5 Surprising Ways Toenail Fungus Can Be Spread
Toenail fungus is extremely contagious.
Since it is so contagious it is imperative to take proper precaution for protecting yourself from others that have it and ensuring that you don’t spread it to others.
Below will be a few ways to protect yourself from spreading toenail fungus to other toes and people.
Some of the best ways to protect other is to just cure your toenail fungus.
How You May Have Gotten Toe Fungus
- Public Showers
- Your Nail Salon
- Not Using Foot Powder
- Not Wearing Breathable Shoes
- Not Cleaning Your Shower
How to Protect Yourself from Toenail Fungus?
When it comes to the transmission of the fungus between other people the most common places to contract it is at places such as nail salons, and pubic showers.
Wear Flip Flops in Showers
When it comes to public showers such as gyms or campgrounds it is important to protect yourself from coming into contact with other people with fungus infections.
If you have foot fungus, it is advised to also wear flip-flops when you shower in your own home to prevent transmission.
For example, if a person with foot fungus takes a shower in a public area, the hot humid environment is a breeding ground for bacteria and allows the fungus to thrive.
Since public showers are typically only cleaned once a day, it is important to protect yourself. This can be achieved by wearing flip flops into showers so a person does not come into contact with any present fungus.
Use an Anti-Fungal Wash
The best way to prevent yourself from getting a fungal infection on your feet or toes besides avoiding contact with fungi is to invest in an anti-fungal soap.
An anti-fungal soap can act as an extra barrier by killing off the bacteria that your feet come in to contact to daily.
This type of soap will help keep feet fungi free even in the event you were in a contaminated shower.
In addition, an anti-fungal wash is versatile and can be used on various fungal infections such as ringworm, jock itch, etc.
One that I personally use is a special blend of tea tree oil which has powerful anti-fungal properties.
Inquire at Nail Salons
If a person with a fungus infection goes in to for a nail treatment and the tools are not properly sterilized between sessions then it can be easily spread to other customers.
To protect yourself it is important to ask your nail salon about their sterilization techniques.
Keep Feet Dry – Foot Powder!
One of the most common ways people get toenail fungus is when they get athlete’s foot from exercise, humid environments, public showers, or public pools.
People usually get athlete’s foot from walking barefoot in the public places and from exercising heavily which results hot, humid feet.
If your socks get damp during the day it is recommended to remove your socks, dry your feet, and change your socks.
If you have issues with keeping your feet dry due to sweat then investing in foot powder and breathable shoes is recommended.
Breathable shoes
As aforementioned, fungus loves to infect areas that are humid, moist, and warm.
One of the most common areas with this type of environment is non-breathable shoes.
Shoes that with good air circulation allows your feet to stay cool and dry which can prevent toe fungus spreading.
Here is a good pair of shoes that are breathable. Other alternatives can be open toes shoes like Crocs, flip-flops, and others like Nike.
Bleach Your Shower
Fungus can sometimes live in the environment like in public showers but also in your personal shower.
It is of extreme importance to make sure you clean your shower regularly to ensure that the fungus does not continue to plague you and others in your house.
Cleaning your shower regularly with disinfectant and bleach will kill present fungus in your showers.
This works wonders for people who share a shower or are unsure where the origins of their fungus is coming from.
How to Protect Others from Fungus
The best way to prevent others from getting your fungal infection is by taking care of yours.
This can be down in a myriad of ways including home treatments, natural treatments, OTC treatments, etc.
One of the best ways I found to cure my toenail fungal infection was using Zane Hellas, Tolnaftate, and Purely Northwest’s Anti-fungal wash.
These products will eliminate your fungus which will ensure that your loved ones will not contract it.
If left untreated…
If left untreated, athlete’s foot quickly turns into toenail fungus. From my personal experience, I left my athlete’s foot untreated, which I got from playing football, and it quickly developed into toenail fungus on 9 out of my 10 tens and years of embarrassment.
Typically athlete’s foot will spread from the soles of your feet to in-between your toes and then eventually “jump” to your toes.
Normally, this “jump” for toe to toe is more common if you play sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer or football. The constant friction from the start and stop movements causes your feet to slide inside the shoe.
Also, trauma on your toes from events such as getting your feet stepped on or getting something dropped on them makes the chances of infection higher due to the trauma on the toes.
Many times people do not realize they have a fungal infection or ignore it. The fungus may appear as a small patch of discoloration on one of your nails, typically white or yellow. Many people play off the discoloration as a mark or bruise but then the fungus takes over the nail, making it thicker and brittle.
As aforementioned, once you have a infected foot or toenail, it is more likely to spread from one toenail to another or to your other foot. This transmission can be through everyday items such as your socks or shoes.
Just washing your socks is not enough to help prevent this – you need to kill the bacteria present. This can include soaking your socks in eucalyptus oil or bleach before washing, or switch to using an anti-fungal & anti-bacterial washing powder.
Treat Foot Fungus ASAP!
Immediately treating a fungal infection is the best way to get rid of it and prevent further spreading of it to yourself or other household members.
On my blog, you can find a range of different home remedies to kill fungus, as well as information on the must trusted ways to treat toenail fungus.
After dealing with toenail fungus for 6+ years, I have tried many different treatments and my experience with them are detailed on the home page.
I tried numerous at home treatments, treatments provided by my doctor and I found the best way to cure it was a combination of products.
This combination consists of an natural foot wash, Zane Hellas, and tolnaftate cream.