Prevention is Important...even after you have the Laser Treatment!
-Once you get rid of the toenail fungus and start developing clear toenails again, the last thing you want is to get re-infected with the toenail fungus again later.
There is an approximate 50% rate of re-infection after a clinical cure (meaning the fungus has been completely removed from the toenail). For this reason is helpful to plan ahead and maximize your chances of success when you have chosen the laser treatment to rid your toes of toenail fungus.
Where does toenail fungus come from?
The organism that causes fungal toenail infections is everywhere. The fungus is a living organism and spores are essentially the seeds that can sprout a fungal infection. However toenail fungus really has to have 3 basic ingredients to start to grow.
1. Moisture
2. Warmth
3. Darkness
Unfortunately, shoes have all 3 of these ingredients. So the inside of your shoes are perfect incubators for toenail fungus.
When you have an active toenail fungus infection the fungus is growing within the nail plate. As the fungus grows it produces spores which are continually shed into your socks in your shoes. Spores are basically seeds for fungus. These spores can lay dormant for a long period of time. Later on when you are wearing your shoes and the fungal spores become warm and moist the fungus will start to grow.
When you have active fungus in your shoes, all it takes is a little bit of trauma or pressure to the toenail plates in order to lift the toenail. Any injury to the toenail can let the fungal spores get into the nail bed and start a toenail fungus infection.
What does it take to prevent a toenail fungus infection?
1. Reduce the amount of moisture in your shoes.
2. Avoid trauma or injury to the toenails.
3. Reduce your exposure to the toenail fungus spores.
Reduce the amount of moisture in your shoes
Toenail fungus has a hard time growing without moisture. If you can reduce the amount of moisture in your shoes you will reduce your risk of developing a toenail fungus infection. For this reason it is important to decrease the amount of moisture in your shoes.
The simplest way to accomplish this is to alternate your shoes. What we mean by this is that you should not wear the same shoes 2 days in a row. In most climates it takes more than 24 hours to dry a pair of shoes completely after a full day of wear. By simply alternating your shoes you give them the opportunity to completely dry out which reduces the chances of the fungus will continue to grow in your shoes. Less fun this means less risk of infection.
When you take your shoes off at the end of the day don't stick them in the back of a dark closet. The darkness helps promote fungal growth. The shoes are also less likely to drive there in a dark area which closed off like a closet. Keeping the shoes near a heater vent or air-conditioning vent will help to drive them out. The dryer shoes less risk you will have.
Avoid trauma or injury to the toenails that can lead to a toenail fungus infection
Podiatrists think about several groups of patients are more likely to develop toenail infection simply because the shoes put them at risk to injuring the toenails. Most of those at risk either wear tight shoes, participate in activities than can injury the toenails or wear work shoes that harbor fungus.
Trail runners are likely to develop toenail fungus infections primarily because the running up and down hills can cause damage to the toenails. Ask any of your friends who are runners if they've ever had a black or blue toenail. Most of them will admit that at sometime during running they have encountered this problem.
You can hit the toenail firmly one time with a hammer or 1,000 times lightly on the inside of the shoe and the result is the same. You get a bruise under the toenail. This sort of injury can lead to a separation between the nail plate and the nail bed underneath. It's like opening the door for the fungus to come in and set up shop. For runners it's important to assess shoes carefully to make sure that you're not bruising the toenails putting them at risk of a toenail infection.
Soccer players are at risk of developing fungal toenails because soccer shoes are generally tight. The toes can easily hit the inside of the soccer cleats when the soccer player changes direction quickly, kicks a ball or stops abruptly. Soccer players must make sure that soccer shoes are fitted correctly so that they're not frequently injuring the toenails.
Rock climbers are at risk of developing toenail fungal infections because climbing shoes are extremely tight. Many climbers will wear climbing shoes that are two sizes smaller than their street shoes. This of course is necessary in order to stand on miniscule holds without the foot rolling and sliding off the hold. But those tight shoes can injure the toenails and allow a toenail infection to get started. Another issue with rock-climbing shoes is that they are virtually never washed. So any fungus that gets inside the shoes can stay there for a long period of time just waiting for the opportunity to start a toenail infection. In addition, rock climbers almost never wear socks in their climbing shoes.
Reduce your exposure to the toenail fungus spores.
