The presence of an infection may not be immediately obvious as the fungal infection is in the nail bed not in the nail. However, as it progresses:

• The nail might become discoloured; it can turn brown, yellow or even black in some cases
• Discomfort or pain may be felt when the surrounding area and skin is infected
• The skin around the nail might itch, crack, become sore or swollen and red

A fungal nail infection usually occurs as a result of fungus from athlete’s foot or after a trauma causes damage to the nails and spores find their way into the nail bed. The spores like warm, dark and moist areas. The fungal microbes are not normally harmful but can multiply easily over time and cause infection.

The first step is to ask for help and get a diagnosis from your foot health professional or podiatrist. If you have any of the above symptoms and your feet are also particularly odorous, you may have a fungal infection or a bacterial infection. If so, the treatment you need will differ from if you are suffering from a fungal infection alone. 

There is an easy and reliable advanced in-house diagnosis laboratory test we use which helps us to diagnose a suspected fungal nail infection. It takes just five minutes to get the result. 

Then, we can develop a treatment plan. All the available treatments for fungal infections are based on decreasing the number of spores thus helping prevent recurrence. The treatment commonly includes nail reduction or debridement of the infected area, followed by use of a topical ointment or cream application which has active anti-fungal ingredients to treat the infected area.

I will recommend the correct anti-fungal topical ointment products for the infected nails and other products which support and complement the treatment. Those products must be used as advised and some home-treatment steps must be carried out on regular basis as well. Otherwise, the risk of recurrence or failure is high.

I will also inform you about different factors which may contribute to the persistence of the infection and highlight the steps for overcoming these. Knowing these factors is crucial for you, because it helps you to prevent further fungal infections in the future. 

After the first treatment, the patient will need to return in 4-6 weeks for a follow up fungal treatment appointment when we debride the infected nails, check your skin condition and assess the progress.

After catching the infection, the next period of the treatment to let the new, healthy nail grow out but under the supervision of a professional. This can take 6-12 months.