Nail fungus can cause damage to nails. Nail fungus is a condition that can cause some pretty worrying aesthetic damage to the toenail. Often, patients who have toenail fungus can become embarrassed by the look of their nails and worried about how they will look in the future. Because of this, you may be worried about the damage you see on your nail from fungus becoming permanent. While this is an understandable concern, understanding how toenail fungus works should give you some peace of mind.

Permanent Nail Damage

Toenail fungus infects the nail bed under the nail and uses this environment to grow. As it grows, it can start to show as discoloration of the nail. The nail fungus can also affect the texture of the nail, making it thick and brittle. When the fungus is allowed to grow further, it can start deteriorating the structure of the nail. When this happens, the nail can crumble off in pieces and flake off. In some cases, the nail may even start to crack, break off, or detach from the nail bed. These signs of nail fungus can look pretty extreme.

It is important to understand that nail fungus works by affecting the nail as it grows out. The fungus stays under the nail bed and continues to damage any new nail growing out of the toe. However, the fungus usually doesn’t cause any permanent damage to the structure of the toe that produces new nail material. This means that once the actual fungal infection under the nail has been taken care of, a new healthy nail should be able to grow back without any permanent damage. In very severe cases of toenail fungus, permanent nail damage is a possibility. This only happens when the fungus is left untreated for a long period of time.

Is Toenail Fungus Airborne?

Laser Treatment for Toenail Fungus

To prevent permanent damage, you should receive an FDA-approved treatment for fungus as soon as possible. The best treatment available is the PinPointe laser, which typically only takes one treatment to cure the fungus. Our nail doctor in Phoenix, AZ recommends this laser treatment. 

The laser treatment has the highest cure rate on the market. It has no side effects and no recovery period. As a result, you can go about your daily activities right after treatment. Also, it is not painful. 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.