If you walk barefoot in the dirt, you can expect your feet to get dirty. If you walk around in shoes that are filled with fungal spores, you can expect to get a toenail fungal infection. Maybe the fungus will infect the skin first causing athlete's foot, or maybe it will infect the toenails causing a toenail fungus infection. Either way, if you reduce the amount of fungus in your shoes you'll reduce your risk of infection.
One strategy is to get rid of all of your shoes. Obviously, this does not work for most people. A much better option is to simply rid your shoes of the fungus that lives within them. There are a few different strategies for removing the fungus that can live in your shoes.
1. Wash all of your shoes in hot water. Although this can rid your shoes of the fungus that can lead to a toenail fungal infection, it can also ruin your shoes. Not recommended.
2. Spray Lysol in your shoes. Lysol will kill the fungus the lives in your shoes. This can work and it is easy to do. Just spray Lysol in your shoes and let them dry out thoroughly before wearing. The drawback with this of course is that your shoes will smell like Lysol for a very long time. If you don't mind the smell of Lysol this works just fine. There are other shoe sanitizers that you can purchase. Some smell more strongly than others. This is the strategy that bowling alleys used to sanitize the inside of bowling shoes after a renter wears them for a couple of hours.
3. Use an ultraviolet light sanitizer. Ultraviolet light is extremely toxic fungus. In fact, molecular biologists and microbiologists often use ultraviolet lights in a very small room where they transfer experimental organisms. Once they leave the room they simply turn on the ultraviolet lights and kill everything in the room. You can use the same strategy with your shoes.
There is a relatively new ultraviolet light sanitizer that you can put right in your shoe. It looks much like a shoe tree that helps maintain the shape and condition of your shoes. All you have to do is insert it in your shoe and turn it on. The ultraviolet light kills the fungus and warms the shoe in order to help dry out any moisture.
If you are treating a fungus infection in your toenails, you should kill the fungus in all of your shoes with the Steri-Shoe ultraviolet sanitizer. You should order Steri-Shoe ultraviolet sterilizer now so you will have it before your laser procedure. It is the simplest effective way to ensure that you don't have viable fungal spores looming inside your shoes that could lead to a reinfection later. The laser will kill the fungus in the toenails, but you must kill the fungus in your shoes.
After you have rid yourself of all of the toenail fungus, you can simply use the Steri-Shoe ultraviolet sanitizer periodically to make sure that you're not accumulating new fungal spores in your shoes that could lead to a reinfection of the toenail fungus. This device is well worth the investment.
How is Athletes Foot related to toenail fungus?
Athlete's foot is nothing more than a fungal infection in the skin of the foot. The organism that causes athlete's foot the exact same organism that causes toenail fungal infections. If you are prone to developing athlete's foot then you are much more at risk of developing a fungal toenail infection.
The whole time that you have an athlete's foot infection, the fungus is growing within the layers of the skin. As the fungus grows it separates the layers of the skin and you get the peeling it is the most common sign of athlete's foot. As the skin peels, it sheds fungal spores into your shoes. And there those little fungal seeds sit, inside your shoes, just waiting for the opportunity to start a toenail fungal infection.
For this reason, if you have athlete's foot or are prone to getting athletes foot you need to keep this under control to prevent another case of toenail fungus.
If you get athlete's foot often then you have to take particular care to make sure that you don't develop athlete's foot because it can lead to another toenail fungus infection later. The basic routine that we have found to be most likely of reducing your exposure to the fungus in preventing reinfection after the laser toenail procedure is as follows:
1. Laser treatment to directly kill the fungus within the nail plate and nail bed.
2. Over-the-counter Lamisil spray topical when you feel you have been exposed or anytime you believe you are developing athlete's foot. This should help to prevent the developing athlete's foot from spreading to the toenails and turning into the case of toenail fungus re-infection after the laser treatment.
3. Kill the fungus in all of your shoes with the Steri-Shoe ultraviolet sterilizer. You should order this now so you will have it before your laser procedure. It is the most effective way to ensure that you don't have viable fungal spores looming inside your shoes that could lead to a reinfection later.
Prevention is an important part of treatment. Get started on prevention now and then call us to schedule your laser toenail fungus treatment. If you have a question about toenail fungus or how to rid yourself of toenail fungus infection you can speak directly with Dr. Segler by calling 415–308–0833.
There is an approximate 50% rate of re-infection after a clinical cure (meaning the fungus has been completely removed from the toenail). For this reason is helpful to plan ahead and maximize your chances of success when you have chosen the laser treatment to rid your toes of toenail fungus.
Where does toenail fungus come from?
