What causes black or yellow nails?
Black nails come about because of two possible reasons. First, a person’s nails may turn black due to certain medical conditions relating to the kidney, liver, lung, heart, anemia, melanoma, or diabetes. The inherited yellow nail syndrome that arises from lung diseases and swelling of tissues can also cause the nails to turn yellow while growing slowly. Sometimes trauma may cause someone to have black nails because of the bleeding and clotting underneath the nail.
The other cause of black nails is a dermatophyte, which is a fungus infection that affects the skin and causes nail discoloration. Trichophyton rubrum is the most common fungi species that affects many people with a fungus infection. It is important to note that most nails that turn black or yellow in this case result from foot fungal infection.
What is Fungus?
A fungus is a primitive living organism that feeds on organic matter and reproduces through spores. A fungus can cause an infection when it takes over a body part and overwhelms the immune system. While some fungi have a symbiotic relationship with humans, others like the foot fungus are harmful and require one to use a fungus stop product to eliminate the fungus.
What causes fungus infection?
The most common cause of fungus infection is poor hygiene. Fungus thrives in warm and moist conditions, meaning shoes and socks can provide the perfect home for these organisms. When a person repeatedly puts on dirty socks or wears shoes for long hours in heat, he or she is likely to develop a foot fungal infection. This hygiene problem enables the fungus to grow in the shoes and transfers on to the foot, resulting in a fungus infection whose signs include nail discolouration.
How to cure?
A person with a foot fungal infection can start curing the problem by incorporating Vitamin E in his or her diet and looking after his or her foot hygiene. He or she should ensure to clean between the toes with mild soap and regularly cut his or her toenails. Besides trying some home remedies like vinegar application to remove the discoloration, one can use other products such as anti-fungal cream and foot deodorant to help with reducing sweat. Maintaining the shoes hygiene by wearing clean socks daily with breathable footwear can also help a person to manage and cure the infection.
Conclusion:
You may use a combination of self-care steps and over-the-counter antifungal medication to help you cure the fungus infection. However, if the nail discoloration persists or other signs appear, you can give us a call for the next appropriate step to take. Additionally, you can visit our website for more information concerning foot fungal infection.