Please Help Me! - Nail Fungus

[HoneyBFly81]

I have heard that nail polish can cause nail fungus. Is this true?
What are the chances of getting a nail fungus by wearing nail polish on your natural nails?
Is it okay to paint over nail fungus?

[HoneyBFly81]

Thank you so much the information! I really appreciate it.

[carcrazy]

Toe nails are more prone to fungal infections, closed footwear, nylon hosiery, socks all provide the perfect breeding ground. Wearing nail varnish on top of these conditions won't have helped but if you were wearing open toe shoes all summer then I'd say you were extremely unlucky in developing a fungal infection.

There is some anecdotal evidence that vicks vaporub works. Vinegar slows down the growth of the fungus so may help in eradicating it. Not tried either method myself as when I had a fungal infection on my one toenail I quickly realised what it was and treated it with one of my anti fungal primers from my kit. Its supposed to prevent not cure but catching it early obviously helped as it was gone within a couple of weeks of daily use. I got it because I'm in socks and boots all year round, perfect for the Mr Fungi! I also boil washed my socks after each use and used an anti-fungal foot powder in my boots. I've not had another case of it so something worked.  I was lucky as it is hard to get rid of and reinfections are common.

Try some home and over the counter remedies first. Lamisil is supposed to be good, but there are several products that contain the same ingredients.
When using a topical treatment I'd advise buffing the nail first, thin it out a bit, go slowly you don't want to thin it out so much that you hit the nail bed. (blood and OUCH) Reducing the nail thickness will enable the cream/lotion/or paint on lacquer to saturate the nail better. This is not something I would advise on fingernails in fact its not something I'd advise at all under normal circumstances.
Buy some snow blocks to buff with, (ebay or a beauty supply store) use each block only once, you can do all toes with one block and only buff once a month or you are likely to hit the nail bed (I repeat GO SLOWLY)
After buffing follow the treatments instructions.
I'd treat your closed toe footwear with an anti-fungal foot powder and wash your socks on a high heat. Also allow your toes as much daylight and air as possible. It will take several months, up to a year.

If this doesn't work or you don't fancy trying it then speak to your Dr about prescription treatment, some medicines may not be suitable for all patients and can cause some pretty serious side effects.

Hope this helps

[HoneyBFly81]

Thank you for sharing your info. I don't think you are being argumentative at all! The problem is that I think I have a nail fungus on the majority of my toenails. My toenails have turned white on the corners. They just look different to me. So I wonder what caused it and the only thing I can attribute it to is the nail polish I used all summer. So now I am too scared to paint my fingernails because I don't want it to happen to my fingernails! I have been using Vick's Vaporub and vinegar. From everything I have read, a cure for nail fungus is pretty much impossible...

[carcrazy]

I don't wish to be argumentative but......

True fungal infections (onychomycosis) affects the nail bed and the underside of the nail plate. It's the sort that is commonly seen on big toes causing thickened yellowed growth, it can of course affect the fingernails too and is generally caused by injury to the proximal and lateral nail folds or the eponychium. Some types of onychomycosis affects the whole nail plate.
White superficial onychomycosis can be caused from wearing layers of nail varnish which like fake nails stop the nail plate receiving oxygen which would destroy the fungus

The other sort of infection that is caused by poorly kept fake nail and varnish wearers is actually not fungal, its bacterial and is usually distinguishable by the green, brown or yellow discolouration. Pseudomonas bacterial infections occur between the natural nail plate and the nail bed, and will also occur between an artificial nail coating (varnish or artificial nail system) and the natural nail plate

A year at college and a Beauty Therapy NVQ level 3 in Nail services qualification.

[HoneyBFly81]

Thanks for your thoughts. Fungal infections are underneath the nail so I don't really agree with what you are saying. But thank you!!!

[carcrazy]

In theory yes you can get a fungal type infection under nail varnish but you would have to be pretty negligent to the state of your fingers to do so.  

If you are wearing several layers of varnish and it starts lifting instead of just flaking off it would be a prime site for an infection, most peoples varnish just flakes off and even if it did start lifting most people would just strip off the whole varnish. So the chances are pretty rare. The same cannot be said for any artificial nail systems tho, lifting falsies are prone to fungal infections.

Could you paint over an infection...yes but once again it would be pretty negligent. Once you have treated the infection then you really should let the discoloured nail grow out, it doesnt look the nicest but lemon juice applied once or twice a week will fade some of the green/brown/yellow colour away.