Fungal Nail Infections

Often an area where it can be tricky to come to a clear diagnosis, a fungal infection of your nail can lead to thickening, discoloration and deformity. However there are many other nail conditions which can also cause these changes.

Primarily clinical diagnosis is used to determine if a fungal infection is likely. Topical treatments are usually recommended as a first line treatment, they tend to be creams or a lacquer which you apply to your nail. The nail will need to be cut back and filed down by your podiatrist prior to treatment to increase it's effectiveness.

Should the topical treatments fail it may well be necessary to take oral medications from your GP however usually a sample of the nail is taken and sent away to be tested first as the oral medications can have some significant side effects.