your health and wellness: Can Onychomycosis Completely Destroy Your Nails?

Yes, onychomycosis can completely destroy your nails. One third of all fungal infections that affect people worldwide occurs as onychomycosis or nail fungal infection which also accounts for one half of all diseases affecting the nails. The toenails are affected more than the fingernails and affects mostly people aged 60 and older.

Since 50 percent of the total nail disorders worldwide is caused by fungal infection, every onychomycosis diagnosis should be confirmed by a test using potassium hydroxide (KOH) because skin disorders such as contact dermatitis, nail bed tumor, psoriasis, yellow nail syndrome and lichen planus can be erroneously diagnosed as onychomycosis

Onychomycosis has 5 types:

1. The most common type is Distal Subungual Onychomycosis which can develop in both toenails and fingernails. The surface of the nails or the nail bed is the part that is mostly affected and spreads to the underside parts of the nails.

Distal subungual onychomycosis

2. White Superficial Onychomycosis accounts for only 10 percent of all nail fungal infection cases. It is the toenails that are affected by fungi that cause the formation of white lines on the surface of the nails. As the fungi spread, the toenails become soft and tend to crumble and break.

White superficial onychomycosis

3. Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis is the rare type of nail fungal infection. The fungus can affect the toenails through the nail folds. This type usually happens to people who have weak immune system.

Proximal subungual onychomycosis

4. Candidal Onychomycosis can happen to people who have chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. This is characterized by nails that have been invaded by the candida yeast and those that have been affected by certain bacterial or fungal infection or severe trauma.