Fungal Nail

Fungal Nail

So what is a fungal nail and what does it look like. A fungal nail is caused when organisms such as Trichophyton Rubrum infects the nail plate. This infection can occur following an injury to the nail plate typically we see this sort of injury when trauma to the nail plate occurs such as a subungal haematoma (bleeding under the nail plate) as this grows out it creates a cavity under the nail plate this allows the infective organism to gain entry to the nail resulting in a nail fungus.
As a Podiatrist we are also seeing an alarming increase in this condition in young women who visit nail bars that use no medically acceptable form of sterilisation. By using these instruments on multiple patients the infection can be spread from client to client. People must be aware that it is really easy to pass on the infection that causes a nail fungus in this sort of an environment.

Fungal Nail Pathology

Most medical practitioners will do pathology to confirm the presence of organisms that cause a nail fungus, as a Podiatrist we are much more used to diagnosing a nail by appearance in some cases such as patients with a history of Psoriasis we will do pathology to confirm that the nail is a fungal nail and not a psoriatic nail.

Fungal Nail Appearance

Generally you will notice a discolouration of the nail plate this change in colour can range from white to yellow and in a few cases the nail can be a dark green colour a nail infected with fungus will change slowly so don’t be alarmed its progression is generally fairly slow but it should be checked out by a professional such as a Podiatrist.

 

 

Fungal Nail

Fungal Nail Before Treatment

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