The organism that causes fungal toenail infections is everywhere. The fungus is a living organism and spores are essentially the seeds that can sprout a fungal infection. However toenail fungus really has to have 3 basic ingredients to start to grow.
1. Moisture
2. Warmth
3. Darkness
Unfortunately, shoes have all 3 of these ingredients. So the inside of your shoes are perfect incubators for toenail fungus.
When you have an active toenail fungus infection the fungus is growing within the nail plate. As the fungus grows it produces spores which are continually shed into your socks in your shoes. Spores are basically seeds for fungus. These spores can lay dormant for a long period of time. Later on when you are wearing your shoes and the fungal spores become warm and moist the fungus will start to grow.
When you have active fungus in your shoes, all it takes is a little bit of trauma or pressure to the toenail plates in order to lift the toenail. Any injury to the toenail can let the fungal spores get into the nail bed and start a toenail fungus infection.
What does it take to prevent a toenail fungus infection?
1. Reduce the amount of moisture in your shoes.
2. Avoid trauma or injury to the toenails.
3. Reduce your exposure to the toenail fungus spores.
Reduce the amount of moisture in your shoes
Toenail fungus has a hard time growing without moisture. If you can reduce the amount of moisture in your shoes you will reduce your risk of developing a toenail fungus infection. For this reason it is important to decrease the amount of moisture in your shoes.
The simplest way to accomplish this is to alternate your shoes. What we mean by this is that you should not wear the same shoes 2 days in a row. In most climates it takes more than 24 hours to dry a pair of shoes completely after a full day of wear. By simply alternating your shoes you give them the opportunity to completely dry out which reduces the chances of the fungus will continue to grow in your shoes. Less fun this means less risk of infection.
When you take your shoes off at the end of the day don't stick them in the back of a dark closet. The darkness helps promote fungal growth. The shoes are also less likely to drive there in a dark area which closed off like a closet. Keeping the shoes near a heater vent or air-conditioning vent will help to drive them out. The dryer shoes less risk you will have.
Avoid trauma or injury to the toenails that can lead to a toenail fungus infection
Podiatrists think about several groups of patients are more likely to develop toenail infection simply because the shoes put them at risk to injuring the toenails. Most of those at risk either wear tight shoes, participate in activities than can injury the toenails or wear work shoes that harbor fungus.
Trail runners are likely to develop toenail fungus infections primarily because the running up and down hills can cause damage to the toenails. Ask any of your friends who are runners if they've ever had a black or blue toenail. Most of them will admit that at sometime during running they have encountered this problem.
You can hit the toenail firmly one time with a hammer or 1,000 times lightly on the inside of the shoe and the result is the same. You get a bruise under the toenail. This sort of injury can lead to a separation between the nail plate and the nail bed underneath. It's like opening the door for the fungus to come in and set up shop. For runners it's important to assess shoes carefully to make sure that you're not bruising the toenails putting them at risk of a toenail infection.
Soccer players are at risk of developing fungal toenails because soccer shoes are generally tight. The toes can easily hit the inside of the soccer cleats when the soccer player changes direction quickly, kicks a ball or stops abruptly. Soccer players must make sure that soccer shoes are fitted correctly so that they're not frequently injuring the toenails.
Rock climbers are at risk of developing toenail fungal infections because climbing shoes are extremely tight. Many climbers will wear climbing shoes that are two sizes smaller than their street shoes. This of course is necessary in order to stand on miniscule holds without the foot rolling and sliding off the hold. But those tight shoes can injure the toenails and allow a toenail infection to get started. Another issue with rock-climbing shoes is that they are virtually never washed. So any fungus that gets inside the shoes can stay there for a long period of time just waiting for the opportunity to start a toenail infection. In addition, rock climbers almost never wear socks in their climbing shoes.
Reduce your exposure to the toenail fungus spores.
If you walk barefoot in the dirt, you can expect your feet to get dirty. If you walk around in shoes that are filled with fungal spores, you can expect to get a toenail fungal infection. Maybe the fungus will infect the skin first causing athlete's foot, or maybe it will infect the toenails causing a toenail fungus infection. Either way, if you reduce the amount of fungus in your shoes you'll reduce your risk of infection.
One strategy is to get rid of all of your shoes. Obviously, this does not work for most people. A much better option is to simply rid your shoes of the fungus that lives within them. There are a few different strategies for removing the fungus that can live in your shoes.
1. Wash all of your shoes in hot water. Although this can rid your shoes of the fungus that can lead to a toenail fungal infection, it can also ruin your shoes. Not recommended.
