It starts as a white or yellowish brown spot below the tip of your fingernail or toenail. As the fungal infection deepens, the nail may discolor, thicken, and crumble at the edge. Infected nails are usually thicker than normal and may be misshapen or strangely shaped. Fungus nails may look yellowish.
Sometimes, a white spot appears on the nail and then it gets bigger. When fungi accumulate under the nail, they can come loose and even separate the nail from the bed. The fungus can also spread to the skin around the nail. As the fungus decreases, the discoloration of the nail may slowly dissipate.
Over time, you'll see that the areas of discoloration get smaller and smaller. The American Academy of Dermatology Association states that fingernails usually grow after 4 to 6 months, while toenails can take 12 to 18 months. The fungus enters the toenail through the cuticle and affects the part of the nail closest to the base, turning it whitish in color. If you've found a good treatment for toenail fungus and are now wondering what are the signs that the toenail fungus is finally going away, you've come to the right place.
Usually, with the right treatment, getting rid of toenail fungus takes a few weeks to a few months, and possibly longer. Treating nail fungus can be a lengthy process, so it's important to go ahead and wait until the end. To see if this prescription medication for toenail fungus is right for you, simply fill out an online medical consultation based on a questionnaire. If you spend a lot of time in the water or injure your toenail, your chances of getting nail fungus increase.
There are several health problems that can affect the appearance of toenails and can be mistaken for toenail fungus. White superficial onychomycosis is also a rare form of toenail fungus that can occur in people who are otherwise healthy. Since toenail fungus can look like other conditions, including psoriasis, you'll want to have your toenails examined by a doctor. Usually, toenails grow less than 2 mm per month and the infection has to disappear completely before a toenail fungus can be considered “cured”.
Most antifungal medications are effective against most forms of toenail fungus, although treatment may take some time, in part because it is difficult to deliver any type of medication through the nail plate to the skin below the nail plate. Endonic onychomycosis. People with endonic onychomycosis have fungi that grow between the layers of their toenails. If the toenail infection has caused the nails to thicken and protrude from the nail bed, a sign that the treatment is effective is a decrease in the thickness of the nails.
