Toenail Pain [Toenail Fungus, Ingrown Toenails, Discolored Toenails]
Is Toenail Fungus Contagious? [The Podiatrist SECRET for Treatment!]
Is toenail fungus contagious? YES! But if you are healthy you should be OK 95% of the time. They key is exfoliating your loose and dead toenail tissue.
Look:
- Yellow & green toenail fungus can be improved with a few simple treatment changes.
- We are foot doctors & we see this problem get better almost every day.
- The goal is to solve this problem without medication or surgery if at all possible.
So, let’s GO!

This gallery shows different types of toenail fungus.
Look:
- The most common type is called subungual onychomycosis, this is when the toenail fungus gets underneath the toenail and lifts the nail.
- This can cause damage to the toenail bed, preventing future attachment of the toenail.
- It is also possible to get superficial white onychomycosis, this is the buildup of white superficial fungus on top of the toenail.
- It is also possible to get it throughout the entire nail, or the nail is completely destroyed and did.
- The good news is these are all very treatable!
So click on the photos for gallery mode & description!
Click on pictures for full size & descriptions:
Is Toenail Fungus Contagious?
- YES!
- Is Toenail Fungus Contagious? Toenail fungus is only contagious is the other person is at risk.
- But don’t blame your wife or husband! Fungus is almost everywhere, including our skin, our socks and old sneakers.
- It’s true that there are some virulent strains out there, but they are very rare.
- To get toenail fungus there must be some previous inflammation and irritation already occurring!

There are Four Reasons Toenail Fungus is Contagious:
1)Microtrauma:
The development of a precursory condition – Microtrauma:
- Before fungus can ever get underneath the toenail, it is necessary for something to irritate the toenail and cause little microscopic cracks and loosening.
- This is almost always a result of microtrauma and inflammation that must be corrected.
- This may also not be a problem in some, but usually the immune system is also impaired

Causes of Microtrauma:
- Footwear abnormalities- Poorly fitted shoes, tight shoe box, compressed forefoot, high heels or angled dress shoes.
- Biomechanical Abnormalities- flat feet, tight calves, tight hips, one leg shorter than the other.
- Structural abnormalities- Long 2nd digit, a morton’s foot type, hallux rigidus, flat feet foot pain, wide foot types.
- Systemic abnormalities- Obesity.

Causes of Immune Depression:
- Smoking- causes poor blood flow.
- Diabetes.
- Peripheral vascular disease.
- Obesity.
- Any other severe metabolic problems.
Is Foot Fungus Contagious?
- The development of tinea pedis or contact with an environmental fungus.
- Foot fungus is as equally contagious as toenail fungus.
- People who are susceptible are those who spend time in communal areas such as showers saunas or pools.
- Those who don’t wear sandals in these area are susceptible to catching this.
- Foot fungus loves damp dark conditions.
- This is why it is extremely important to wear moisture wicking socks and good breathable shoes.
- Tinea pedis is any fungus present on the skin.
- This is usually very common and not a problem.
- Almost everyone gets some fungus in their shoe if they sweat at all.
- It is almost never a problem but if there is space forming underneath the nail- then this gets dangerous because the fungus can migrate underneath the nail and start causing some problems.
- It is almost impossible to try and avoid the fungus.
- You should focus on making yourself resistant rather than avoiding it!
Consider Treating Athlete’s Foot Fungus:
- If you don’t treat athlete’s foot at the same time as toenail fungus, it won’t do you any good.
- If you get rid of the fungus in the toenails, but stays on the skin, it will come right back onto the nail.
- So the secret is to get rid of both toenail fungus and foot fungus at the same time!
3)Damage to the skin around the toenail:
The spread of pathogens along skin’s stratum corneum into the nail bed.
- This just means that the skin fungus migrates along the deeper layers of the skin and gets in underneath the nail plate.
- This is difficult to avoid because most shoes already have fungus in them.
- And you will eventually be on a beach, a pool or a shower barefoot and you may contact fungus.
4) The fungus begins to grow under the nail:
- Because the conditions were ripe for fungus settlement under the nail, they colonize here.
- They begin a vicious cycle of expanding and irritating under your toenail even further causing more damage.
- Just remember that they are not the cause!
- They came because something was already wrong in the first place.
- This is no different than leaving a pile of garbage in your backyard where rats hang out, and focusing only on getting rid of the rats and not the garbage pile.
- New ones would just show up later!

We also smooths out from the top to get as much of the top layer of the nail gone as possible. At this point you put on the antifungal medications we list below, and the toenail should get much much better very quickly!
Toenail Fungus Home Treatment Guide:
1)Correct the Microtrauma:
- Treating the nail fungus is only one step in the treatment of nail fungus, the nail must be prevented from being susceptible from becoming infected.
- If this is not done then after you spend all that time curing your fungus, it may just come right back again.
This can be done by correcting one of many factors:
- Hallux Limitus.
- Bunion.
- Flat Feet.
- Obesity.
- Tight calf muscles
- Correct any system problems like smoking, peripheral vascular disease or diabetes.
- Get a biomechanical exam by your podiatrist
2) Fix your health conditions:
- This is a pretty straightforward, and you probably already know some of the things they can fix.
- If you are severely overweight, you have to lose weight.
- You are diabetic, you have to get your blood sugars under control and get the problem fixed.
- If you are sweating in on your feet, 12 hours a day, you have to control the sweat, where better shoes and better socks.
- There are usually associated with conditions that result in toenail fungus.
- The bottom line is that health. Could get, the less likely you are to have any toenail fungus or health conditions in general.

