Athletes with Active Lifestyles Are Prone to Toenail Fungus?

If you want to lead a healthy lifestyle, you need to be more physically active. However, engaging in physical activity also increases your risk of developing fungal infections. That’s exactly why athletes with an active lifestyle are 2.5 times more likely to develop toenail fungus or athlete’s foot.

Why Are Athletes More Prone to Toenail Fungus

Athletes and people who tend to live an active lifestyle are prone to developing toenail fungus, also called onychomycosis. It may appear strange that active people suffer from these kinds of problems, but there are reasons regarding their lifestyle and atmosphere that make them vulnerable to it.

Damp Environments

Frequent sweating results in excessive moisture in shoes which creates an optimal environment for fungi to thrive. Athletes regularly use shared facilities like locker rooms, swimming pools, and communal showers that can cause and spread fungi.

Repetitive Trauma

Trauma to toenails such as running or playing sports results in minor damage, which then results in the toenail being prone to any fungi. Also, shoes worn in sports can put added pressure on toenails and, as a result, cause more trauma to them.

Extended Wear of Shoes

It is normal for sports shoes to be worn for hours by athletes, in which case heat and moisture build up inside the shoe. These factors are considered the perfect setting for the growth of fungus.

Weakened Nail Defense

Regular exposure to harsh chemicals, such as chlorine in swimming pools, can weaken the nails and reduce their natural ability to resist infections. Additionally, nail damage from frequent manicures or pedicures may compromise their protective barrier, making it easier for fungi to invade.

How To Avoid Toenail Fungus for Athletes

As long as you are aware of your surroundings and your personal cleanliness, you can still enjoy all the physical activities without worrying about toenail fungus. Use these tips to prevent these fungal diseases:

Clean Surfaces and Gym Equipment

Since fungal infections are transmitted by direct contact, shared surfaces serve as fungus breeding grounds. If at all possible, bring your own tools, equipment, towel, and yoga or exercise mats.

You could always keep a bottle of alcohol or sanitizer in your workout bag along with some disinfecting wipes. Additionally, remember to clean your mat on a regular basis and let it air dry before storing it.

Add Extra Layers

Wear long-sleeved sportswear or provide an extra layer of protection, such as towels, to help shield your skin from the surfaces of exercise benches, bike seats, and other equipment.

Avoid Going Barefoot in Public Areas

Do not walk barefoot in public areas such as saunas, locker rooms, gym showers, and areas near swimming pools. Bringing your own shoes is preferable to going barefoot or using the gym’s supplied ones. In case you develop toenail fungus and wear gym-supplied shoes, you’ll also infect others. It is more likely that fungi like athlete’s foot will spread from one person to another due to direct contact.

Change into Clean Clothes

After your workout session, change into fresh clothing while paying particular attention to your socks and underwear to get rid of bacteria and germs from your perspiration. Sweaty underwear should never be reused because it can cause jock itch.

Drying your body is always important, especially in the areas between your armpits, toes, and other skin folds. To allow your body to breathe, dress in cotton clothing and stay away from rubber or plastic shoes. After each usage, let your shoes and gym bag air out because the moisture and perspiration from used gym attire can lead to the growth of fungi.

Above all, never share personal goods like soaps, towels, or shoes. Always launder your workout clothing afterward.

If, despite following these suggestions, you continue to experience fungal infections, you can try laser therapy.

What Kinds of Toenail Fungus Treatments Are Available?

Until recently, the only options for treating toenail fungus were oral medications and topical antifungal creams or nail lacquer. These therapies have been surpassed by the more successful laser treatments due to their limited success and numerous drawbacks.

With a 5-12% success rate, the antifungal cream has the lowest success rate. Furthermore, topical therapies have very little chance of successfully penetrating into, under, and surrounding the afflicted toenail unless you have a very mild case.

Oral prescription drugs perform marginally better. Oral antifungal treatments pose serious health hazards and frequently cause interactions with other prescription medications. To guarantee your protection and security during the months, you will be taking these pills, oral drugs should never be administered without first speaking with your primary care physician.

Topical drugs must be applied every day for at least a year and frequently longer. Even yet, to avoid a recurrence, some level of application must be maintained throughout life.

Doctors started searching for alternate therapies for toenail fungus because topical and oral medications are not the best options. Since laser therapy was first introduced fifteen years ago, patients have been able to find a treatment that is painless, safe, easy, successful, and free of side effects.

How Does Laser Therapy Work?

To put it simply, the laser equipment exposes the toenail with a laser beam. Tens of thousands of laser pulses enter, surround, penetrate, and land on the toenail to eradicate the fungus. The fungus is irreversibly killed when the energy from the laser beam breaks its structure.

The focus wavelength of the laser equipment targets the fungus and nothing else. Therefore, neither the surrounding skin nor the normal, healthy toenail sections are harmed by this laser light.

Technically speaking, depending on the laser, there are actually several ways that the light from the laser can eliminate fungus. The majority of lasers use photo-thermolysis, which can result in thermal or mechanical damage. Since non-thermal laser therapy doesn’t involve heat and is therefore painless, athletes prefer it more.

Conclusion

If you’re physically active and are seeing signs of toenail fungus, you should consult with a medical professional to determine the best course of action. Restore Podiatry offers non-invasive laser therapy solutions to help destroy the fungus without affecting any of the surrounding areas. Consult with one of our experts today to find out how to proceed with laser therapy.