There are many root causes of nasty smelling toenails. Nasty-smelling toenails can definitely be a cause of insecurity and frustration for people that have them. Bad smell is generally poorly tolerated by friends and family. Having a smell can sometimes be linked to hygiene practices by people around you. It can be embarrassing to feel like you have a noticeable smell from your toenails.

People may noticeably take steps to avoid being around you if your feet or toenails smell. You are actually causing those people discomfort with a noticeable odor coming from your toes. Normally, poor hygiene and washing practices can be fixed to treat smelly feet. Bad-smelling toenails can be more complicated to cure. When it is the toenails that are smelly, it is likely that a toenail fungus may be the root cause. 

Nasty Toenails

Nasty-smelling toenails will usually start because of a contagious fungus. It typically isn’t poor hygiene or improper washing. These infections of the nails are very common and spread between people like family members and close friends very easily. Because of the toenail fungus’ level of contagion, it can be hard to tell where the fungus actually came from. It can cause people to assume that the fungus infection and smell are caused by a lack of cleanliness. Even the cleanest of people are still at risk for a toenail fungus infection.

What causes smelly toenails?

Nasty smelling toenails can definitely get worse and better in certain climates and environments as well. Fungal spores love climates that are dark and moist. The summer is definitely their favorite time to breed and grow. This is also the time when you walking barefoot around strangers who may have it to give. Shoes and socks become sweaty very quickly in the summer which also allows the fungus to thrive. As the fungal spores grow, the fungal smell will likely become worse as well.

The hot climate quintessential to summer will make any bad smell more permeating and worse. Hot weather will heat up the smelly fungus particles and make the spores project over further distances. So the nasty smell under your toes will be more obvious on a hot summer day.

Toenails with Fungus

Toenail funguses can be the root causes of nasty-smelling toenails. To determine if your nasty-smelling toenails are from fungal infection or not, there are a few signs you can look for. For one, if the smell is coming from the toenails themselves and not the skin of the foot, this is a sign that a toenail fungus could be the root cause. Bad smelling feet that aren’t caused by a fungus should wash the smell away easily, while toenail fungus scent will not wash away. To test this, wash your feet well in the shower every day (this is a habit you should do every day regardless of toenail fungus) to see if you notice an improvement in the smell of your feet.

If the toenails still smell, the fungus could be the root cause. Simply washing your feet won’t be able to completely clean the nail bed of fungus, and the fungal scent will still be there because of this. Also, try and notice if the smell from your feet gets worse immediately after you trim them. The fungus grows in the nail bed which is agitated during trimming, so grooming the nails can dislodge fungal debris into the environment.

Treatment Options for Toenail Fungus

Nasty smelling toenails from fungus have different treatment options that are available to try with a licensed podiatrist supervising. These often have many downsides, and using them may feel pointless. Over-the-counter topical medications for fungus are often very ineffective at treating the fungus. Oral antifungal medications prescribed by doctors are slightly more effective, but also very dangerous for the liver. While many treatments have a lot of downsides, nasty-smelling toenails can be treated in a safer, more effective way.

Laser treatments like the PinPointe laser use a safe amount of heat instead of any antifungal chemicals to kill the fungus. The PinPointe laser doesn’t carry the risk of major side effects and is safe for even many people with pre-existing conditions. The PinPointe laser only requires one treatment, making it more effective than any other fungus treatment available. You can schedule an appointment for a consultation with one of our licensed podiatrists at 1-(800) 672-0625. To learn more about the laser itself and how it works, you can also visit our website for more information.