Do your toenails appear yellow, brittle or thickened?

Then perhaps you suffer from and infection, a condition called nail fungus. Nail fungus can be caused by heavy foot perspiration, poor shoe/sock ventilation, or walking barefoot in damp areas such as a gym or locker room.

Until now, the only solution for nail fungus were to surgically remove the nail; apply topical treatments, which have a poor success rate; or more recently, prescription medications, which have many potentially dangerous side effects.

Various types of fungi are present everywhere in the environment. The dark, moist surroundings created by shoes and stockings make the feet especially susceptible to fungal infection.

Most fungi are harmless until they penetrate the skin. A fungus can invade through minor cuts, or after injury or repeated irritation to the toes have caused the nail to separate from the bed. Fungal infections of the nail plate and nail matrix are quite common.

Symptoms

• Fungus may cause the nail to thicken and become yellow or brownish.
• As the fungus grows, foul-smelling, moist debris can be seen.
• Pressure from a thickened nail or the build-up of debris may make the toe painful.