To groom and soften hard fungal nails can be very difficult, but is often also necessary. Actually, some of the symptoms caused by toenail fungus can make this task more difficult. Although, it is for other people who are lucky enough not to be infected. Toenail fungus symptoms normally don’t go further than the aesthetic. This is only causing a change in how the toenail looks on the outside. However, there are actually functional issues that can come with toenail fungus as well. These issues tend to be more frustrating to deal with and more detrimental to everyday life.

For example, many people with severe toenail fungus can’t even cut their toenails regularly. Regular grooming and hygiene can become severely impacted by these functional impairments to trimming. If there is an overgrowth of the nail, it makes the nail’s aesthetic even worse as the nail grows long. 

Hard Nails

Hard fungal nails are actually only one of the symptoms of toenail fungus; there are many more that can be used to easily identify healthy nails from those that have the condition. Healthy, normal nails without toenail fungus should have no issues being trimmed or groomed.

For example, nails that are healthy and not infected with fungus will appear to be clear. They show the pink or brown skin that they are covering. Also, they will not be excessively thickened or have an inconsistent texture like brittleness. Additionally, a healthy nail will not be detached from the nail bed at all. Other signs that a nail isn’t healthy include if there is debris buildup under the nail, cracking on the surface of the nail, or any other sort of damage that is visible.

A healthy nail will also grow new nail material at a reasonable rate; nail fungus can sometimes halt the growth of the nail. A healthy nail will have enough structure to stay intact. However, it will also still be soft enough to trim without problems.

Symptoms of Fungal Nails

Hard fungal nails are one of many nail fungus symptoms that can be used for diagnosis and that should be kept watch over. For example, a change in the color of the nail, also called discoloration, is usually one of the first symptoms of toenail fungus to appear. This is also one of the most common symptoms of toenail fungus.

The first signs of this change in the nail’s color will usually be noticeable only as a small dot or stripe on the surface of the toenail, so it can be hard to catch! As the toenail fungus infection continues without being treated effectively and the severity increases, the discoloration under the nail can widen and lengthen across the entire nail. While discoloration is the most common, visible aesthetic damages can happen to the nail aside from discoloration are also possible.

Nail brittleness, cracking, and detachment from the nail bed are also all common symptoms of toenail fungus infection. Thickening and hardening of the nail are some of the most frustrating of these symptoms. They pose a unique concern to the nail as they can definitely mess with grooming the nails and maintaining proper hygiene of the nails effectively. As the grooming of the nails is affected by the fungus, it is necessary to take other measures to trim the nails regularly.

Treatments for Grooming Nails

To groom and soften hard fungal nails is very important to some people. Softening thickened fungal nails is an important step to take to be able to trim them. Because of the direct impacts that toenail fungus has on the nail, it can feel difficult for people to trim their nails and some may even give up on it. The symptoms of toenail fungus directly impact the simplicity of trimming the nails by messing with the nail’s composition.

Excessively thick fungal nails won’t fit in between the blades of traditional home nail clippers. Medical-grade nail clippers may even fail at trimming these nails as well. Because the nails are thicker, the extra nail material produces extra resistance for the nail clippers to shear through. Nails can also even become more hardened from an infection with a toenail fungus, which poses a completely different challenge. Even if the toenail hasn’t increased in thickness, any hardening of the nail can make it more difficult to cut.

Laser Treatment

For patients with hard fungal nails, letting the nail grow out may seem like it is the only option available. To groom and soften hard fungal nails is another option. Sometimes getting nail clippers to trim the nail effectively can be impossible because the fungus can make the nails hard to cut through. Even if the fungus isn’t making the nail become harder, the nail can still become thickened because of toenail fungus. Nail clippers may not even fit over nails that have become excessively thick.

While soaking the feet is helpful at trimming hard fungal nails, the best thing to do in this situation is to be seen by a licensed podiatrist. They will be able to provide effective care for the fungus, and hopefully treat the fungal infection itself once and for all. To learn more about this treatment or schedule a free consultation with a licensed podiatrist, give us a call at 1-(800) 672-0625 or visit our website for more information.