Smelly toenails from fungus can be an emotional and upsetting condition to try and heal from. Bad odor coming from the toenails is actually most frequently caused by a toenail fungus infection. The symptoms of toenail fungus can feel embarrassing. This can include both the toenail odor it can cause as well as other symptoms. The stigma around the symptoms that toenail fungus can lead people to avoid public places. This means avoiding public places like the beach with friends or going out for a day by the public pool.

Often the worst part about toenail fungus is the embarrassment surrounding the condition can cause. Stinky toenails are a symptom of fungus that can cause the most embarrassment, shame, and discomfort. Visual changes in the nail’s surface may be easier to hide than a bad odor coming from the nails. People may be more vocal about a bad odor they smell than they are about visual changes like discolored toenails.

Smelly Toenails

After realizing you have developed smelly toenails, discovering the root cause of the smell should be your next step. The best way to do this is to be seen by a licensed podiatrist, a doctor who specializes in feet. They have been trained and are experienced at providing diagnoses for issues with the feet. Toenail fungus infection is the leading cause of toenail smell. The spores that cause these infections live under the toenail inside of the nail bed. As a result, it is a difficult area to clean and treat.

smelly toenail treatment

Causes of Smelly Toenails

The root cause of your smelly toenails can be pinned down to fungus by looking for the characteristic symptoms of fungal infections. For one, the characteristic toenail fungus odor has been called cheese-like. If the smell coming from your toenails smells like cheese, it is likely that toenail fungus could be the cause. If you’ve noticed that your toenail smell gets worse when you trim your nails, this is another sign that fungus is the cause. The fungal spores under the nail are released into the air when they are trimmed, making the smell worse.

Laser Treatment for Fungus

Leaving your smelly toenails untreated will allow them to get worse and worse. An FDA-approved medical treatment from a licensed podiatrist is the only way to do good for the fungal infection under your nails. Proper medical treatment that is carried out by a trained professional for a smelly toenail fungus problem is much safer than trying these at-home recommendations. A medical professional will be able to diagnose your fungus. Therefore, they should be able to recommend and perform the best treatment option for you.

Smelly toenails can thankfully be treated in ways that are safer and more effective than topical and oral antifungal medications. The safest treatment for toenail fungus is the PinPointe laser, which has no down time or risk of major side effects like liver toxicity. Additionally, this laser is the most effective laser on the market to treat toenail fungus. The treatment only requires one session to completely eliminate the fungus, so most patients don’t need to come in for multiple treatments. This laser treatment also has great reviews, and patients are generally very satisfied with their results. To read more about the experiences patients have had with the PinPointe Laser treatment, visit our website here. Or call us at (800) 672-0625 to schedule a free consultation.