Toenail fungus is caused by the same fungus that causes athlete’s foot. It starts out as a white or yellow spot underneath your nail. If left untreated and fungus worsens, it can cause a thickening and yellowing of the nail causing it to get brittle and may stunt nail growth. A dull (no shine) or distorted nail shape can also be sings of toenail fungus. A buildup of debris under the nail can lead to darkening or dark spots. Fungus can also travel to other nails making it hard to determine if it’s worse in one nail compared to the others.

If you’ve experienced any of the above symptoms it is important to keep feet and toes as clean as possible. Keeping nails trimmed and free of buildup underneath the nail will keep it from spreading. Be careful not to trim the nail too short because this can encourage fungus to grow into the root. Usually a topical anti-fungal medicine will help clear the beginning types of fungus, but if fungus worsens, it can cause a thickening and yellowing of the nail as mentioned above.

When home remedies and topic anti-fungal medicines are not enough,you might want to consider making an appointment for a consultation at Rocky Mountain Laser College. Lasers can be beneficial in clearing up toenail fungus. Lasers use light and heat making the environment inhospitable for fungus to thrive. We recommend 1 treatment a week for 3 weeks. After your initial set of treatments we have clients wait 3-4 months and then come back in for a recheck. If we can see new healthy nail growing at the root or base of the nail we don’t recommend any more treatments. If fungus hasn’t cleared after 2 sessions it could mean that the fungus has entered the root of the nail and an appointment with a doctor is recommended. Using a topical ant-fungal cream is highly recommended during and after all treatments.