Is there any way to make a fungus-infected toenail look less noticeable?

My two big toenails are both infected with a fungus. One nail had to come off and a new nail is only half grown underneath. The other one is now yellow-ish and I have to go back next week to see whether that one also has a fungus. The doctor has told me not to wear nail polish on my toenails anymore because he thinks that's what ruined my toenails in the first place- the moisture being trapped underneath the nail. Are there any ways to make it look less noticeable besides band-aids? Because it hurts when I wear closed-toe shoes, so I want to wear flip flops but the band-aids always end up coming off! And also, what could I use as an anti-fungal treatment for the rest of my nails so that it doesn't spread to them?

I want SERIOUS answers. Not "EW". I'm aware that it's disgusting, I don't need you to tell me that. Also, the doctor said NOT TO PAINT THEM because that is how they got infected in the first place.

WITH FUNGAL INFECTIONS, JUST LIKE WITH ANY INFECTION YOU WANT TO KEEP IT AS DRY AND CLEAN AS POSSABLE. THE BIGGEST NO NO IS TO PUT ANYTHING ON IT THAT WILL TRAP THE FUNGUS AND GIVE MEDIA TO GROW ON.

IF YOU WANT YOU COULD PUT FOOD COLORING IN THE MEDICATION THAT YOU PAINT ON YOUR TOE. OR YOU COULD DO IT STRAIGHT ON. FOOD COLORING HAS NO MEDIA TO IT, IT IS JUST WATER AND COLOR.

I HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE WITH MY WIFES NAIL.

i like to chew my daddys big toe nail off yummy

Paint them

ummm look it up on google they have a medicen for dat

ewwwww

I would say no- wear some crocs or some other sandal that has some kind of toe covering-it is what it is and it's not pretty

first of they usually dont spread to other nails unless you are touching the infected one then touching the one that is in good condition, I would recommend you to not worry about it people aint going to be looking at your feet, the more things you put on it the more attention is going to draw towards it.

i would paint them, honey.

and ive never had this problem so i really dont know.

See if the doctor has any cream for that. If not use vaseline and lots of it.

Tea tree oil is good for your skin and kills off lots of ickiness--you can find it at health stores and whole/organic food stores often enough.

Don't walk all the time in flip flops--it can cause harm to your tendons in your feet over time and eventually you won't be able to wear flops for any long stretch of time. Keep them limited to the beach and the pool.

I had to grow out a toenail myself due to an impact injury that flipped my nail back halfway up the bed, Eventually half the nail fell off, the rest had to grow back in, and then the old weird looking nail had to grow out as well. Took me six months total. Not a nice figure but hey, I'm honest.

Shoes--you can try to find sandles with good toe clearance that will still provide you with more comfort and support than flip flops. Sandles with open bands might work, if the bands are rigid in shape. I wore work flats to work every day with just knee highs on as I was a cube dweller. You can buy a half size up to wear for your damanged toe--and you can bundle it up a bit in gauze each morning until it's less tender. Tenderness did fade off for me and I didn't have any pain issues until the nail growth started to catch up to normal height and the side of my toe had to readjust to it. I will still able to wear shoes through that, but it was touchy and didn't like being bumped.

As far as the look? Well, I wore a green flip flop to work with a sock on the first week it happened as I couldn't bear the pressure of anything else.

You can't put fake nails on top as that will likely just add damage and moisture issues. Once the discoloration is handled by the doctor, the nails will not be that noticable, even the short one--no open dress sandles for a while, of course. You might be able to cheat with peekaboos and hosery now and then--I certainly did.

Good luck!

Yup. I spend way too much time outside with my hands in things that God never intended. I ended up with a yucky breed under my right pointer finger that was a bear to get rid of. Unfortunately, you skin and nails become a casulaty of war when you expose them to dirt, roots, ratty tires, hot weather and sweat. You can take Lamisil or you can try other options.

1. Vapor Rub - The stuff your mom put on your chest when you were sick as a child. Camphor and menthol have amazing healing qualities. If your toes are the problem, slather your feet in Vic's Vap-o-Rub (or generic substitute), put on cotton socks and sleep. Do this for months.

This fixed my finger. However, while I waited for the the rub to take effect, I took a professional file (rough end) and sanded my nail down to normal thickness. At first, I applied a clear-coat of polish to disguise the problem. Disguising, however, will screw up the medicating so you have to decide what is more important - long term healing or cosmetic benefits. I had to suck it up and deal with an ugly nail for a while.

It's really hard to rid yourself of nail yuck. Before the home remedy worked (and I am not saying that it is a sure fire fix for anyone), I considered having my nail yanked. If you want your nail to breathe and heal - DO NOT cover it up! Go and buy yourself a nice emory board, sand your nail down to where it looks normal and let it get air. Sand it from the surface down and take whatever a licensed dermatologist prescribes you.

Take a knife and cut off the toe before it spreads.

I recommend that you check for a person with diabetic foot care experience in your area.

Most diabetics are prone to fungal infections, so a person used to dealing with them is familiar with fungus. They are not grossed out by the fungus and can do many things to help resolve the problem. What they should do for you, is to clean out underneath the nail and clip it back as much as possible so that you don't have too much debris under the nail, that is what causes the pressure. They should also thin out the nail by buffing it down to normal looking thickness. You may need a series of treatments just to keep ahead of the fungus.

Your doctor is right, the polish did help the problem get worse. I think it was not the cause.

Fungus needs damp, dark, dirty areas to thrive, which is the inside of your shoe, gyms, pools, etc. You may have traumatized your toe, which resulted in a portal of entry for the fungal bacteria. it usually starts in the toe that was traumatized or the big toe, and then will spread to the other big toe, mainly because we are always touching toes when we sleep. It can skip a toe and infect the rest of the toenails. It all depends on the type of fungus and your immune system.

The fungus will start off as a darkened band across the free edge of the toenail, with some lifing of the nail from the nail bed. Then as it becomes worse, the nail will become thicker and darker, lifting more and more until the while nail comes off the and the nail bed is damaged. Your nail will not grow back after that.

There is a product that is available at salons and spas, specifically for nail fungus (onychomycosis) It is called FOOTLOGIX # 7 Tincture. It contains 1% clotrimazol which is an anti-fungal ingredient.

it is a spray that you spray under the edge of the nails, to where the fungus is. You do have to keep using it for months, depending on your normal rate of growth, and do not put polish on it as this will occlude the nail and not let the proper oxygen exchange occur to help penetrate the product. The spray can be used on every toenail as a preventative measure