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.

Candidal onychomycosis

5. Total Dystrophic Onychomycosis is the total destruction of the surface of the nail or the nail plate.

Total dystrophic onychomycosis

Onychomycosis - What You Need To Know

Onychomycosis, the medical term for nailbed fungal infection, refers to any type of fungal infection that affects the nails. According to medical literature, it is the most common nail infection yet the most difficult to treat.

Nail fungal infection is caused by dermatophytes, a type of fungus that attacks both human and animal hair, skin and nails. 

Two dermatophytes, the Trichophyton rubrum and the Trichophyton mentagrophytes are responsible for causing 90 percent of all nail fungal infections. The disease is not life-threatening but it can cause pain, extreme discomfort and embarrassment to those who are suffering from this unsightly disease.

How Will You Know That Your Nails are Being Attacked by Fungi

You will know that your nails are being attacked by dermatophytes when they start to show discoloration and develop deformed and uneven yellowish lines underneath and on the sides of the nails. Your nails could also turn into a black color with that portion of your nails developing uneven and yellowish lines.

How To Treat Onychomycosis

The treatment primarily used for onychomycosis or nail fungal infection are terbinafine, itraconazole and fluconazole. Most medical publications say that these medications are effective for the elderly, for patients with diabetes and for children.

Discover Citrulline Malate - The Energy Boosting and Fatigue -Busting Supplement

Do you enjoy eating watermelons especially when the weather is hot and you want to refresh yourself? Don't take those red, juicy, bulky fruits for granted. We thought that these red-colored fruits that are abundant during the hot summer months are all water? Well, I did think so until I read about citrulline malate. 

Those thirst-quenching watermelons are not all water but they are packed with a substance called citrulline malate which gives energy to the muscles for high energy athletic performance and extreme physical exertion. 

Citrulline malate is the energy-boosting and fatigue-busting supplement that is present in watermelons. It is a combination of citrulline which is a non-protein amino acid and malate, a salt of malic acid. 

Citrulline malate prevents the muscles from experiencing muscle fatigue due to its ability to remove ammonia and lactic acid, two substances that cause fatigue, muscle pain and cramps. 

So for a needed energy boost to sustain you in your training and workouts, take citrulline malate. If you are not an athlete, let's say you are a housewife who is always busy taking care of the family and the household, and you want a natural source of citrulline malate, eat watermelon regularly so you will not tire easily while you do your daily tasks.