Preventing New Fungal Toenail Infections After A Laser Treatment
Laser nail treatments can be effective in treating fungal infections. While this is true, you will need to wait for your nail to grow out before the most unsightly parts of the nail disappear. Once this happens, you should take precautions to make sure that the fungus is unable to return. Keep reading to learn about some tips to help you with this.
Trim Toenails Short
Toenail infections can be caused by a variety of fungi, and most of them are organisms called dermatophytes. The dermatophyte fungi work their way into the toenail through small cracks and openings. A great deal of this damage is due to rips, cuts, and scrapes across the top of the nail. This damage may be due to the poor health of the nails or it may be caused by a lack of care. To avoid this issue, make sure to trim your toenails short.
Toenails should be cut straight to prevent tears and situations where the edges can grow into the sides of the toes. Make sure the nail is only two to three millimeters past the edge of the nail bed. Also, when cutting your nails, make sure they are dry. Wet nails can rarely be cut without ripping.
You should also make sure that your clippers are cleaned and sanitized before every use. If they are noticeably dirty, then dip them in a pot of boiling water that contains a small amount of dish soap. Otherwise, rinse them in rubbing alcohol. Dry the clippers and then use them to cut your toenails.
Inspect Your Nails
Nails are likely to become infected with fungi if they are brittle, cracked, and broken. Keeping your nails intact and free of any damage will help them safe from fungal infections. This is why it is wise to inspect your toenails every time you take a bath or shower. If you notice cracks and brittle sections of your nails, then make sure to add a moisturizer. When a moisturizer is applied, this helps the nail to retain fluid so it no longer cracks. Oils also create a barrier over the nail to keep microorganisms out of the cracks that can cause infections.
You can use plain olive oil to moisturize your toenails or you can purchase a toenail moisturizing lotion. If you opt for a lotion, then look for one that contains tea tree oil or another type of antifungal agent. This will help to reduce the number of fungal microorganisms that can infect the toenails. Of course, you can add a few drops of the oil to your DIY oil moisturizer as well.
For more tips, check out sites like http://www.familyfootcenter.net.