Toenail fungus in shoes is one of the most common places fungus thrives. Fungus enjoys dark areas and inside sweaty shoes make the perfect environment to thrive. Toenail fungus can lodge onto almost any surface it finds and use it to both infect new hosts and reinfect people who have already caught it. Because of this, surfaces that have a high risk of having a fungus on them should be touched with caution. These places include public pools, locker rooms, gyms, and hotel rooms. One of the biggest culprits for toenail fungus carriers is shoes. For this reason, our doctors in Indianapolis, IN highly encourage people to never share shoes with others. Because shoes can easily spread toenail fungus, you should be very cautious to not share them with anybody. Wearing somebody else’s for even just a day, even with socks on, can cause you to become infected. 

Reinfection Dangers

Many patients who are in the process of treating their toenail fungus are worried about potential reinfection with the fungus. Some patients think they need to throw away all of their shoes and get a completely new footwear wardrobe. This is usually not necessary. Most people can simply use an antifungal shoe spray to disinfect their shoes in-between wears. Using anti-fungal shoe sprays is a great way to kill any existing fungus inside your shoes as well as making sure no additional growth happens. In addition to using the sprays inside the shoes, our nail doctors also recommend using antifungal solutions on the nails and antifungal creams on the skin of the foot. 

Treatment of Nail fungus in shoes

Doing this is most useful when you receive highly effective treatment for the fungus itself. The toenail fungus laser treatment is sufficient to kill all of the fungi under your nails with just one treatment. In our offices, we use the PinPointe laser. After this treatment, you can then disinfect all of your shoes. Since you won’t have any fungus on your toes, the risk of a fungal spore being present on the wall of your shoe will be very low. Other treatments kill the fungus more gradually, so residual fungal spores on your shoes may make the fungus harder to treat. Our nail fungus laser is FDA approved and has no side effects or downtime. Our treatment is safe for children, the elderly, and even pregnant women. To schedule a free consultation with a licensed podiatrist for the nail fungus laser treatment, give us a call at 1-(800) 672-0625 or visit our website for more information.