Fungal infections of the nails are extremely common, affecting an estimated eleven million people in the United States. How do you know if your nails are infected? Because infections of the nails like this, it can be difficult at first to determine if it's really nail fungus. Once the infection has become well established, it is hard to miss the signs of nail fungus. People that have nail fungus infections have a tendency to suffer from thicker, discolored nails that grow out irregularly often manifesting ridges or spots. The nails may also turn black or brown in color. So what causes our nails to become like this? Here's a fast description of they most common types of nail fungus.


First, you'll need to learn the nature of fungus. Fungus grows in any warm, dark and moist location. It grows anywhere in our environment as well as on our skin. Nail fungal infections occur when fungus enters the nails and locates an environment that allows it to thrive and grow. Individuals who are prone to developing nail fungal infections may have nails that have a history of being vulnerable. For example, those who work in warm or moist areas could be more at risk.

One of the more commonly found forms of fungus is related to the one that causes athlete's foot. This fungus is called "tinea". The tinea fungus is sometimes found on individuals who have athlete's foot. This form of fungus can grow around the skin and spread into the nails. Dermatologists estimate that roughly 30 percent of people who become affected with athlete's foot will also develop a nail infection.

Another common form of fungus that has been known to cause serious infections is the Candida fungus. Candida is common yeast that has been known to cause infections in skin around nails. Candida is considered as a nasty form of fungus that has been known to develop into a hard to treat skin and nail infection. Yeast fungi are the most common types in the U.S..

Yet another common type of fungi that is responsible for millions of nail fungal infections worldwide is known as "dermatophyte". This form of fungi literally means "plant that lives on the skin." Dermatophyte is fungi characterized by its small, parasitic-like properties. Dermatophyte fungi is most common in temperate areas of the world. The fungus work by consuming keratin (the protein that is the foundation of our hair,skin and nails), and this causes a trigger reaction in the nails to produce additional keratin. This will cause the nails to thicken and eventually becoming discolored. When nails thicken due to infection, they might separate from the rest of the toe or finger. In addition,Dermatophyte fungi are also to blame for other common skin and nail infections, including some forms of athlete's foot, ringworm and "crotch rot."

All types of fungus flourish in warm, dark and moist locations. To prevent fungi from multiplying underneath your nails, it's important to keep your hands and feet dry. Keep away from the warm, dark, wet and dirty areas that fungus love to thrive in because once they've settled in, it can be very hard to rid the skin and nails of fungus.