Spend some time researching nail fungus infections and you’ll discover that the treatment times can be long – at least six months in most cases.  And if you have slow growing nails, or the infection is severe, this can even be longer.

The implication is that you’ll spend months living with a fungus toe nail infection.  Your ultimate goal is treatment and the good news is that you have a range of options to consider from topical treatments to prescription drugs and home remedies for toenail fungus. But you also need to think about avoiding cross-infection (i.e. infecting your healthy nails) and ensuring that you do not pass on the infection to others.  Let’s tackle these in turn:

Avoiding cross-infection with your healthy nails

The first rule is to never use the same nail instruments on your healthy nails that you have used on your infected nails.  Invest in a new nail clipper and nail file.   Try to expose your nails to as much sunlight as possible and keep your nails dry.  This is because fungal organisms grow fastest in damp and dark environments so you want to avoid creating these conditions.  It follows that you should change your socks as often as possible and get rid of old shoes that may be harboring an infection.

If you have athlete’s foot anywhere on your feet make sure you treat this quickly as some types of nail fungus infections are caused by the same micro-organism that causes athlete’s foot.  Keep your nails short and clean at all times and avoiding biting your nails.  Any damage to your finger or toe nails offers a starting point for an infection to take hold.

Not passing the infection to others

One of the most common places to contract a fungal infection is in public showers or changing rooms.  If you have an infection, at a minimum wear rubber thongs in these situations.  But it’s a good idea to go a step further and wear a neoprene foot covering.  If you can’t find these in your pharmacy, try looking in a surf shops.

It should be safe to go swimming in a chlorinated pool. The chlorine will kill the infection.  But make sure your feet are protected when you walk around the pool edge or other public areas where people are barefoot.

If you follow these tips and apply general precautionary measures, you’ll avoid the risk of your nail fungus infection spreading to your healthy nails and to other people.