Toenail fungus, also known as onychomycosis, is a very common medical condition that affects over 35 million people worldwide, especially those with a weakened immune system. It causes the nails to turn a number of colors such as yellow, orange, black, etc. Additionally if not treated they can thicken or become brittle or even fall off if the infection becomes severe.
If you believe you have contracted toenail fungus, then we highly recommend that you start treating the infection as soon as possible, so you can prevent it from spreading to other parts of your body or becoming worse. But is toenail fungus contagious?
Is Toenail Fungus Contagious?
The answer is yes! Toenail fungus is highly contagious, in fact, if you have contracted toenail fungus its more likely that you have got it from someone else. Fungus spreads mostly in moist, dark warm areas such as a public swimming pool, locker rooms, public showers, etc. Don’t practice wearing wet shoes or socks, as this is the ideal environment for growing nail fungus. Keeping your shoes in the sun when they’re not being worn can help to kill fungus spores while drying them out, this will help to lower the risk of toenail fungus.
Preventative measures for preventing toenail fungus from spreading or getting the fungal infection include not sharing any items used to care for your nails, such as toenail clipper, nail files, nail polish or towels. In addition, you need to treat your toenail infection before it worsens. We have seen many people that have had toenail fungus for nearly 18 years – believe us the infection will not go away by itself. So if you have contracted toenail fungus we strongly recommend starting a treatment plan to get rid of the infection as soon as possible so you can prevent yourself from spreading the infection to your friends or loved ones.
How to Stop Toenail Fungus From Spreading?
To stop toenail fungus from spreading to other parts of your body, you’ll need to start treating it immediately. You have to stop the fungus from growing, which is located under the nail bed, so it’s very hard to reach. That is why we recommend using the best product for toenail fungus. Here are few body parts fungus normally spreads:
- The Feet and Other Toenails – In most cases, people contract Athlete’s foot first, usually if athletes foot is left untreated it normally turns toenail fungus. Athletes foot is another common fungal infection that affects many people around the world. It causes itchiness, pain and flaking in the webbing between the toes and around the foot. Sock is another huge factor that causes toenail fungus to spread because of switching the same socks on both feet.
- The Genitals – Recent research has proven that toenail fungus can easily spread to the genital if the infection comes into contact with this area of the body. This is commonly known as jock itch, which causes itchiness, pain, odor, rash around the inner thighs genitals and anal area.
- The Body and Head – Spreading of fungus on your skin and head is usually cause by ringworm infection also known as tinea, which is a skin disease that causes a scaly and red rash on the skin. It is most commonly found in children but can affect people of all age groups.
How Can Toenail Fungus be Avoided?
Since there are quite a number of ways you can contract toenail fungus, its impossible to prevent the infection entirely. But there are still things you can start doing today to lower the risk of being infected. Following these tips can help you out a lot and they can also help you from spreading a toenail fungus infection to your friends or loved ones if you already have it.
- Always trim your toenails straight across, also make sure they are cut short.
- Don’t ever share your shoes, nail clipper, nail files or nail polish with anyone.
- Completely dry your feet after showering. This is important if you share your bathroom with someone else.
- Wear properly fitting shoes.
- If you’ve touched your infected toenail, make sure to wash your hand immediately with soap. Touching the infection and touching other parts of your body is what causes the fungus to spread.
- Avoid going barefoot in public places (swimming pools, locker rooms, public showers).
- Avoid wearing the same shoe every day. Switching them up and giving them time to air out will give the fungus a hard time to grow.
- Practice wearing breathable footwear like flip-flops or sandals.
What Are The Symptoms of Toenail Fungus?
The common symptoms of toenail fungus include discoloration of the toenail, thickening, inflammation, swelling, odor or crumbling of the nails. If you have toenail fungus there is a high chance that you have athletes foot as well, which is a fungal infection usually affects the webbing of the toes and feet.
Killing Fungus Before it Can Spread
As we stated earlier in the guide, toenail fungus can spread very quickly if not treated. However, there is a product that will kill the fungus and if utilized correctly it can prevent reinfection from happening in the future. We recommend reading our guide on the best treatment for toenail fungal infection. Using any one of these products listed in the guide will help kill the fungus, which will eventually prevent it from spreading.
Conclusion
Toenail fungus is highly contagious that is why we recommend getting it treated to prevent spreading it to your loved ones. Friends, family, nail salon and wet places are the most common places people contract toenail fungus infection from. So it’s best to take preventative measure to prevent yourself from getting the fungal infection by avoiding coming into contact with infected person or animals and wear sandals in public places. Though you may not be able to prevent a fungal infection from happening completely, you can lower the chance of being infected.
Feel free to leave a comment down below if you have any questions and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.