3)Eliminate the Fungus:
- Keep in mind that foot fungus can spread to toenail fungus.
- It is essential to heal and remove them both!
- Consider the products below for best effect.
For more on How is Toenail Fungus Spread:
- Consider the following recommended products for your foot fungus beyond your toenail fungus.
- One of the keys to fixing toenail fungus is also fixing your overall foot fungus and athlete’s foot.
- Foot fungus can also spread to toenail fungus, so fix them both!
Toenail Fungus (Onychomycosis) Treatment & Cure Infographic:

Toenail Fungus Home Treatment:
- These are our favorite products to treat toenail fungus at home.
- It is difficult to properly diagnose any health problem such as toenail fungus with 100% certainty. So go see your podiatrist and make sure you are not missing anything!
- Also many of these products are considered beauty products more so than health products, just be aware that they are not always FDA evaluated or approved in any way.
How to fix toenail fungus:
- There are many different types of toenail damage.
- In our experience, about easily 50% or more is related to toenail fungus.
- The key to toenail fungus is to trim it is much as possible, and file that nail down vertically and length wise.
- If you are able to do that, you have to make sure you can kill fungus the rest of the way with creams and topical medication.
- The best way to do that is to soak exfoliate the affected toenail skin. So, foot soaks can be a strong anti-fungus solution.
- At the same time you have to apply anti-fungal medication such as these medications evaluated here, or the toenail repair pens










Recommended foot fungus products:
- It is also very important to fix your foot fungus.
- Athlete’s foot can be beneficial to remove from the foot, because if left unchecked it can quickly spread back to the toenails even if they are fixed.
- Even if you cure your toenail fungus, keep your toenails trimmed in healthy: it is possible for your foot fungus to spread back into toenails.
- So make sure you treat your foot fungus, as well as your toenail fungus.










Best Toenail Fungus Clippers & Files:
- This is something you have to be careful using at home, and definitely be safe and don’t use these if you have dangerous health conditions.
- It is important to see a podiatrist for foot evaluation and care if you are having continued health care issues or problems with your feet.
- These are some great value heavy duty clippers and sets.
- The key is to cut straight across, and file the nail down from the top to keep it from impinging in the corners.
- It is also important to make sure all dead dry skin is removed surrounding the foot.
- This is where you should really see your podiatrist if you have any concerns or worried about cutting or hurting yourself.
- This is something covered, so don’t take chances with your health!






Best Toenail Fungus Polish and Remover:
- There are some great toenail fungus polish options and polish removal options.
- There are none acetone based toenail polish remover’s, they don’t dry as quickly, but they are less like a dehydrator toenail.
- This also applies for your fingernails and hands.
- The benefits of using these non-toxic toenail polishes are: they are filled with non-fungal options such as tea tree oil which prevent the spread of toenail fungus.
- These can also work well for the fingernails.
- So great combo is to use one of these healthier toenail paint options, as well as a non-acetone based toenail polish remover.








Best Shoes For Toenail Injuries:
- The key to prevent toenail ripping and lifting is to have a good supportive shoes.
- If you have a good supportive shoe, that keeps pressure off your toes in your toenails, there will be no lifting and cracking to allow bacteria and fungus to get in.
- This almost seems counter-intuitive, but when people make a switch to really good supportive shoes that fit properly, there toenail problems almost always get better over the next few months or a year.
- Your current nail is already likely destroyed, especially with joggers toe, but let the new nail growing healthy without new damage.
- Click the following link for our most recommended shoes. Try to focus on shoes with mesh and room around the big toe and also the smaller toes.
Best AntiFungal Moisture Wicking Socks:
- These are some great options for moisture wicking sucks.
- The more you are able to wick moisture from your foot, the less chance there is that toenail fungus and athlete’s foot can survive.
- We tried to focus on budget value stocks that are not too expensive.
- Sure there are better stocks out there, but these are great socks for a great price for most people.
- If you are a diabetic focus on getting yourself some diabetic socks.
Best woman’s antifungal socks:








Best men’s antifungal socks:








Get The Best Shoe Fit:
- One of the most common biomechanical causes of toenail problems, bunions, hammer toes and outside of the foot problems is poorly fitting shoes.
- A well fitting and proper shoes can sometimes even make all the difference in heel pain and overall foot pain.
- If you have shoes that are too small or too big this can result in crowding or too much motion and sliding within your shoe.
- This can cause people to walk improperly and put more weight on their knees, hips and lower back!
- We usually find that people make some of the 10 mistakes that we talk about.
- Watch the below treatment video to make sure that this never happens again!

Toenail Pain [Toenail Fungus, Ingrown Toenails, Discolored Toenails]