Is toenail fungus unhealthy? If you have started to notice the signs of a toenail fungus, you may be worried about what the condition means for your health in general. Nail fungus can cause some pretty extreme aesthetic changes to the nail, which may seem like they are very serious. However, a nail fungus infection doesn’t mean that you are unhealthy. Additionally, having a nail fungus usually won’t be detrimental to your overall health.

How did I get toenail fungus?

Nail fungus infections occur when the nail comes into contact with fungal spores that attach themselves to the nail bed. This happens when you are exposed to the fungus from someplace in the environment, like in public locker rooms or pools. Because the fungus can attach to anybody’s nail, having a toenail fungus isn’t a sign that you are unhealthy. Rather, it is simply a sign that at some point your feet touched a surface with a fungus on it.

The fungus can affect healthy and unhealthy people easily. Some patients with preexisting conditions like diabetes might experience faster growth of the fungus, but the growth of the infection itself is an insufficient measure of health.

Is toenail fungus dangerous?

In addition to not being a sign of poor health, toenail fungus is usually a completely cosmetic condition. That means that the toenail fungus won’t cause any pain or other health issues with your body. While the fungus isn’t unhealthy, it will continue to grow and get worse if you don’t treat it. In some very extreme cases, the fungus can enter the bloodstream, which is definitely a health risk.

Laser Treatment

Whether or not your fungus is extreme, you should receive an FDA-approved treatment to stop it from progressing further. The best of these is the PinPointe laser, which typically requires only one treatment to cure the fungus. To schedule a consultation with a licensed podiatrist for the PinPointe laser treatment, give us a call at 1-(800) 672-0625 or visit our website for more information.