A toenail fungus is an infection called onychomycosis that occurs when a fungal organism gets through a cracked or cut toenail and grows under the nail.

Fungi (molds, mildew, and yeast, to name a few) grow all around in the soil, on plants, in water, and in your home. Once you pick up a fungus, it thrives in the dark, moist environment of your shoes. However, you only develop a toenail infection when the organism gets through the nail.

You have a higher risk of developing a toenail fungus if you:

• Have very sweaty feet
• Wear shoes that aren’t ventilated
• Don’t wear socks
• Have a toenail injury
• Go barefoot around pools and in gyms
• Have a history of athlete’s foot

Your risk also increases as you get older; toenails tend to get dry and crack with age, creating an opening for fungi.

One of the earliest symptoms includes white or yellow spots under the tip of your nail. The spots appear where the fungi entered the nail bed.

As the infection spreads, your toenail turns a yellowish color and thickens. Over time, the infection may change the shape of your nail. Additionally, the edge of the affected nail turns brittle and easily crumbles.

For many years, topical and oral antifungal medications were the only treatments for a toenail fungus. These treatments are still available, but they take a long time to eliminate the fungus and don’t work for everyone.

Innovation Medical Group offers a more effective solution — laser treatment. They use one of today’s most advanced lasers to send energy that easily passes through the toenail and reaches the fungal infection.

The laser’s heat destroys the fungus and infected nail cells without harming the healthy parts of your toenail or the surrounding skin. You feel warmth, but the treatment doesn’t cause pain.

Most people need three laser treatments to eliminate the fungi. Then your toenail gradually returns to normal as a new nail grows in and the diseased area grows out.

Don’t wait to get help for toenail fungus; the condition is nearly impossible to treat with over-the-counter products.