What Are Thick Toenails And How Can A Podiatrist Help You

Thick toenails are usually caused by poor blood circulation in the feet and can be treated with medication, laser, or surgical intervention. Here’s more on this.

Feet are the body’s foundation and allow us to move around and carry out our daily activities.

It is, therefore, a necessity to give them the best and the most reliable healthcare services available from trained and certified professionals.

Thick Toenails

The average nail plate is thin and has a light pink color with a white tip. Thickened nails, as the name suggests, are abnormally thick, gnarly, and crumbly.

Often accompanied by discoloration and curves, this condition may lead to discomfort, pain, and bruising under the nails.

Usually caused by the poor blood circulation to the toes, this condition can also form by damaging the nails. Moisture and sweat cause fungal infections, which also cause this state.

Treatment Types For Thick Toenails

If the situation grows to the point where you consider, ”Should I show my foot to the doctor?” then you should visit the podiatrist without delay.

Trying home-based treatments may temporarily alleviate pain, but a trained specialist’s knowledge and advice are unparalleled.

Depending upon the seriousness of the problem, doctors may choose various treatments ranging from simple medications and ointments to surgery and even removal of the nail itself. They may also assign a medical plan which can take upwards of an entire year.

Here are the treatments your podiatrist might consider for your thick toenails:

1. Topical And Oral Medications

To combat the fungal infection often accompanied by thick toenails, specialists may recommend oral antifungal drugs, which work better than topical drugs.

These medications help the nail re-grow and slowly replace the infection over six to twelve weeks. However, their side effects, liver damage, and skin rash make it essential for patients to be prescribed the proper amount.

Topical medications and ointments avoid such side effects but require upwards of a year to cure the infection.

Special nail cream/polish serves similar roles as topical medications do but work better on thin nails.

2. Nail Re-Sectioning And Removal

Affected toenails may be cut to make them easier to handle. Filing and grinding the nails at close intervals also makes the condition more manageable. But it is best done by a professional not to damage the soft tissue underneath.

For advanced infections and trauma, experts may opt to operate the nail. They often remove the thickened nail entirely, so that they may apply drugs directly onto the infection.

In worse cases, the damage done to the nail is irreversible and must be surgically operated on to prevent it from re-growing another thick toenail.

3. Laser Treatment

One of the more expensive and repetitive treatments experts can also provide is laser therapy.

Here, a special laser purposefully designed to affect only the infected/unhealthy tissue safely and efficiently eradicates the fungal organisms present on the nail bed, all while keeping healthy tissues unaffected.

At most, there may be slight pain and bleeding. But it remains mostly safe to the point where it is unable to destroy all of the infection and hence requires multiple sessions to clear the fungus fully.

Only a skilled professional can carry out this treatment, and only good clinics will provide it, such as My Foot Dr Podiatrist Gold Coast in Australia, and others.

Conclusion

Home-based treatments may offer gradual improvement and eventual recovery. Still, it is always best to consult a podiatrist.

A specialist can provide expert advice, share knowledge, and easily treat thick toenails efficiently and effectively in a professional setting.

So if you have thick toenails, consult your podiatrist to see if an intervention is needed or if the condition is treatable with medication only.