2. Spray Lysol in your shoes. Lysol will kill the fungus the lives in your shoes. This can work and it is easy to do. Just spray Lysol in your shoes and let them dry out thoroughly before wearing. The drawback with this of course is that your shoes will smell like Lysol for a very long time. If you don't mind the smell of Lysol this works just fine. There are other shoe sanitizers that you can purchase. Some smell more strongly than others. This is the strategy that bowling alleys used to sanitize the inside of bowling shoes after a renter wears them for a couple of hours.
3. Use an ultraviolet light sanitizer. Ultraviolet light is extremely toxic fungus. In fact, molecular biologists and microbiologists often use ultraviolet lights in a very small room where they transfer experimental organisms. Once they leave the room they simply turn on the ultraviolet lights and kill everything in the room. You can use the same strategy with your shoes.
There is a relatively new ultraviolet light sanitizer that you can put right in your shoe. It looks much like a shoe tree that helps maintain the shape and condition of your shoes. All you have to do is insert it in your shoe and turn it on. The ultraviolet light kills the fungus and warms the shoe in order to help dry out any moisture.
If you are treating a fungus infection in your toenails, you should kill the fungus in all of your shoes with the Steri-Shoe ultraviolet sanitizer. You should order Steri-Shoe ultraviolet sterilizer now so you will have it before your laser procedure. It is the simplest effective way to ensure that you don't have viable fungal spores looming inside your shoes that could lead to a reinfection later. The laser will kill the fungus in the toenails, but you must kill the fungus in your shoes.
After you have rid yourself of all of the toenail fungus, you can simply use the Steri-Shoe ultraviolet sanitizer periodically to make sure that you're not accumulating new fungal spores in your shoes that could lead to a reinfection of the toenail fungus. This device is well worth the investment.
How is Athletes Foot related to toenail fungus?
Athlete's foot is nothing more than a fungal infection in the skin of the foot. The organism that causes athlete's foot the exact same organism that causes toenail fungal infections. If you are prone to developing athlete's foot then you are much more at risk of developing a fungal toenail infection.
The whole time that you have an athlete's foot infection, the fungus is growing within the layers of the skin. As the fungus grows it separates the layers of the skin and you get the peeling it is the most common sign of athlete's foot. As the skin peels, it sheds fungal spores into your shoes. And there those little fungal seeds sit, inside your shoes, just waiting for the opportunity to start a toenail fungal infection.
For this reason, if you have athlete's foot or are prone to getting athletes foot you need to keep this under control to prevent another case of toenail fungus.
If you get athlete's foot often then you have to take particular care to make sure that you don't develop athlete's foot because it can lead to another toenail fungus infection later. The basic routine that we have found to be most likely of reducing your exposure to the fungus in preventing reinfection after the laser toenail procedure is as follows:
1. Laser treatment to directly kill the fungus within the nail plate and nail bed.
2. Over-the-counter Lamisil spray topical when you feel you have been exposed or anytime you believe you are developing athlete's foot. This should help to prevent the developing athlete's foot from spreading to the toenails and turning into the case of toenail fungus re-infection after the laser treatment.
3. Kill the fungus in all of your shoes with the Steri-Shoe ultraviolet sterilizer. You should order this now so you will have it before your laser procedure. It is the most effective way to ensure that you don't have viable fungal spores looming inside your shoes that could lead to a reinfection later.
Prevention is an important part of treatment. Get started on prevention now and then call us to schedule your laser toenail fungus treatment. If you have a question about toenail fungus or how to rid yourself of toenail fungus infection you can speak directly with Dr. Segler by calling 415–308–0833.
House calls for Laser Fungus Removal
We serve all of the following areas: Albany, Atherton, Belmont, Belvedere, Berkeley, Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Corte Madera, Cupertino, Daly City, Danville, Dublin, Emeryville, Fairfax, Fairfield, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hayward, Hercules, Hillsborough, Lafeyette, Larkspur, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Mill Valley, Millbrae, Moraga, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Napa, Newark, Novato, Oakland, Oakley, Orinda, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Petaluma, Piedmont, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasanton, Portola Valley, Redwood City, Ross, San Anselmo, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo,San Rafael, San Ramon, Santa Clara, Sausalito, South San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Tiburon, Union City, Vacaville, Walnut Creek, Woodside, Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area.
Call Now! 415-308-0833
Call Now! 415-308-0833