My Toenail Fungus Is Embarrassing: Can You Help?

You want your toes to look nice, well-shaped, and clean. But toenail fungus can present a problem, leaving you embarrassed about the appearance of your forefeet. Toenail fungus causes visible symptoms including nail discoloration, nail spots, and even nail thickening that can distort the shape of your toenail.

Toenail fungus, like other fungal infections, can be tough to get rid of with just over-the-counter or at-home treatments. That’s why you need an expert podiatrist like Dr. Leonard Greenwald to help you restore your forefeet. Dr. Greenwald provides expert podiatry care from his practice in San Jose, California.

Don’t let toenail fungus stress you out, or cause you to hide your feet due to aesthetic issues. You can still wear those favorite sandals this summer! Get in touch with Dr. Greenwald for the podiatry care you need to be happy about how your feet look and feel.

The impact of toenail fungus

Fungal infections can affect your toenails or the skin on your feet, as in the condition known as athlete’s foot. Fungal infections are contagious and may enter your body through small cuts or openings in your skin. Walking barefoot in areas where others have done the same, like locker rooms and public pools, can leave you dealing with fungal infections.

Sometimes, symptoms of a fungal infection are mostly cosmetic. You might notice white or dark spots on an infected toenail or an overall yellowish color. Your nail may also grow thicker, which can impact your normal toenail shape. Toenail fungus infections aren’t typically painful.

However, if your condition continues to develop without treatment, fungal infections can cause lasting harm to your nails and nail beds. Your nail may pull away from your nail bed or become fragile and prone to cracks. And, toenail fungus can spread from one toenail to another, or, more rarely, also start to affect your fingernails.

Treatments to reverse toenail fungus

Instead of hiding your feet in close-toed shoes all the time, or getting frustrated with the cycle of treating your symptoms with over-the-counter products just to see spots, yellowing, or nail thickening recur after a few weeks or months, contact Dr. Greenwald. 

You can learn how professionals address toenail fungus problems and find out about approaches that can work for you.

Dr. Greenwald assesses your toenails and recommends treatment options that provide lasting improvement. You may benefit from topical or oral antifungal treatments, or Dr. Greenwald may suggest a combined approach to eradicate your issue more completely and efficiently. You may need to use antifungal medications for several months to completely address your infection.

You don’t have to live with the embarrassing symptoms of toenail fungus. Effective treatment options are available! Just contact Dr. Greenwald to get started with the evaluation and treatment process. You can schedule your initial consultation by calling our office today, or you can also request an appointment online.