Treatment Options for Fungal Toenail: What Patients Should Expect
- posted: Dec. 21, 2025
Dr. Jesse Anderson, a podiatrist and surgeon, heads AAL Podiatry Associates in Suffolk and Norfolk, VA, and sees patients with fungal toenail. We update our skills and knowledge in podiatry yearly. Our doctor is here today to explain a common foot dilemma, fungal toenail, and available treatment options.
Fungus (Onychomycosis) of the Toenails: Diagnosing Fungal Toenail
Our doctor can examine your toes and tell if you have a fungal infection of the toenails, as nails often become thick and yellow with white streaks or spots. Dr. Anderson may want to do a few tests to make a diagnosis, such as obtaining a nail sample or doing a culture of the nail cells. This helps confirm the infection and guides the best treatment approach. Getting the diagnosis right matters because several nail conditions can look similar.
Who Is at Higher Risk for Toenail Fungus
This infection may develop more frequently in people over 60. You may also be at a higher risk for developing a fungal nail infection if you have athlete’s foot, diabetes, excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), an injury to the nail, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), psoriasis, HIV, or an autoimmune disorder. Tight shoes, damp environments, and repeated nail trauma can also contribute. Our doctor reviews health history and risk factors to help reduce recurrence.
Identifying Signs of Onychomycosis
Fungal toenail infections can show up in a few common ways. Patients often notice changes such as:
Color changes to nails to yellow, brown, or white
Chalky or cloudy appearance
Thickened nails
The nail separates from the nail bed
Some nails may also become brittle, crumbly, or uncomfortable in shoes. If the nail becomes painful, keeps worsening, or begins affecting daily activity, it is time to be evaluated.
How Toenail Fungus Spreads
Dr. Jesse Anderson explains that you can spread fungal toenails to someone else through direct contact, by touching an infected surface, or by picking up the infection in shared public spaces. Toenail fungus is commonly caught around swimming pools, public locker rooms, showers, and by walking barefoot in public areas. If one toe has this infection, it can spread to your other toes over time.
Rarely does this infection spread beyond the toes. However, it can spread to the skin and, less commonly, other areas. Treating early helps limit the spread and lowers the chance of secondary skin irritation.
Treatment Options for Fungal Toenail
Once our doctor makes a diagnosis, he treats the infection. It may take months for this infection to go away, and it may return. Treatment options may include oral antifungal medication, topical medications, and high-tech laser treatment. Dr. Anderson reviews the benefits and limitations of each option, then recommends a plan based on nail involvement, health history, and lifestyle factors. Follow-up is important because nails grow slowly, and results take time.
Prevention and Foot Hygiene
Prevention is the best approach. Dr. Anderson recommends wearing pool shoes in public areas, including public pools and showers. Practicing excellent foot hygiene decreases your risk, including keeping feet clean and dry and changing socks as needed. Toenail fungus may not cause major damage on its own, but left untreated, it can contribute to skin breakdown and infections such as cellulitis, which can increase health risks.
Norfolk and Suffolk Residents Seeking a Quality Podiatrist
If you seek a quality podiatry doctor to care for your feet and ankles, please give Dr. Jesse Anderson a call at AAL Podiatry Associates in Suffolk and Norfolk, VA, at (757) 539-2098 and (757) 625-2962 to schedule your appointment for fungal toenail issues. Our doctor also cares for a host of other foot and ankle problems, and we are here to provide diagnosis and treatment options.
- posted: Dec. 21, 2025
Dr. Jesse Anderson, a podiatrist and surgeon, heads AAL Podiatry Associates in Suffolk and Norfolk, VA, and sees patients with fungal toenail. We update our skills and knowledge in podiatry yearly. Our doctor is here today to explain a common foot dilemma, fungal toenail, and available treatment options.
Fungus (Onychomycosis) of the Toenails: Diagnosing Fungal Toenail
Our doctor can examine your toes and tell if you have a fungal infection of the toenails, as nails often become thick and yellow with white streaks or spots. Dr. Anderson may want to do a few tests to make a diagnosis, such as obtaining a nail sample or doing a culture of the nail cells. This helps confirm the infection and guides the best treatment approach. Getting the diagnosis right matters because several nail conditions can look similar.
Who Is at Higher Risk for Toenail Fungus
This infection may develop more frequently in people over 60. You may also be at a higher risk for developing a fungal nail infection if you have athlete’s foot, diabetes, excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), an injury to the nail, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), psoriasis, HIV, or an autoimmune disorder. Tight shoes, damp environments, and repeated nail trauma can also contribute. Our doctor reviews health history and risk factors to help reduce recurrence.
Identifying Signs of Onychomycosis
Fungal toenail infections can show up in a few common ways. Patients often notice changes such as:
Color changes to nails to yellow, brown, or white
Chalky or cloudy appearance
Thickened nails
The nail separates from the nail bed
Some nails may also become brittle, crumbly, or uncomfortable in shoes. If the nail becomes painful, keeps worsening, or begins affecting daily activity, it is time to be evaluated.
How Toenail Fungus Spreads
Dr. Jesse Anderson explains that you can spread fungal toenails to someone else through direct contact, by touching an infected surface, or by picking up the infection in shared public spaces. Toenail fungus is commonly caught around swimming pools, public locker rooms, showers, and by walking barefoot in public areas. If one toe has this infection, it can spread to your other toes over time.
Rarely does this infection spread beyond the toes. However, it can spread to the skin and, less commonly, other areas. Treating early helps limit the spread and lowers the chance of secondary skin irritation.
Treatment Options for Fungal Toenail
Once our doctor makes a diagnosis, he treats the infection. It may take months for this infection to go away, and it may return. Treatment options may include oral antifungal medication, topical medications, and high-tech laser treatment. Dr. Anderson reviews the benefits and limitations of each option, then recommends a plan based on nail involvement, health history, and lifestyle factors. Follow-up is important because nails grow slowly, and results take time.
Prevention and Foot Hygiene
Prevention is the best approach. Dr. Anderson recommends wearing pool shoes in public areas, including public pools and showers. Practicing excellent foot hygiene decreases your risk, including keeping feet clean and dry and changing socks as needed. Toenail fungus may not cause major damage on its own, but left untreated, it can contribute to skin breakdown and infections such as cellulitis, which can increase health risks.
Norfolk and Suffolk Residents Seeking a Quality Podiatrist
If you seek a quality podiatry doctor to care for your feet and ankles, please give Dr. Jesse Anderson a call at AAL Podiatry Associates in Suffolk and Norfolk, VA, at (757) 539-2098 and (757) 625-2962 to schedule your appointment for fungal toenail issues. Our doctor also cares for a host of other foot and ankle problems, and we are here to provide diagnosis and treatment options.
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