the most usual nail problems is fingernail fungal infection. Onychomycosis is the medical term for this condition and it can affect any finger.
Symptoms of fingernail fungal infection
When one suffers from fungal nail infection, a white or yellow mark under the toenails or fingernails can be noticed. After some time, the fungi spread out causing the discoloration of the nail. The thickening and forming of crumbling edges can also be noticed when this infection is in question. The infected nails are brittle and ragged, but they also lose the shine and turn dull. Sometimes, the nails turn dark in color due to the accumulation of the debris under the nails.
The people who have the problem with fungal nail infection may also experience the separation of nails from the nail bed. This condition is medically called onycholysis. In addition to all these symptoms of fungal nail infection, pain and foul smelling may also appear as warning signs of this infection. The symptoms may last forever if the condition is not treated, which is why even the slightest signs should not be neglected when they begin to appear.
Causes of fingernail fungal infection
Fungi are tiny microorganisms that have good and bad uses. The bad fungi cause infections in the human body. The type of the fungi that causes fingernail infection is called Dermatophytes. Furthermore, yeasts and molds are also considered to be the of nail fungal infection. The fungi are tiny organisms that reside in warm and damp environments on the human body. They can also be found in swimming pools or in the showers and they can find their way to the skin or places between the nails and nail beds through the small cuts or separations. Afterwards, if the nails are constantly exposed to moisture and warmth, their overproduction is triggered and nail fungal infection occurs.
The toenail fungal infection is more frequent than fingernail fungal infection since the toenails are usually in the shoes and the blood circulation to the toenails is lesser than to the fingernails. Thus the immune system cannot effectively fight against the foreign bodies.
Other possible causes of this infection may include skin disorder psoriasis, excessive sweating and nail injury. Nail fungal infection is more frequent in men than in women, especially in those who have this condition run in the family.
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