Softening Fungal Toenails is an important part of the regular maintenance of fungal toenails. A fungal infection of the nail is a condition that can be caught in a variety of places. Some common places for fungus to be living are public locker rooms, public pools, and nail salons. Fungal spores survive on the floor in these places. They may also be found on unsanitized tools in a nail salon. The fungus can enter your nail bed and start to grow. Once the fungus has gotten into the nail bed, it can be hard to get rid of. As the fungal spores grow, they cause damage to the nail that can manifest in different ways.

Nail fungus damage

Normally, fungal damage to the toe is cosmetic. Nails typically become discolored, usually start as a spot or stripe that grows to affect more of the nail’s surface. As the fungus grows, it can also cause changes in the texture and composition of the nail. Damage from toenail fungus can lead to debris buildup under the nail. Cracking, brittleness, thickening, and hardening of the nail are also common. While these issues are cosmetic in nature, sometimes the changes in the texture and composition of the nail can have functional as well. For example, when the nail becomes especially brittle or hard, cutting the nail with clippers can be difficult.

Ways to alleviate the issue

Softening fungal nails can therefore be essential to trim them regularly. This is important for several reasons. One, trimming the nails regularly keeps them looking more tidy and clean. Because fungus can wrongfully be associated with uncleanliness if you are worried about the appearance of your nails you should do your best to keep them at a moderate length. When fungal toenails are allowed to grow longer than they should be, they can appear alarming. Trimming your nails regularly will minimize the appearance of uncleanliness. This should help reduce the degree to which your condition is noticeable. Additionally, trimming toenails is an important part of general hygiene for everybody. Trimming your nails regularly and properly can help reduce the risk of ingrown toenails, and reduce the number of bacteria living underneath your nail.

Instructions for softening nails at home

Softening fungal nails can be accomplished very easily at home. The easiest method of softening fungal nails only requires one tool, that most people have an abundance of access to water! By simply soaking your feet in a bath of water, the nails should become softened and easier to cut. To do this method of softening your nails, fill a basin like a bathtub or a bucket with enough warm, clean water to cover your feet. If you would like to increase the efficacy of the treatment, you can dissolve some Epsom salts in the water as well. Put your feet in the basin, and let them sit for 20 to 40 minutes. After this period of time, remove your feet from the water and see if your toes have become softened. If they are significantly less hard than before the soak, you can try trimming them again.

Softening of the nail might require multiple attempts

Softening fungal toenails sometimes requires more than just one session of soaking in warm water. In cases of severe toenail fungus infection, the nails may require multiple repeated sessions of this treatment before the nail is soft enough to cut. In this case, you should repeat the treatment daily until your nail is at the level of softness that you desire. If repeated soaks don’t improve the condition of your nail’s hardness, you can try to apply a nail softening cream after the water bath and let that soak in as well.

Softening fungal toenails isn’t always sufficient to be able to trim the nails. Sometimes the nail is too thickened from fungus to fit between the blades of the nail clippers at all. In this case, the nail will need to be thinned down before being trimmed. This should not be done at home and can be done by a licensed podiatrist in a process called debridement. 

Treatment for nail fungus

Permanently softening fungal toenails can be done by treating the fungus itself. After eliminating the fungus from the nail bed, a new healthy nail should start to grow behind the old damaged one. This nail should be clear, thin, and soft enough to cut. The best option for this treatment is the PinPointe laser, which typically requires only one treatment to eliminate the fungus from the nail bed. To find which of our 150 podiatry clinics is closest to you to get the PinPointe laser treatment, visit our page here.