3 Ways to Protect Your Family from Toenail Fungus

Families spend a lot of time close together. This can be great for having fun, sharing meals, and generally enjoying each other’s company. However, it does put family members at a higher risk for sharing unpleasant things, like illnesses and infections. The more contagious something is, like fungal nails, the more likely it will spread through a family. Fortunately, there are ways you can help protect your family from toenail fungus.

Toenail fungus is a highly-contagious, easy-to-spread, hard-to-treat infection. It thrives in warm, damp environments, like pools, locker rooms, and even showers. It transfers to other surfaces on contact, like your feet or things like towels and footwear. Preventing the infection is much better for your family than trying to treat it.

Preventing the Spread of Toenail Fungus

Fortunately, preventing the problem is possible with just a few basic precautions. Here are three simple ways to protect your family from toenail fungus:

• Wear the right footwear – Certain shoes make infections more likely to set in. Have your family stick to shoes made from natural materials that allow air to circulate instead of trapping it. They should choose moisture-wicking socks to pull perspiration away from your toes.
• Protect your feet in high-risk places – When your family goes to the pool or uses public facilities, avoid going barefoot. Make sure your family uses sandals or shower shoes to prevent touching contaminated surfaces directly.
• Consider pre-treating for fungus – You can’t always prevent contact with the fungus that causes the infection, but regularly using anti-fungal products, like sprays or powders, on feet and shoes can help prevent the pathogen from taking hold.

Although you raise children to share, fungus is not one of those things you want to spread around your family. The more effort you put into preventing the problem, the less you’ll have to worry about one family member getting it and sharing it with the rest of you.

Toenail fungus is treatable, but it’s much better for your family’s toes to avoid the problem altogether. If you’re concerned about fungus, or someone in your family already has it, contact our experts with The Kansas Foot Center to take care of it before it spreads. You can reach our Wichita office for more information through our website or by calling (866) 222-5177.