Avoiding the spread of toenail fungus can seem difficult. Toenail fungus can be stubborn and treatment-resistant, as well as frustrating to live with. You may be worried about the appearance of the fungus, but you also have to worry about spreading it to others.

Spreading Toenail Fungus

Although the fungus is not as contagious as, say, an airborne disease, it’s still common that someone with toenail fungus infects someone they live with. If you’re in the same space with someone and you use the same shower, the same towels, or the same shoes, then it’s likely that you might transfer the fungus to that person. The fungus won’t just go away like a cough might – instead, the fungus can exist for decades with no reduction in symptoms.

So, what precautions can you take? 

  1. Especially if you’re already infectious, keep your shoes clean by applying antifungal shoe spray or shoe powder to the insides of your shoes. Shoes can become warm inside while you wear them, which encourages the growth of fungus.
  2. Make sure to regularly clean anything that anything your feet touch during sleep. This includes washing your bedsheets often and wearing clean socks to bed.
  3. Disinfect shared bathroom spaces, particularly the shower. Since most people shower barefoot, the fungus can easily be transferred if it remains on the shower floor. You can also wear flip-flops, to be even safer.
  4. If you share nail tools (such as nail clippers or files) then make sure to disinfect those before letting another person use them. If possible, use completely separate nail tools to ensure that the fungus won’t be transferred.
  5. Make sure you dry your feet when you get out of the shower, then wash your towel. The fungus may spread to the towel and remain on it, which means that sharing towels is also a risk.
  6. If you share shoes and socks, disinfect and wash those as much as possible. However, the best idea would be to avoid sharing these items altogether.
  7. The final tip, which is the best way to prevent the spread of fungus – get treatment for it as soon as you can.

Laser Treatment for Nail Fungus

As you can see, tips for healthy feet without nail fungus can be easy to find. Furthermore, if you have caught nail fungus, it can be easily treated using the FDA-approved PinPointe laser. It typically only takes on treatment. Other treatments like topical solutions and oral medication are not as effective. Topical solutions have a very low cure rate. This is because the solution does not penetrate all the way through the nail bed.  This is because it can lead to liver toxicity. You would need to have consistent blood tests throughout the course of taking the medication. 

Our nail doctor in Ashburn, VA recommends this treatment for toenail fungus. The PinPointe Laser treatment has the highest cure rate in the market. It has no side effects and no recovery period. As a result, you can go about your daily activities right after the treatment. Also, there’s no pain. If you have any signs of nail fungus, call us at (800) 672-0625 at our Ashburn, VA location. Visit our website for more information on our doctors at one of our over 150 locations.