To soften your fungal toenails when they have been infected with fungus, there are a few things you can do. Nail fungus causes aesthetic changes in the nail itself that can have functional effects as well. Aesthetic changes from fungus include discoloration, brittleness, cracking, and thickening. One of the most annoying symptoms of toenail fungus is thickening. Because nail clippers are only open to a certain degree, getting fungal toenails between them can be impossible. Even if you can get them inside the clippers, the fungal nails may be too hardened to clip anyways.

Water soak instructions

Soften your fungal toenails by using a warm water bath. You can do this in any basin of water. Bathtubs are usually the most accessible and work well for this purpose. Fill the basin with warm water and let your feet soak in them for 30 minutes or more. You can even turn this into a relaxing part of your day by lighting a candle or reading a book. After you soak your feet, you should notice the nails are easier to cut.

To soften especially hard toenails, you may need to repeat the soaking process. Soak your feet daily until you notice the nails are easy enough to cut. You can also apply a nail softening cream to the nail surface nightly to help more.

If you soften your nails enough, you should be able to cut them eventually. However, if your nails are too thick to cut, you may need to get them thinned down by a podiatrist. This is called debridement and is usually done in conjunction with fungal treatment. Thinning the nail allows whatever treatment you’re getting to penetrate further into the nail. The best treatment for fungus is the PinPointe laser, which typically requires only one treatment to kill the fungus. To schedule a consultation with a licensed podiatrist at over 150 clinics nationwide, give us a call at 1-(800) 672-0625 or visit our website for more information.