The fungus that infects the nail comes under the category of dermatophytes. The types of toenail fungus infections are based in area which the infection starts. The major types of toenail fungal infections are Distal Subungual Onychomycosis, White superficial Onychomycosis, Candida Onychomycosis, and Proximal subungual Onychomycosis.
Distal subungual Onychomycosis
The most common type of infection that is caused in the nail is called Distal Subungual Onychomycosis (DSO). Athlete's foot is caused by this fungus. The skin under the nail is infected by this fungus, and it starts infecting the nail. The color of the nail after the infection might become white or yellow. You can see the nail beginning to split into pieces (fragments) and this causes crumbling of the nail in due course. Then the nail starts separating from the skin. A person affected by this nail fungus might find it difficult to wear shoes and socks. While wearing socks the nail may get between the fabrics and it may cause pain.
Wearing shoes and walking with this condition is difficult for the affected person. The infection gets worse when they start wearing shoes with this condition. The infection may also get serious and it becomes difficult to cure. Add on cushions need to be used for comfort while wearing shoes.
White superficial Onychomycosis
The other common type of infection that is caused is the White Superficial Onychomycosis. This type of infection is second to the Distal Subungual Onychomycosis. This kind of infection is caused in about one tenth of the cases that report of having nail infections. In this type of infection the infection is caused in the upper layer of the nail. This causes the top layer of the nail to turn to white in color. Initially only white spots are found in the nail. As days pass the white spot turns in to white powder or crumbles. In this type of infection, the nail does not disintegrate from the skin and it remains thin instead of getting thick as in the other types of infection. It is easy to cure this infection than the other types of infection.
Candida Onychomycosis
The nail can also get affected by yeast called the candida and this type of infection is caused in about one hundredth of the patients that report of having nail infections. This infection is called the Candida Onychomycosis. The skin that is near the nail border gets affected during this infection. This is more often found in the fingernail as opposed to the toenails. This infection causes the nail to separate from the nail bed and in the worst case all nails in your fingers can get affected at the same time. The color of the nail changes to different colors like white, green, or brown. The skin next to the nail may look swollen and this is an indication of the infection. As with the other types of fungal infections this infection may cause pain in the infected area.
Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis
Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis (PSO) is the other type of fungal nail infection that is caused by the dermatophytes. People who are affected by this type of infection are less than 1%. People who are infected with HIV are the most who are infected by this fungal infection. The nail folds are infected and the skin thickens separating the nail from the skin. White coloring of the nail may occur and the top skin of the foot may get affected.
The type of infection that occurs in the patients varies depending on the condition of the person, their age and their lifestyle. A small change in the lifestyle and the diet they take can change the course of the infection in a positive way in which you can feel minimum discomfort.
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